Matt Hewson
Jazz will be ringing through Newtown this weekend when the Jazz in a Hat Spring Fest comes to the Heights Heritage House on Saturday, November 19.
The festival, running from 2pm till 9pm, brings together some of Geelong’s best and brightest young jazz talent in a family-friendly celebration of music and community.
Artists include the French-inspired funk of the Calderazzo-Lorenne Group, gypsy duo Gypsum Gypsie and the modern and experimental jazz of Tony Soprano Band and Final Final.
The Heights will also play host to poetry and live art performances throughout the event.
The Jazz in a Hat collective began in Geelong in 2018 when Philippine-born musician Eli Merquita and Geelong artist and musician Joshua Maxwell de Hoog decided to begin hosting jam sessions where musicians could throw their name in a hat and form an impromptu jazz ensemble.
Eli Merquita said the monthly sessions were soon selling out, and the Jazz in a Hat community began to form.
“It just started growing, and the sound started to grow as well, and the involvement of the people,” Mr Merquita said.
“Coming from my background, being born in the Philippines, then living in Singapore, then Melbourne, and ending up here in Geelong, I felt really lost and alienated and not sure why I was even here.
“But the community provided that for me and my family, not just in music, but in friendship, and you can see that same vibe right across the community. This festival is going to be a celebration of people.”
While Jazz in a Hat has and continues to be impacted by COVID-19, Mr Merquita said the return of live music was important to lots of people.
“We’re so excited about the festival, especially after the two years off,” he said.
“It was an awful experience, as a musician, to feel so disconnected from your community.
“We had one of our crew members say he was ready to hang up his bass and forget the whole music thing until we had another Jazz in a Hat jam. It sparked something in him, and now he feels revived.
“As organisers, Josh and I feel a bit burnt out sometimes. But when you hear stories like that, it’s a good feeling, to say the least.”
