It is just two weeks to go until the Castlemaine Jazz Festival swings into action! The 2023 festival kicks off on Friday June 9 with a Big Band extravaganza not to be missed at Castlemaine’s Theatre Royal.
Three bands will take to the Royal stage on the night including the TEK TEK Ensemble, The Seduceaphones and The Seven Ups.
TEK TEK perform virtuosic and original music inspired by tropical jungles, late night discos, 1960’s chic, and shamanistic desert rituals.
The balance of three guys and three girls captivate audiences with exclamatory trumpet; hedonistic violins and organ; deeply pulsating drums and bass; wild psychedelic electric guitar; and a rich smearing of harmonized singing (and wailing) thrown on top.
TEK TEK Ensemble formed in 2010 and have performed countless times around Australia and the world including Jakarta, The Pilbara, Berlin, New Caledonia, Bangkok and Paris. The band has its roots in the wildness of late-night Melbourne pub music with the sophistication of jazz and classical performance, and the danceability of tropical rhythms and hard-partying disco beats.
Central Victorian gipsy-brass beast The Seduceaphones create grooves that move crowds in completely new and unusual ways, they pioneer an infectious vein of Balkan brass-fusion.
Their shows at MOOMBA Festival, Lorne Falls Festival and Rainbow Serpent Festival have invariably left the crowd gasping for breath. They have also shaken the stages at the Castlemaine State Festival, Eltham Jazz Festival, Bendigo Blues and Roots Festival and the list goes on. Their debut album Muskrat was released at the Night Cat in 2019 showcasing their Balkan ‘Eurotrash’ sound.
Seven piece heavy groove combo The Seven Ups from Melbourne will take you on an abstruse journey into the darker fringes of instrumental music, drifting from funk to spiritual jazz and through to psychedelic fuzz rock. The Seven Ups are your soundtrack to the dancefloor at the end of the world.
The Seven Ups music has been featured in Wax Poetics (USA), album of the week (twice) on PBS fm and Beat magazine top 10 on KEXP (USA) and they continue to receive airplay on BBC Radio, KEXP, Triple J, and community radio around Australia.
Castlemaine Jazz Festival runs from June 9-11. Head to the website for tickets to this unforgettable evening at www.castlemainejazzfestival.com.au