Music review: An Afternoon of Jazz
Celebrated New York-based saxophonist Troy Roberts joined the latest generation of Elder Conservatorium graduates for The Helpmann Academy’s annual jazz showcase.
The Helpmann Academy’s Jazz Awards Concerts for the top graduating students of the Elder Conservatorium have gradually shifted in character over the past several years. No longer do they take place in Elder Hall, as in 2023 and many years prior, nor have they returned to the Town Hall since 2024, and instead they have now settled into the UKARIA Cultural Centre in Mount Barker.
This is in many ways a good thing. The more relaxed casual atmosphere of a smaller performance space is always going to be more suitable for jazz – music that was birthed in nightclubs, bars, dance halls and community spaces (and, historically, often venues of much lower repute). Whilst UKARIA is of course not quite a nightclub, and the ‘Night of Jazz’ has shifted to the more genteel ‘Afternoon of Jazz’, the more refined setting is a highly functional compromise between the music’s high-art aspirations and raucous origins.
The afternoon began with a selection of performances by the undergraduate award winners, alongside this year’s internationally-acclaimed guest artist, saxophonist Troy Roberts, who had spent the week prior in an intensive course of rehearsals, masterclasses and workshops with current and former students of the conservatorium. Roberts’ positive influence as a director was clear from the start, with his composition ‘Trams’ providing an effective vehicle for a fluid, rhythmically relaxed and lyrical solo from Lucinda Wearing, winner of the Helpmann Academy Award for Outstanding Saxophonist.
Huw Roberts, winner of the Helpmann Academy Award for Outstanding Guitarist, was a very effective foil, with a more biting tone and blues-inflected approach, her feel still relaxed but with a compelling sense of forward momentum. As she plays, her demeanour of total confidence and relaxation is intriguingly underscored by what seems like an intentionally hurried push forwards from her technique, which was supported very effectively by the guest drummer, 2025 award winner Lachlan Durrans.
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The next number was a performance of Samara Joy’s arrangement of the standard ‘You Stepped Out of a Dream’, featuring Lauren Logozzo, winner of the Helpmann Academy Award for Outstanding Vocalist. This particular arrangement is quite idiosyncratic, which can make it hard for a vocalist to break away from Joy’s conception of the melody. However, even when the band did not quite agree on some of the more intricate unison lines, Logozzo’s interpretation was undisturbed, highly accomplished and also very distinct from Joy’s, without an overreliance on delaying the placement of the melody, and instead a focus on very subtle and precise embellishments.
This arrangement also featured a piano solo from Luis Vollmer, winner of the award for outstanding pianist, whose left hand provided the constant harmonic support that is vital for a richly chromatic tune such as this one. It is particularly unusual to hear this kind of multi-handed harmonic competency in younger pianists, and it allowed his easy-going lyrical improvisation to feel all the more at home in the tune. Benjamin Spitty, winner of the award for outstanding trumpet, also took a solo with beautiful crisp articulation.
The postgraduates then took to the stage, performing an original composition by bassist Tasha Stevens, winner of the Langley Award for Jazz. In such a highly formal event, it was a real joy to hear a tune written with a light-hearted and authentic approach – called ‘Southpaw Stand’, it was a tribute to Travis Head and Mitchell Starc, the two left-handed cricketers who helped win the Ashes series for Australia last year, and written in 11/8 to reflect the eleven players of a cricket team. This tune’s more contemporary harmonic structure allowed the Top Undergraduate (guitarist Kallan Francis) to take a highly impressive unaccompanied guitar solo.
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The post-graduate award winners finished their performance with Roberts’ composition ‘King of Hearts’, which was a fabulous showcase of Top Honours Student, saxophonist Paolo Gutilla. His solo was gritty; filled with the fire characteristic of the tenor saxophonists of the late 60s, and pleasingly showed no musical deference to Roberts, each treating the other as musical equals – Roberts’ solo was effortlessly virtuosic and had a rhythmic fluidity that wonderfully juxtaposed Gutilla’s syncopated insistence.
To round out the award winners’ performance, the crowd next heard from Millicent Sarre, who, rather unusually for the Helpmann Awards, is a graduate of the Musical Theatre programme. With her winnings from the Award for Voice, she will tour her original musical Millicent Sarre Is Too Tired to Smash (Patriarchy) to the Edinburgh Fringe, and although it was most definitely a stark contrast to the remainder of the performance, it was impossible to ignore just how good it was; her persona equal parts vocal powerhouse, light-hearted comedian and frank social commentator. She then joined a number of the other award winners for a performance of the Rodgers & Hart standard ‘Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered’, which was truly breathtaking.
Finally, all the performers came together for a performance of the well-worn classic ‘On the Sunny Side of the Street’, performed with good humour, and allowing Bailey Schwarz to showcase the impressive fluidity and jazz authenticity on electric bass that won him the award for outstanding bassist.
As much as it would be traditional to now dedicate a large portion of the review to Roberts’ subsequent performance with Elder Conservatorium faculty members, their contribution quite rightly felt much more like an epilogue than the main event.
This is not to say that they did not make their case very effectively – Roberts was still a brilliantly engaging bandleader and soloist, guitarist James Muller played with characteristic indifference to his own mind-boggling virtuosity, and together with bassist Dr. Lyndon Gray and drummer Stephen Neville formed a truly world-class rhythm section. In particular, Roberts’ composition ‘Stretch Armstrong’, a blues number that allowed each band member their own moment in the sun, was a highlight.
However, the quality of the award winners’ performance was such that the faculty’s contribution felt more like a word of encouragement; a look towards the future. “Here,” they seemed to say, “this is where today’s recognition can take you”. Adelaide should feel confident that this year’s award winners will take their winnings and use them to fill Roberts’ shoes in the years to come.
An Afternoon of Jazz took place at UKARIA Cultural Centre on Saturday May 16
Helpmann Academy Award Winners:
Luis Vollmer – Helpmann Academy Award for Outstanding Pianist, $2,000
Lucinda Wearing – Helpmann Academy Award for Outstanding Saxophonist, $2,000
Huw Roberts – Helpmann Academy Award for Outstanding Guitarist, $2,000
Bailey Schwarz – Helpmann Academy Award for Outstanding Bassist, $2,000
Benjamin Spitty – Helpmann Academy Award for Outstanding Trumpet, $2,000
Lauren Logozzo – Helpmann Academy Award for Outstanding Vocalist, $2,000
Kallan Francis – Helpmann Academy Top Undergraduate Award, $5,000
Paolo Gutilla – Helpmann Academy Top Honours Award, $5,000
Millicent Sarre – Helpmann Academy Award for Voice, $7,500
Tasha Stevens – Langley Award for Jazz, $7,500
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