Piano Jazz @ The Rosstown Hotel Carnegie – PIA 302
$25.00
These lunches which are held every second month have become a significant part of the Melbourne jazz scene with between nine and twelve pianists playing to an audience of up to sixty people. The lunches commenced in a modest way at the Brighton home for Bill Bunnett in 1989 when a small group of up to five people listened to the piano playing of Rex Green and Bill Bunnett. This continued on at an ad-hoc basis until May 1992 when the group which had expanded took Rex Green to lunch at the Palace Hotel Camberwell to celebrate his 70th birthday. There was a piano in the Bistro and Rex entertained us. During the lunch I suggested that in future the lunches be held at this location and this was agreed to.
For the next two years the lunches were held at the Palace with steadily increasing numbers attending and additional pianists, first Neville Turner and later Dave Eggleton.
A change of venue became necessary when the hotel relocated the piano. Eventually we moved to the Rosstown Hotel. Initially lunches were held in the dining room and later we moved to the bistro which we share with other diners.
Over the years people attending have come and gone with numbers steadily increasing as have the pianists. We now have a regular number of 9 pianists, six of whom appear on this CD. They include many of Melbourne’s best pianists in the traditional / mainstream fields which include Graham Coyle, John Adams, Kim Harris, Neville Turner. A recent addition is Jeff Bartrum who plays in a more modern style. It is pleasing to report that Rex Green now aged 84 appears on this CD and is playing as well as ever. He is greatly esteemed as our elder statesman.
This CD is dedicated to the memory of David Ward who recorded the music and produced the CD. David lost his battle with cancer and died in April 2007 . He played piano in “The Waterfront Café band” at the Rosstown every month as well as playing solo piano at the jazz lunches. Tom Wanlis
In stock