Michael Danby (Melbourne Ports, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I want to commend the Melbourne Jazz International Festival, which is going to be held from 3 to 12 May. I congratulate Albert Dadon, the creative chairman of the jazz festival, who is going to bring together an incredible range of talent from both here and overseas to make that difference that our city has in continuing the cultural areas.

Bill Shorten said that in the 10 days we are going to have:

... Herbie and McCoy and Chick Corea and Dave Liebman and the eerie talent of Pharaoh Sanders whose saxophone keeps playing long after it leaves his mouth, and Bireli Lagrene, who’s been compared to Jango Reinhart, the Speedy Gonzales super-talent of Frank Gambale, and the Las Vegas Mass Choir, no less!

On our side of the Pacific ditch, there are James Morrison, Joe Chindamo, Kate Ceberano, Elana Stone and 10 bands from the Victorian College of the Arts and Monash. We will have universes of pleasure to choose from and memories that, when we close our eyes, we can return to for the rest of our lives.

It is going to be good to be there. I commend the Victorian government on its support for the Melbourne Jazz International Festival. I congratulate Bill Shorten on opening the festival the other day and, particularly, Albert Dadon, its chairman, on the incredible array of both overseas and local talent that we are going to have the pleasure of hearing in Melbourne from 3 to 12 May.