JazzConnect brings the music back to Scarborough

Scarborough’s weekend festival of jazz is back for its third year in 2024 as JazzConnect takes over the foreshore from Friday, August 23 to Sunday, August 25. The festival features 17 free and ticketed events at nine beachside locations, taking in jazz acts ranging from traditional to swing, soul, R&B, folk, funk, blues, Latin and more. BRAYDEN EDWARDS caught up with Festival Director Karen Caddy to find out what we can look forward to this year.

It’s great to see JazzConnect coming to Scarborough this year! There’s such a diverse range of jazz styles and genres this year. How did you go about choosing who was going to feature on the line-up?

In Perth, we are blessed with so many fabulous artists, and I want to thank our wonderful curator, Georgie Aue, who has crafted this festival line-up for us.

This JazzConnect festival is all about community and celebrating the diversity that exists in our community. We wanted to create a festival that is fun and engaging, with something that everyone can enjoy.

We have included high-energy acts like Steve Hensby Band and the Matt Cahill Combo, who are sure to get everyone up and dancing, as well as the sophisticated sounds of groups like GunFu and the Chris Foster Trio.

With a large Latin community in Scarborough, we have brought this flavour into the festival with performances by artists like Marcio Mendez, Danilo da Paz, and De Cuba Son, who are perfect for the Scarborough Beach vibe.

Across the festival, our aim has been to showcase both established and emerging artists, so people can come along to see their favourite artists like Sophie Foster, Libby Hammer, or The Basilios and then walk to the next venue and discover someone new.

There is also a diverse range of venues these events take place in, including both ticketed and free events. What are some places we can experience jazz that we wouldn’t usually expect to?

We are so excited by the range of venues that have come onboard for the festival, giving people the chance to experience jazz in new and different settings.

We have Zoie Café, a favourite breakfast and coffee spot for locals, hosting two Ocean View Lunch events that will combine their fabulous views and food with the gorgeous voices of Allira Wilson and Lucy Iffla.

Then we have venues like the Sandbar and El Grotto—no strangers to live music—but not usually jazz. They are hosting multiple events across the festival and are sure to draw a big crowd.

And we have the Scarborough Beach Bar, which is becoming our hub of Brazilian and Cuban jazz during the festival, embracing the theme with specially crafted cocktails and food offerings.

But most exciting is the Scarboro Surf Lifesaving Club, which is being transformed into the festival hub for an elegant Saturday black-tie event and a Sunday sundowner. This venue has stunning ocean views, providing the perfect backdrop for our festival’s headline acts.

The jazz festival has been coming to Scarborough for some years now. How has it grown and evolved from previous years? Especially after a break last year?

Firstly, I’d like to give a big thank-you to the City of Stirling, our principal sponsor, and the Scarborough Beach Association, who have supported this festival from day one; this festival simply couldn’t happen without their support.

When the festival was launched back in 2021 as Jazz by the Beach, we were just emerging from the COVID lockdowns, and the festival was all about supporting the local artists and businesses that had been hit so hard.

The community and businesses really got behind the festival, and we were blown away by how much support it had. I really want to give a huge shout out to Catherine Summers, who was the creative force behind the original festival and did such a fantastic job as festival director in 2021/22.

After a break in 2023, the festival is back under the management of the ArtConnect Initiative, a not-for-profit organisation that supports community arts projects. We’ve taken the opportunity to refresh the branding, but we have kept the same successful format.

How do you see JazzConnect contributing to local music culture, and what impact do you hope the festival will have on the community, especially in Scarborough?

This JazzConnect festival aims to connect our community to and through jazz. Nothing brings people together like live music, and we think the Scarborough foreshore makes the perfect venue for a festival like this.

Scarborough has a rich heritage as a live music destination, dating back to the days of the Snake Pit. The festival brings a different genre of music to Scarborough and provides a lively cultural experience for our community to enjoy right here in their own neighbourhood.

Everyone knows that Scarborough is the place to go on a hot summer day, but in winter, things are a fair bit quieter, which is hard on our local businesses. We have deliberately scheduled this festival at the end of winter or the start of spring to help people shake off the winter blues and get out to support local businesses during this otherwise quiet period.

What are some highlights of this year’s program that you’re particularly excited about, and why? Are there any special performances or unique events that shouldn’t be missed?

We are very fortunate to be showcasing two brand new shows at this year’s festival, providing people with unique experiences.

For our black-tie event on Saturday night, we have Libby Hammer’s High Society: Movies, Musicals and Jazz, a show specially crafted for this festival. Guests will be treated to a night of elegance with a stunning ocean backdrop as the Libby Hammer Quintet performs special musical masterpieces that have graced the world’s stages and screens.

Then on Sunday afternoon, guests can experience the ultimate blend of music and nature as Georgie Aue premieres her new show, Bossa Nova from My Living Room. Imagine the sky ablaze with the colours of an ocean sunset, perfectly complemented by the beautiful sounds of Bossa Nova and a glass or two of your favourite wine.

These are both ticketed fundraising events, with all profits being used to support this and future arts events. They have been sellout events in previous years, and we hope the community will get behind them again.

Having been involved with this festival since its inception in 2021, I am so excited to bring this festival back as a regular feature on the Scarborough calendar.