The Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival
The Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival is here to celebrate the extraordinary women shaping the future of jazz.
The Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival returns this October for its landmark 15th anniversary, bringing ten days of adventurous music, international collaboration and boundary-pushing performances to venues across Sydney.
Presented by the Sydney Improvised Music Association (SIMA), the festival runs from Thursday 22 October to Saturday 31 October, with 12 events celebrating women and gender-diverse artists working across jazz, improvisation and contemporary music.
This year’s program brings together artists from Australia and around the world and features three spectacular headline performances: legendary vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater, Grammy Award-winning pianist and composer Kris Davis, and acclaimed poet, vocalist and activist aja monet.
Jazz icon, Dee Dee Bridgewater opens the festival, in what promises to be an unforgettable event. She’ll be taking the stage at the glorious State Theatre on Thursday 22 October in a rare duo performance with acclaimed pianist Helen Sung.
The show marks Bridgewater’s first Australian performance in almost 12 years and will kick off a national tour.
A two-time Grammy Award winner and Tony Award recipient, Bridgewater first rose to prominence with the Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Orchestra before working with jazz legends including Max Roach, Sonny Rollins, Dexter Gordon and Dizzy Gillespie.
Bridgewater is renowned for her adventurous interpretation of jazz standards and unique vocal quality. Her impressive career has also encompassed theatre, film, television, radio and production.
She will be joined by Guggenheim Fellow Helen Sung, whose virtuosic piano playing draws together classical influences and contemporary jazz. Together, they promise an evening centred on storytelling, improvisation and musical dialogue.
Audiences will also be treated to a special support performance by Australian vocalist Michelle Nicolle and guitarist Hugh Stuckey.
On Saturday 24 October, St Stephen’s Uniting Church will host the Kris Davis Trio, alongside Korean drummer and composer Soojin Suh and her Coloris Trio.
Davis, one of contemporary improvised music’s leading voices, will perform material from her acclaimed release Run the Gauntlet. Her trio features legendary bassist Robert Hurst and drummer Johnathan Blake, combining intricate compositions with spontaneous improvisation.
Run the Gauntlet pays tribute to six pioneering women pianists whose creativity helped reshape jazz, reflecting Davis’s interest in artistic experimentation and musical history.
The evening begins with Soojin Suh’s Coloris Trio, featuring pianist Jaehun Kang and bassist Hoo Kim. Drawing inspiration from the Korean concept of “melodic breath”, the trio creates richly textured music that blurs traditional ensemble roles and combines contemporary jazz with Korean musical influences.
On Sunday 25 October, the festival presents the Sydney debut of aja monet at Oxford Art Factory.
The acclaimed poet, vocalist and activist describes her practice through the lens of “Surrealist Blues”, bringing together poetry, jazz, soul, hip hop and blues.
Monet will perform music from her album the color of rain, accompanied by pianist Brian Hargrove, bassist Micah Collier and drummer Zach Morrow. The performance combines spoken word and music in a work exploring contemporary life, social justice, love and collective care.
Opening the night will be Sydney collective Monstress, whose blend of nu-jazz, hip hop, improvisation and lyricism represents the festival’s commitment to showcasing emerging local voices.
Program highlights also include: Tomeka Reid Quartet featuring Mary Halvorson with Veronique Serret, Friday 23rd October at ACO Neilson Theatre, Walsh Bay; Resonance with The ConChords, Saturday 31st October at Paddington Uniting Church, Paddington.
For full program and artist info, visit sima.org.au/events/category/siwjf
