Catherine Hunter's High 5

Historical article recovered from a Wayback capture dated 2018-02-24.

Catherine Hunter is one of the most captivating voices and performers in Australian jazz today. Her musicality and strong vocal styling see her switch effortlessly between romantic ballads, bossa novas and swinging jazz standards.

Catherine burst onto the Sydney scene in the early 1990s having graduated with a jazz diploma from the Canberra School of Music, the alma mater of some of Australia’s top jazz artists.

Catherine appears as a featured guest artist with Australia’s biggest jazz names, including internationally acclaimed James Morrison, Don Burrows, Bobby Gebert and John Morrison’s Swing City Big Band and All Star Bands. Catherine’s own quartet is in hot demand for high profile corporate work and she has performed at gala events such as the Boomerang dinner for Princess Mary’s royal visit in 2005.

Catherine’s diverse career has taken her to jazz festivals around the country including the Norfolk Island’s Jazz on the Rock Festival, The Hunter Valley’s Jazz in the Vines, Manly Jazz Festival and Darwin’s Sunset Jazz. She has toured all over Australia and in Asia, having recently played an exclusive engagement at the prestigious Hong Kong Island Shangri-La Hotel to great acclaim. Catherine has also appeared regularly on television, with 3 years as a regular performer on Midday and is a popular voice on many advertising jingles.

Catherine has just released her ABC album ‘Dream Maker’.

You can contact Catherine at

www.catherinehunter.com.au

1. TONY BENNETT – Lyric Theatre, Sydney 2000

I approached this gig with the attitude that even if Tony B wasn’t as good vocally as he was in his heyday, then I would still have seen a legend. No need to worry on the vocal front, Tony Bennett was sublime. Here was a man who was not only a great singer, but a true gentleman and showman. The coolest cat, with the sharpest suit and the greatest respect for the lyric, his stylish renditions of classic standards made me wish the night would never end. Cameron Clayton did his thing as a feature with brushes - and I’ve never before heard an audience of largely general public come away raving about the drummer and rest of the band.

At one point, Tony sang acoustically to demonstrate the great room but I feel this was more a ploy to show just how great Tony still is as a vocalist – relaxed, understated, with a feel that makes the audience feel good too. I was incredibly grateful to have experienced one of the last great vocalists of a magical era for jazz singers and entertainers. I’d love to see a resurgence of appreciation for great interpreters of standards and performers that are valued for their craft, not just the marketing buzz surrounding them.

2. PRINCE – Sydney Entertainment Centre – Musicology Tour, October 2003

Finally I got it Having bought Prince’s albums years ago, listened to and enjoyed his work, and appreciated his musicianship; I’d never really understood why so many people were blown away by him. Well I’m glad I made this gig as it is one of the greatest concerts I’ve ever seen. Prince was performing a lot of hits from the 80’s and covered most of his back catalogue – something which I believe we will rarely see again as he concentrates on new material.

All the classics were included - I Feel for You, Sign of the Times, with highlights being When Doves Cry, Raspberry Beret and Purple Rain. His guitar playing was mind-blowing, and the groove of the band was unbelievable. Prince kept challenging the audience to party harder with him, no problem there.

After the ‘show’ was over, Prince returned to the stage, solo, to sit at the piano and completely blow my mind with an encore of about 45 min of soulful, funky, bluesy, you name it – the guy is not only a genius but a virtuoso. And Prince showed why he is such a hit with the ladies – his solo version of the iconic Kiss was so sexy you could feel the heat rise in the venue. In the non-jazz realm, this gig will be hard to beat!

3. CLAIRE MARTIN WITH THE BOBBY GEBERT TRIO, The Basement 1994

UK vocalist Claire Martin has been to Australia several times and I was pleased to have met her on one of her first trips here and to have had a few mischievous adventures along the way. It was an important time for me as a young musician and Claire made a big impression. She turned me onto some of the great singers, in particular Shirley Horn, and was a generous teacher. Claire represents to me a modern vocalist who is a clever interpreter of standards, while also bringing her own stamp to jazz, with covers of some more contemporary tunes as well as original compositions.

I also loved this gig because the band was led by my mentor, the legendary Bobby Gebert and included my favourite Bobby Gebert Trio line-up of Andrew Dickeson on drums and Jonathan Zwartz on bass. It’s easy to see why Bob’s trio is requested to back visiting international acts – individually they are all incredible artists but as a trio, the most swinging groovers in town. Bobby brought his sensitivity and deep understanding of playing with a vocalist to the gig, along with a dirty, driving swing when it was needed. This was a very special time for me and I’ll never forget some of the many gigs I saw this line-up play together.

4. DIANA KRALL – Iridium Room, New York, 1995

Before she became an international mega-star, Diana Krall was gigging in smaller clubs along with everyone else – and I enjoyed this more than the larger scale concert gigs I’ve seen. It was a late night trio gig with Christian McBride on bass, (sorry, can’t be 100% sure of the drummer) and good to see that like a lot of gigs we play here, some were listening, others chatting and others still finishing their meals or night early. I was just amazed to get a seat so near the trio and was mesmerized – after a month in New York of hearing some unbelievable artists, like Tommy Flanagan and Kenny Barron, I had hardly managed to find any vocalists – though I guess Diana is also known for her piano skills. What really struck me about this gig was the interplay between the musicians – everyone was listening to one another and working as a team, rather than purely as an accompaniment to the singer. The gig was simple, stylish and tasteful.

5. KYLIE MINOGUE – Acer Arena, November 2006

OK, so this is left field, and Kylie might be a sentimental favourite at the moment, but having just returned from her concert last night, I’ve got to hand it to her – the girl was good! A great show, gorgeous costumes, but most interestingly Kylie has obviously worked hard on her voice and she impressed me with her control, pitch and range. With a retro nod to the forties, she flew across the stage on a half crescent moon, singing Somewhere Over the Rainbow. While it wasn’t the best jazz version I’ve heard, it certainly held up to a lot of covers of this incredible classic. She then followed this up with a sleazy Big Band, burlesque type rendition of Locomotion – I never thought I could like this tune – but I was getting there. I have to hand it to Kylie, she has transformed herself in ways I never thought imaginable, worked extremely hard at her craft and deserves the success she enjoys today!