Sassafras Trio & Riverbugs

An evening of Jazz featuring one of Perth's premier gypsy jazz groups Sassafras Trio, alongside Margaret River jazz swing quartet Riverbugs ft. special guest Steve Ellis. MC'd by local guitarist and internationally renowned luthier Scott Wise who will take spectators on a journey through the evolution of the guitar in Jazz from the 1920s onwards.

Performing a wide array of tunes which illustrate how different types of guitars were used to achieve the evolving sound of the era, both acts, with the help of some special guests, will show how the guitar has taken its place within the many corners of jazz.

Get set for an evening ride through decades of evolving music and sound!

SASSAFRAS TRIO

Formed in late 2015, Sassafras has now established a reputation as one of Perth’s premier gypsy jazz groups.The band performs in a range of different formats but is perhaps best known as a five-piece featuring vocalist Jessie Gordon and clarinetist Adrian Galante (“Sassafras”). The band also performs as an instrumental quartet with Adrian Galante (“Sassafras Quartet”) and sometimes even as a sextet, adding pedal-steel guitarist Lucky Oceans and violinist Emily Gelineau to the quartet line-up. All the different band formats do however have one thing in common - the core rhythm section of string players Lachlan Gear, Aaron Deacon and Pete Jeavons, otherwise known as Sassafras Trio.

Sassafras Trio combines toe-tapping swing, breakneck gypsy jazz and re-worked jazz standards in a vibrant and engaging mix of acoustic music, all performed with the dazzling virtuosity and passion that is intrinsic to the gypsy jazz tradition. Repertoire features classics from the likes of Django Reinhardt, Birelli Lagrene, Gonzalo Bergara and Les Doigts Des L'Homme (to name a few) plus original arrangements of jazz standards and some original compositions too, all with a progressive leaning.In their own right, Sassafras Trio have performed at numerous venues around Perth (such as P’tite Ardoise Bistro, Freo Social, The Moon Cafe among others) and also at WA festivals including The Bonjour French Festival (2016), Jazz By The Bay (2017) and The King Street Corner Pocket Festival (2018). Later in 2021 Sassafras Trio will be also appearing at the York Jazz Festival, and the Strings Attached Festival in Margaret River.

Additionally the Trio has performed many sold out shows as a part of the larger Sassafras groups at venues such as The Ellington Jazz Club, The Duke of George and The Kalamunda Performing Arts Centre and festivals including Jazz By The Bay (2019), Perth International Jazz Festival (2017), The Oz ManoucheFestival (Brisbane, 2018) and The Perth Festival (2021).

“ The (Perth) International Jazz Festival is a serious affair... there was, however, a moment of joyous gypsystyle jazz from Sassafras, a local group who took the audience on a pleasure-filled journey, aided by brilliant gypsy guitarists…” - Ron Banks, The West Australian Newspaper, June 2017

RIVERBUGS

Riverbugs is a jazz swing quartet local to Margaret River. The band came together about 4 years ago when Janine (vocalist) who had recently moved to Margaret River came across Scott Wise, local guitarist and internationally renowned luthier, at the local markets. We quickly called upon Viv Booker on double bass and started playing tunes from the Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong repertoire as a trio. About a year later we found Louise Marsh who completed the band with her tenor sax to form the quartet we are today. Our repertoire grew and expanded from Jazz swing to latin, blues and RnB with tunes spanning across the eras and genres from Ella, to Aretha Franklin, Etta James and the odd Carol King number!