Jazz Ramble
Australian jazz, and other ramblings
About Jazz Ramble
Jazz Ramble is a community-driven blog covering Australian jazz news, gig listings, and education resources. With a focus on the Melbourne and Victoria scene, the site brings together gig guides, club directories, festival coverage, and workshop information for jazz enthusiasts and musicians alike.
From the Melbourne International Jazz Festival to local club nights in Geelong, Ballarat, and beyond, Jazz Ramble has been a home for Australian jazz conversation — featuring contributions from across the jazz community.
Read MoreArticles
| Title | Date | Excerpt |
|---|---|---|
| The Lost Jazz Venues of Fremantle: A Walking Tour | Fremantle packs a large musical history into walkable streets. Its lost jazz venues were rarely purpose-built halls; they were hotel rooms, railway-side… | |
| How ABC Radio’s Jazz Notes Shaped Listener Tastes | For many Australian jazz listeners, radio was the first serious doorway into the music. Before streaming services, specialist playlists and instant video… | |
| Inside the Annual Jazz Reunion at Lazybones Lounge | The annual Jazz Reunion at the Lazybones Lounge in Marrickville is built around a simple idea: musicians, listeners and supporters should meet where the… | |
| Margaret Hocking (1940–2024): Australian pianist and educator | Margaret Hocking died in 2024, leaving Australian jazz without a pianist and educator whose influence grew from close attention to other musicians. She brought… | |
| The influence of Graeme Bell on post-war Australian jazz culture | Graeme Bell’s piano, compositions and arrangements became part of the working grammar of Australian jazz after the Second World War. More than a bandleader, he… | |
| A Guide to Melbourne’s Jazz Collections | Australia’s jazz history survives in more than recordings. It survives in stubbed tickets, handwritten set lists, club newsletters, photographs and the… | |
| Review: The 2024 Live Recording from the Brisbane Traditional Jazz Ensemble | The Brisbane Traditional Jazz Ensemble’s 2024 live recording captures a band that understands traditional jazz as a social language rather than a museum piece.… | |
| How Sydney Jazz Club Survived The 1950s Popularity Slump | The 1950s were a testing decade for traditional jazz in Australia. The early postwar enthusiasm for swing, Dixieland and small dance bands began to weaken as… | |
| The untold story of the New Orleans Jazz Band touring Australia in 1924 | In 1924, audiences in Sydney and Melbourne heard a band carrying the name of New Orleans into dance halls and theatres. The visit is often compressed into a… | |
| Why the jazz scene in Newcastle deserves more attention | Newcastle’s jazz culture is often treated as a footnote to Sydney, Melbourne or the annual festival circuit. That framing misses a city with live rooms,… |
Victorian Jazz Clubs
A directory of jazz clubs across Victoria
Jazz Albury Wodonga
156 Lawrence Street, Wodonga VIC 3690
Musical Director: Graeme Cook — 0438 623 462
Venue: The Jazz Basement, Shop 5, 48–52 Lincoln Causeway, Wodonga. Music from 8pm. Bar open 7.30pm. $20, Concession $15.
Ballarat Jazz Club
President & Bookings: Mollie — contact via the club.
Echuca-Moama Jazz Club
Contact: Harry Daniels — harrydaniels@jazzramble.com
Geelong Jazz Club
Contact: Sandy Leaman
Venue: Vines Road Community Centre, 41 Vines Road, Hamlyn Heights.
Phillip Island Jazz Club
Home of the Phillip Island Jazz Festival.
Get In Touch
We'd love to hear from the Australian jazz community.