That Monash University has become a national leader in jazz studies is far from surprising when we consider the calibre of its teaching staff: pianist and composer Paul Grabowsky, saxophonist Rob Burke, trumpeter Paul Williamson, and trombonist Jordon Murray, among others. Students have had the opportunity to perform and record with visiting international artists such as Dave Douglas, Enrico Rava, and Tomasz Stańko. Recent alumni have included award-winning musicians Hugh Blaines, Olivia Chindamo, Joe O’Connor, and James Mustafa.

The Jazz Greats Weekend, part of the 2017 Monash Academy of Performing Arts (MAPA) program, looked, at first glance, like a bold attempt to broaden the audience for jazz concerts, an essential strategy given Monash’s stated intention to open a dedicated jazz space at the University in 2019. James Morrison, for example, is one of Australian jazz’s few household names, an irrepressible personality known as much for his showmanship as for any musical innovation, and who willingly plays the role of modern-day jazz ambassador in much the same way that Louis Armstrong and Dizzy Gillespie did in earlier times.