Lowie Live Presents The Margie Lou Dyer Quintet. Paying homage to the traditions of great blues from New Orleans.
Location
225 Nicholson Street
Brunswick East VIC 3057
Australia
Margie Lou Dyer Quintet
Margie Lou has held down a residency at St Kilda’s fantastic jazz bar and seafood restaurant Claypots for nearly a decade, making Sunday nights a regular treasure for all. Her gravelly, astonishingly expressive voice is reminiscent of the best women of early jazz, like Bessie Smith or Billie Holiday; Her blues tinged, heavy grooving, New Orleans-style piano playing is unique in Melbourne.
The launch of her latest album 'Old Digger's Picnic', is her first in 30 years without her late husband and musical mentor: Allan Vincent Browne. It traces her Jazz lineage, reflecting the powerful influence of her late father Warwick Dyer; Whose legacy to her was his vast collection of 600+ early jazz artists and his own jazz recordings from the Frank Johnson Band and countless Jazz concerts in the 1950s.
Her solo work at Claypots was gradually augmented to a trio in 2010, with the addition of Artist/sculptor/musician Cameron Robbins on clarinet and the multi Aria award winner Allan Browne on drums - using an exact Baby Dodds kit (with a large bass-drum and no high hat).
In 2015 the very talented composer and musician Eugene Ball, joined her on Trumpet and a quartet was formed. After Allan's passing in June of that year and following a brief recess - Margie Lou looked for a new direction without Al on drums. In his stead she needed two extra musicians. The authentic, vibrant double bassist: Howard Cairns, was an automatic choice and her daughter Hayley Miro took on her father's role playing washboard. Hayley took this on with extraordinary ease and understanding - having absorbed all her life the sounds and techniques of the West-African percussion so loved and practiced by Allan.
The Quintet has prospered and developed a unique language during their half decade long, Sundays at the St Kilda Icon of culture and food. Aside from unique collaborations with an array of wonderful musicians, the Quintet has performed at MONA in the Sidney Nolan Room and are hoping to tour in Japan this year.
"Margie-Lou sings from a well so deep, where cold heartache swirls with white-hot joy, to be in her presence is to drown in the extremities of experience. I adore her. And feel privileged to go asunder." - Tim Rogers
"Margie Lou and her band, steeped in gut-bucket jazz and blues, draw fresh water from an old well. Her piano playing is raw, fiery, mournful, joyous. Ragged and right. I could listen to her dancing left hand all day and night. When she sings, pain turns to jubilation" - Paul Kelly
Sunday 24th August
5pm
Tickets $15