Jalen Ngonda at City Recital Hall
First off, Naarm/Melbourne based soulstress, the jazzy and uber talented Ella Thompson opened, delighting with some sensational numbers from her album Ripple on the Wing, and a few covers of some classics. Clearly having a great time on stage, she warmed the room up nicely.
Ngonda may be based in Liverpool in the U.K. but he was born in the U.S, and is certainly continuing in the vein of the all- American soul greats, many having already compared him to the likes of Marvin Gaye and David Ruffin. The band were incredibly tight and well rehearsed, and even if it could feel a little too polished at first, the crowd were more than thrilled with his exceptional vocals. Things relaxed a little as they went on. Towards the end, Ngonda gave one of the most extraordinary renditions of My Funny Valentine. He blew the roof off with both the out of this world vocal ability that has already cemented him as a future mega- star, but also with the roars of the adoring audience. Finishing off with the hit track If You Don’t Want My Love from his debut album Come Around And Love Me, released in 2023, made sure everybody left wanting more. Â
Mary Ancheta Quartet at ACO On The Pier
The acclaimed Canadian-Filipina keyboardist Mary Ancheta and her band wowed the packed out room on Pier 2/3. Ancheta is based in Vancouver and is well known also as a producer and composer, and her deep knowledge of jazz and musicianship is more than evident. Starting off with some funky grooves that had a bit of an early Jamiroquai vibe, they moved into serious jamming and soulful jazz riffing, with electronic highlights and excellent flourishes from all band members. They’re known to cross genres and they definitely did with ease and style. As Ancheta told Irresistible after the show, “It’s our first time performing at Sydney Festival. I’ve loved the eclecticness  of this festival, it’s nice that it’s arts and culture, not just music, something everyone. It’s a big festival and  we’re off the the JazzLab in Melbourne next. We’re having a great time in Australia.”
NoSax NoClar at ACO On The Pier
Julian Stella and Bastien Weege from France make up this exciting and captivating duo who are big hits all over the festival scene in Europe. They both have accomplished a great deal and been recognised for their virtuosity as individuals. Julien Stella, has won a French Beatbox Championship and Bastien Weeger has won the Concours National de Jazz de la Défense. Their great skill, Stella in the bass lower registers on the saxophones, and Wedge in the upper registers with his clarinets, is matched by their obvious ability to sync with each other and find each other’s groove. They apparently played for years together in a band called Groove Catchers which has no doubt helped that deep relationship. They took us through their freestyling contemporary compositions, and pulled the audience along on their trance like jazz journey, which made the 70 minute set go by in a flash. They’re billed as having influences from folklore to Balkan, Celtic and Berber music, and wherever they’re from or wherever they’re going, it’s mesmerising.Â
Kris Nelson has arrived in Sydney to observe Olivia Ansell’s final edition and then take over the reins. We wish him all the best of luck and look forward to catching up with him for the launch of his own program. We’re sure he’ll be Irresistible!
