After half a century of performing, Vince Jones has earned his title as one of Australia’s most renowned jazz musicians. The vocalist brings his band for an intimate show at Tallagandra Hill Winery on Sunday 21 May. CW caught up with Mr Jones ahead of the show to discuss passions, music and longevity.
1. What can audiences expect from your show at Tallagandra Hill Winery?
Well, it’s a really fine band, we sound really good. We play a lot together, a few original songs and some material, standards, that I’ve recorded over the years.
We’re still playing really good, my voice is still alive which feels good, and people are saying I’m singing better than ever. You know what happens to your car just before it breaks down, your car runs better than ever.
2. How did you get started in music?
I think my dad was a powerful influence and my mum; they’re both musicians – Mum’s a singer and Dad’s a piano player. He was also an arranger, he loved playing big bands and such. I watched him rehearse these bands as a kid and I saw these great musicians playing with him in Scotland and I thought ‘That’s what I’m going to do, I’m going to be one of them.”
Off I went, then it was just basically doing gigs for a few years then I worked on a cruise ship for a year and that was great fun. Then I decided I’m going to make my own band and we opened a little nightclub in Melbourne and played there two nights a week residency every week and we just get better and better.
From there, a record producer came in and went ‘I’m going to record you, son’, so EMI recorded us and away we went.
3. Do you have any career highlights?
I remember one night I was playing at The Basement and Jim Henson, he had a funny voice, he was really digging the music and said ‘You play that song, Boys on the Corner’ and I said ‘I know your voice.’ It was the Muppet guy, he sounded like Miss Piggy and Kermit combined, he loved the music.
Montreux was very exciting, introduced by Quincy Jones, that was a really exciting period. But also each little recording you do is a career highlight; just to get out writing and get your songs on the air – they are lovely highlights.
4. Do you have a favourite song to play?
We’re writing all the time; we have a new one called Wood which is beautiful, I love singing that. It’s about an old tree in my yard, it’s still there and it’s been there for a long time, so I had to write a song about the many uses of wood and it just turned out so pretty.
We’re about to release an album, I’d say by the end of this year, we’re working on it right now. There are some songs on that I’m really proud of; we wrote a song called Dear Julian for Julian Assange, it’s a letter to him.
5. What’s next?
I’ve been playing for 50 years, touring, my 50th year and I’m still pretty strong, I feel good, my voice sounds, as I say, critics are saying it’s better than ever, and I will keep going until I drop I think.
The future will be a new recording and we do about 30-40 gigs a year so just touring and playing. I’m not going overseas again. I’m too old, I’m tired of travelling internationally, it’s too hard, I’ll stick to Australia.
Catch Vince Jones at Tallagandra Hill Winery, Gundaroo NSW on Sunday 21 May 6.30pm; tallagandrahill.com.au
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