welcome to the DOWN SOUTH JAZZ CLUB inc. founded 1984

The Marvellous Miz Demeanours (Dec 12, 2013)

The Canberra-based Miz Demeanours are bucking the trend. At a time when other notable ACT performers on the national stage are having difficulty delivering on their promises, the Miz Demeanours are delivering in spades. Their 2012 jazz gig in Merimbula was an enormous success and promised much but, judging from the extremely enthusiastic reception accorded them this year by an audience comfortably exceeding 100 members and visitors, that promise was more than realised.

The four singers: Miz Giving, Miz Hap, Miz Conduct and Miz Chief (Lisa McClelland, Gaye Reid, Jill Walsh and Karen Strahan) combined with John Hill on keyboard (Mister Fied) and Ben Schumann on drums (Mister Rected) treated the audience to an evening of a wide mix of jazz, blues and popular songs, opening with the Livingstone/Evans composition Stuff Like That Here which erupted onto the stage with great energy and pizzazz.

The immediate visual impact, flamboyance and drama in variations of red and black costuming and props, yielded to a fast-growing and enduring appreciation of the performers’ professional and musical calibre. This appreciation was enhanced by the sound foundation provided by the agile keyboard and rhythmetic percussing of Messrs Fied and Rected, the maturely projected melodious and wonderfully arranged and harmonized vocalizing of the Mizzes and, overall, the unique blend of stagecraft, zest, cheek, sass, irreverence, wit and bubbling celebratory fun that defines the Marvellous Miz Demeanours. The pre-gig publicity did not exaggerate!

Some thirty musical numbers were presented (including some extremely dexterous and imaginative solos by musical director Mister Fied and Mister Rected on a roll). The songs ranged from old favourites such as Moonglow, All That Jazz, Tenderly, Just a Whiter Shade of Pale, Mambo Italiano, It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing (Duke Ellington would have been proud of them) and a raft of others (all conveying the particular demeanour and excitement of the artists) to the seasonally appropriate (and somewhat modified)

welcome to the DOWN SOUTH JAZZ CLUB inc. founded 1984

Have Yourselves a ‘Bloody Mary’ Christmas and some original material including Smack Bang in the Middle, a whimsical take on the location of the National Capital, and I’m Winging My Way To The Top, from a musical comedy soon to be staged in Queanbeyan.

The entire program was delivered with great professionalism and musical skill together with incredible style, bounce, energy, humour and sheer fun. Put simply, it was a blast!

Let us hope for a repeat performance from this group in 2014.