From Melbourne Jazz Co-operative

It is with great pleasure (and some relief) to be able to report that the Wangaratta Festival was clearly an overall success (particularly in terms of both attendance figures and musical standards), and its immediate future is assured.

At the time of the announcement that Adrian Jackson would not be re-appointed as Artistic Director, I made the point that in addition to a change in A.D., the Board also needed to hit the “reset” button and make some real improvements to the event (such as securing more corporate sponsorship). They delivered on several changes, with

Melbourne Jazz Co-Op Editorial

Sadly, today, 20th January, is both a designated Day of Action (and Mourning) because it marks the last day that ABC Radio National will air ‘The Daily Planet’, ‘The Inside Sleeve’ ‘The Live Set’, ‘The Rhythm Divine’, ‘Soundproof’ and ‘Jazztrack’. While “Jazztrack” will continue in digital format, the other shows have been “decommissioned” (an ABC and naval term for ‘terminated’, or sent for scrapping).

As the MJC has explained to our Minister for the Arts, this represents the greatest case of (post-indigenous) cultural vandalism in our history, and will cause irreparable damage to independent Australian music.