$30.00 – $35.00

The Rookies – Play Jazz 3 Album Launch

Support: Holly Moore Quartet

Naarm punk-jazz darlings The Rookies return with Play Jazz 3, the third instalment in their celebrated album series exploring the meaning, power, and purpose of jazz. In an age of social alienation and media cynicism—when nostalgia is too often commodified to distract from a difficult present—jazz calls us to reconnect with our roots and honour the wisdom of our creative forebears. It acts as a conduit between past and future, demanding that we listen, learn, and move forward together in communal, participatory consciousness. When big-tech broligarchs want us divided, jazz reminds us how to be human.

With their signature alchemy of firebrand improvisation and star-eyed whimsy, Fitzroy’s favourite quintet digs beneath the surface of jazz history to unearth and reimagine another batch of deep cuts. Play Jazz 3 features new versions of works by the often-overlooked mother of bebop Mary Lou Williams; 90s New York No Wave ensemble The Lounge Lizards; living legend Lonnie Liston Smith, whose Cosmic Echoes shaped the sound of 70s spirit-jazz; and The Awakening, one of jazz history’s most under-recognised creative conduits. Their 70s output on Black Jazz Records remains prized by crate diggers yet unknown to many contemporary listeners.

This new collection from the Fitzroyal ensemble also spotlights the rich history of jazz in so-called Australia with a tune by local guitarist John Scurry, drawing a line between St. Louis and St. Kilda. A hidden jewel of the record is a quiet, brooding take on the lesser-known John Coltrane piece “The Drum Thing.” Both earnest and irreverent, intimate and extroverted, Play Jazz 3 shines a light on the forgotten histories that shaped the modern era—an art form still transmitting an encoded message of humanity’s salvation. In an age of noise, The Rookies play jazz.