GREGG ARTHUR FAREWELL CONCERT AT AVALON BOWLO

This was only the second time I’ve been present at a jazz concert at Avalon Bowlo, following the Joy Yates/Dave MacRae gig on Wed Jan 7, and it confirmed in spades what I’d discovered on that memorable night – that what has been created in Avalon by a community of jazz enthusiasts is truly a phenomenon. On this occasion, on Wed April 1, it featured singer Gregg Arthur on the eve of his flight to Berlin, where he and his fiancée Lucy Scott intend to live for six months. So in many ways this was a farewell performance, which invested the gig with unique significance; one might expect everyone on stage to give their all, in the light of this special occasion. This turned out to be the case.

Above all, this performance also confirmed in my mind what I‘ve always known, but which I sometimes forget: that when overwhelming musical excellence is in the air, the sky’s the limit. On stage was a superb rhythm section, with Ray Alldridge on piano (replacing Dave MacRae who was there on Jan 7), and the usual suspects Craig Scott on double bass & Ron Lemke on drums. Needless to say they were exuding all the musical beauty built up in their playing over their considerable lifetimes in jazz.

Out front as usual was the legendary Billy Burton (trumpet & flugelhorn) still playing beautifully at 93. He had a very good night, sounding as good or indeed better than I’ve heard him previously, either on Jan 7, or as a guest at Arthur’s various gigs in other venues, such as The Lounge in Chatswood. Billy normally limits his solos to one chorus only, plus four or eight bar breaks with other members of the band. On this occasion, he really was in top form, with his lines extremely fluent and full-sounding. Speaking after the concert, Billy said, with some humility, that his added expressiveness on the night could only be put down to the excellence of the surrounding musicians.

Before Arthur took the stage, some instrumentals were played by the musicians: Something’s Gotta Give; Nina Never Knew (a lovely, but little heard composition best-known as a vocal by Jack Jones, which was a request from a regular in the audience); and a swinging version of another little heard tune From Here to Eternity. The latter was interrupted by Arthur who came onstage to say that this great tune was much better as a slow ballad, rather than up-tempo; he then sang it beautifully, clearly illustrating that he was right. I felt this confirmed the truism that, with musicians at this standard of excellence, the listener can always learn something, and I certainly did.

Arthur then proceeded with a program of outstanding classics which took the performance to the end of the first set: Jule Styne’s Just in Time; Leon Russell’s This Masquerade; Johnny Mandel’s The Shadow of Your Smile; and Cy Coleman’s Witchcraft, the latter tune indelibly associated with Sinatra. While I’ve heard umpteen Gregg Arthur performances, and have rarely heard a more faultless artist, I have no hesitation in saying that, along with Burton, he was absolutely in top form on this night, sounding better than ever. And, as we were to hear in the following set, sounding more exploratory than ever before.

The second set was opened with two nominally instrumental tunes, Benny Golson’s Killer Joe, and the Victor Young standard Stella by Starlight, both of which were amplified by Arthur’s vocals. At the end of Killer Joe, Arthur sang an incredibly long note which lasted over several bars. While some might regard this as a gimmick, and perhaps it’s easier to do than it looks – I understand it’s the result of a circular breathing technique – it’s a surefire way to astound an audience and encourage applause. Which it did.

In Stella by Starlight, its beautiful melody was stated by Burton using harmon mute, reminiscent of the famous Miles Davis version on the 1959 album Kind of Blue. In the second chorus, Arthur joined in and sang Ned Washington’s lyrics, and then did something unusual, at least in my experience of Arthur performances: he took a whole scat chorus, testimony to what I assume was his feeling absolutely at home in the Avalon Bowlo context; my intuition was that he therefore felt confident enough to be more exploratory than usual, as his previous ventures into scat singing in my company have been few and far between. Ray Alldridge also came to the party with a great solo, and the four-bar breaks between Arthur and Burton, who was now on flugelhorn, were splendid to hear. In many ways, this tune was the highlight of the night so far, with all the musicians extending themselves, given the mood of the moment.

Arthur was to continue his exploratory mood in the following Hoagy Carmichael/Ned Washington classic  The Nearness of You, which was done on this occasion as a gentle bossa nova. It included a beautiful solo from Burton, on flugelhorn again, with Arthur calling for 16 bars with his vocal accompanied by only Lemke on drums, before taking the tune out. It seemed natural then for Arthur to proceed with one of his signature showstoppers, Nature Boy, accompanied solely by Scott on double bass. As usual, it was an exquisite version, showing once again Scott’s unique ability to create an orchestral sound on his double bass.

Arthur then continued with the Lennon/McCartney classic Norwegian Wood and Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans? the latter having been written for the 1937 film New Orleans where it was sung memorably by Billie Holiday & Louis Armstrong. Presumably with Armstrong in mind, Burton played a truly inspired solo on open trumpet; I wrote in my notes that this was so good, that I was glad I’d been there to witness it.

The excellent pianist Peter Locke, Arthur’s usual accompanist, was then introduced for a guest appearance, to accompany Arthur singing Michael Legrand’s Watch What Happens. There was a brilliant scat phrase from Arthur at the end of this tune, which I noted down as memorable, typical of Arthur’s exploratory approach on the night. Unfortunately Locke’s participation in the performance was cut short by a technical hitch – apparently a leaking air con unit, which took out the electric piano. During the break while the piano was being repaired, Maurie Altman spoke about Arthur’s forthcoming sojourn in Europe, which led to the assembled gathering singing a warmhearted version of For They Are Jolly Good Fellows, an appropriate gesture to farewell Arthur and Lucy Scott on the eve of their departure.

With the electric piano repaired, Alldridge was back, and it was now on to the last two numbers Autumn Leaves and Caravan, leading inevitably to the fully expected standing ovation. This was such a splendid night of jazz that I thought I’d be hard pressed to suggest any gig that has topped it, at least in my recent memory. With musicians of this standard of excellence, and a singer aptly described by Burton as “simply the best”, everything they touched throughout the night sounded so right. I’m supremely confident that the sold-out Avalon Bowlo audience will remember this Gregg Arthur farewell performance for a very long time.

This performance took place at Avalon Bowlo, 4 Bowling Green Ln, Avalon Beach, on Wednesday, April 1, 2026. It featured Gregg Arthur (vocals), Billy Burton (trumpet & flugelhorn), Ray Alldridge (electric piano), Craig Scott (double bass) & Ron Lemke (drums).