Geoff Power is well known within the Australian Traditional Jazz community. He toured the US with the New Wolverine Jazz Orchestra and appeared at the Davenport Bix fest several times. His website lists two dozen bands he has appeared with or been part of, this latest release is with a band he models on Vince Giordano’s Nighthawks, but as he noted, without a violin.
I sometimes get the impression there are as many quality jazz bands playing for 25 million Australians as there are for 330 million Americans, though those in that country are likely fearing the same demographic crisis we face in the States. Power has found his own way of combating those demographics.
His Great Gatsby Orchestra counts six of 10 members his immediate relations, including his wife and children, and at least two of the others are former students of Geoff or his wife, now in their late 20s. It is a young band, with the youngest member now his 21 year old daughter. Their previous album in 2016 probably warranted the youth band title, or at least family band, now with several members hitting their 30s they can drop all that.
The band has a bright, clean, hot dance sound, with a big entertaining groove to it, and a steady beat to get feet moving. They manage to squeeze through the pandemic with a few gigs and this disc to show for it. Their schedule is filling up now and I can sense the eager audiences in wa
