For this year’s UNESCO International Jazz Day Concert, the Adelaide Festival Centre partnered with Women in Jazz Adelaide ­– who introduced their new nine-piece band The New Standard – and ER@SER DESCRIPTION.

The New Standard is inspired by Grammy-winning artist, activist and educator Terri Lyne Carrington’s book New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers, which highlights the women artists who have contributed to jazz history and aims to redefine the standard jazz repertoire. The band celebrates the work of women, non-binary and gender-diverse musicians, with members Christina Guala-Goodwin, Ciara Ferguson, Jasmine Ferguson, Enne Rignanese and Eliza Dickson all contributing their own arrangements or compositions for this performance.

The Dunstan Playhouse stage, lit with blue and purple lights, appears set for a mini big band: four horns on a platform on the right; drums, bass and piano spread out on the left, and in the middle a rug and two microphones.

The New Standard make the most of having two vocalists, Eliza Dickson and Danica Lammertsma, with a duet of Jerome Kern and Dorothy Field’s “The Way You Look Tonight”. Beginning with Dickson’s a cappella vocals, the tune slowly adds layers of piano and Lammertsma’s voice, then smacks into a swinging bridge. Jazz lovers will find this rendition of a classic song satisfying.

The group’s set ranges from the neo-soul sound of Gretchen Parlato’s “Circling” to Ciara Ferguson’s arrangement of jazz pianist Eunjeong Hwang’s contemporary swinger “Wynton’s Dilemma”, before ending with Dickson’s original song “Sleepwalker” ­– an excursion in rhythm as it shifts between straight, bossa and half-time feels. The horns are used to create multi-layered harmonies with the vocals, with the tune showcasing the different ways the fantastically talented Dickson can use her voice.

Adelaide band ER@SER DESCRIPTION celebrating International Jazz Day. Photo supplied

Next is ER@SER DESCRIPTION, a band that came onto the Adelaide music scene after forming for the National Campus Band Competition in 2016 and taking out the South Australian title of the competition.

Inspired by jazz improvisation and harmony, their electronic synth-heavy sound is like no other. The set begins with an atmospheric improvised piece reminiscent of a spaceship taking off. Layers and layers of sound build until you have arrived at Planet ER@SER.

The three-piece play Cole Porter’s “It Could Happen to You” like it has never been played before, with their polished sound shining through. They seamlessly transition between drum and groove changes, beginning with bossa and moving into contemporary grooves more typical of drummer Alexander Flood’s solo work. David Goodwin and Jack Strempel are virtuosic in their synth bass and keyboard playing.

ER@SER DESCRIPTION sound like they are simultaneously tying and unpicking musical knots as they negotiate their way through the music, which also includes their own songs “Papermate”, “Ba Da Boom”, “Five”, and an impressive improvisation. They have a stunning sound for only three people and maintain the improvisational heart of jazz with a fresh and whimsical take that both honours and progresses the genre. It is a thrilling experience, as you never know where the band is going to go next.

Sound levels were a little patchy throughout the Jazz Day concert, but the quality of both bands was excellent. This performance was a good reminder that jazz does not have to be a 120bpm straight-ahead swinger; it can take endless forms, thanks to the improvisational and harmonic background of the music.

The UNESCO International Jazz Day was presented at the Dunstan Playhouse on April 30 as part of the inaugural Adelaide Jazz Festival.