The Rookies

Local jazz outfit The Rookies play jazz, but not like you know it. The band was born in the spring of 2014 on the forgotten end of Brunswick Street in a dimly lit room full of sweat and beer at The Rooks Return. What started as a quiet set of background jazz for punters while they imbibed their cocktails quickly devolved into an uninhibited, drunken dance party reminiscent of a time almost forgotten.  

 

Led by saxophonist Greg Sher, and backed by Tom Sly (trumpet), Joel Trigg (piano), Oscar Neyland (double bass) and Chris Cameron (drums and cymbals), the cult jazz quintet offers a quirky and diverse journey into the minds of frustrated jazz musicians seeking more from their genre. Their 2019 LP Stay Weird, a PBS favourite, is an album that nods to the hard bop and spirit jazz of The Rookies’ forebears.  

 

Now, as music venues begin to open again, The Rookies return to The Jazzlab for a residency of weekly sessions that will doubtless bring back their brand of old-time jazzy frenzy; one that has been so very sorely missed in Melbourne.  

 

We thought it would be nice to celebrate this return by revisiting the band’s refreshingly wonky Studio 5 Live set from last year on Eternal Rhythm.

 

Tune in on Thursday November 19 for The Rookie's Studio 5 Live performance. Studio 5 Live is proudly brought to you by Mountain Goat.