Kyle Watson’s Jazz Warriors Sunday Fourth of May 2025 @ Lismore Jazz Club. 2-5. PM.
Kyle Watson
After recently relocating to his Queensland hometown of Toowoomba, long-time Northern Rivers jazz pianist and vocalist Kyle Watson returns to the Lismore Jazz Club on May 4th, 2025, with a powerhouse quintet of Northern NSW and South East QLD musicians.
Kyle and his lineup of like-minded musical artists are set to take LJC patrons on a jazz ‘tour’, travelling through Kyle’s own arrangements of standards, as well as original material, in mainstream and modern styles, toggling between dynamic instrumentals and stylised vocal arrangements, and covering swing, bebop, and modal jazz tunes, as well as ballads and blues.
Kyles’s knowledge of, and respect for the entire history of jazz ensures a repertoire that will offer something for everyone. The substantial inclusion of Kyle’s vocals in this performance will be a feature treat for LJC audiences, who, despite being familiar with Kyle’s contributions as a sideman pianist in several lineups, have not yet had the opportunity to amply witness the fruits of his lifelong relationship with singing, which incorporates multi-genre song interpretation, scatting, vocalese, throat-singing, rapping, and beatboxing. The success of a sell-out concert for the Toowoomba Jazz Society showcasing Kyle’s vocal arrangements late last year is a strong indication that Lismore Jazz Club patrons will be pleasantly surprised by this development in his performance repertoire. As for the band itself, the members are known for their balance of strong individual playing and dynamic group interaction, having a combined wealth of formal musical education, and decades of professional experience in several areas of music to draw from. With Kyle’s overt encouragement of interactive playing in a jazz setting fuelling the fire, this ensemble stands to generate exciting energy and memorable music.
The Jazz Warriors comprises ;
Nimbin resident, Govinda Abbott on trumpet and flugelhorn,
Govinda Abbott
Lockyer Valley guitarist, Jesse Kupper (former Lismore resident),
Jesse Kupper
long-time Northern Rivers drummer Peter Wilkins,
Peter Wilkins
and Swiss ex-pat bass-guitarist, Beat Gisler, who has recently returned to the Northern Rivers after a creative spell back in Switzerland.
Beat Gisler
Likely, the band will also be occasionally joined by some local special guests on the day.
With such a ‘stellar’ lineup of ‘jazz warriors’ set to explore the jazz ‘universe’, it is only fitting that the band extends the following invitation to the North Coast jazz community : May the Fourth : Be with us !