TraXion Big Band marks 20 years with reunion concert
Jim McMullen is a music teacher who founded a community ensemble in 2006. It celebrates two decades of continuous performance.
TraXion Big Band was born when Jim McMullen's students asked for a place to play jazz. Jim McMullen expected it to last a couple of years.
Two decades later, the ensemble is throwing a reunion concert with former players returning. The band performs at venues across Canberra.
They go from backyard shows to the Merimbula Jazz Festival each year. Trumpet player Emma Tracey-Patte joined in 2009.
She says she would have stopped playing music without the weekly rehearsals. The anniversary concert is on Sunday, November 22.
It's at the Ainslie Football and Social Club. It will feature sets from The Blues Brothers, Backrow Politics and original compositions.
- 2006
- Founded
- Jim McMullen
- Founder
- Emma Tracey-Patte, 2009
- Trumpet player since
- Ainslie Football and Social Club
- Concert venue
Why it mattersThe ANU stopped teaching jazz courses. This shrank Canberra's jazz scene. But TraXion has kept live big-band music alive and accessible.
AustraliaCanberra jazz lovers can hear the band's full catalogue at the reunion gig this month, marking a rare milestone for community ensembles in Australia.
