ROBBIE MANN & NEILL DUNCAN // Sunday, 20 June, 2021 // 6:00 - 8:00 pm // Free live music to accompany dinner
Venue: Aunty Ed's, 122 Katoomba St, Katoomba.

Kick back and banish the pre-week blues at Katoomba's best bar and burger joint, with a serving of the Blue Mountains best live music on the side. With nostalgic decor, old-school meals, craft beers, regional wines and retro cocktails, Aunty Ed's Katoomba will be THE place to hang out on a Sunday evening. But book ahead - Aunty Ed's is a locals favourite night out. This week, ROBBIE MANN & NEILL DUNCAN will be dropping in for a couple of sets . . .

ROBBIE MANN:
Robbie specialises in a style of early jazz piano known as ‘Stride’. Born of ragtime, the term ‘stride’ was coined for reasons that will be immediately recognisable if you spy the left hand of a well-versed practitioner. Stride, in it’s purest form, is a rarely heard idiom and Robbie is one of the very few masters of the style in Australia. While many a pianist may be fine purveyors of the accurate leaping left hand, Stride piano is a much more specific adherence to particular rhythms and mannerisms. For a demonstration, one must simply listen to some of the founding masters of the style. The music of James P. Johnson, Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith, Fats Waller and Donald Lambert would constitute an excellent start. While Robbie often fuses his genuine grasp of stride with many other forms of music, to great expressive effect and artistic exploration, the soul of the music remains unmistakably, ‘Stride Piano’. Stride is especially suited to solo performance due to its emphasis on the ability to mimic an entire rhythm section in the left hand. Robbie regularly performs as a solo artist, including a mix of ragtime, stomps and eccentric arrangements of eclectic melodies amongst established jazz standards.

NEILL DUNCAN:
Neill Duncan is one of New Zealand’s most exciting and eccentric musical exports. His natural talent was almost cut short in 2016 when he lost his left arm to cancer. Proving you can’t keep a great musician quiet, Neill now plays a bespoke, one-handed tenor saxophone, designed and built in Amsterdam. As if that weren’t impressive enough, he also plays an adapted drum kit, a megaphone, and a few additional weird and wonderful instruments that thrill crowds Australia-wide.

SLACK-OFF SUNDAYS @ AUNTY ED'S:
Presented by 'Music in the Mountains', 'Slack-Off Sundays' is the best groove you're going to find anywhere in the Blue Mountains. The vibe is casual, the beer is cold, the burgers are tops, and the live music is the perfect backdrop when hanging out with some mates. Featuring the finest musicians hanging around the Blue Mountains, you're sure to find your jam. There are 2 sets of free live music between 6:00 - 8:00 pm to accompany dinner, so order a drink, a bite to eat and enjoy. Reservations are essential - head to auntyeds.com.au to book your dinner table now as seats fill fast.

WHAT IS AUNTY ED'S?:
We are Katoomba's Best retro-styled restaurant, cafe and bar located halfway down Katoomba street in a hidden basement. Serving up classic dishes, burgers and snacks, Aunty Ed's menu caters for all tastes and dietary requirements including tasty options for our coeliac and vegan friends. Our delicious milkshakes and spiders are a hit with kids of all ages, topped with fresh cream and sweet treats. We grind fresh, locally roasted beans from Cassiopeia coffee and alternative milks from MilkLab Co are available. For the big kids, the bar is well stocked with over 40 independent Australian craft beers, regional wines, and an assortment of classic and retro-inspired cocktails.