Dear albare,

 

32 BARS Phase 1

32 original Australian jazz vocal tunes Filmed at 32 iconic Victorian venues

We're at 27

27 venues booked

26 songs shot

25 songs released

Let's make Bird’s Basement the final destination before we launch Phase 2 of this epic, 4-phase project

WHERE WE STARTED

One guitar, one vocalist, and a couple of clapped-out old Go-Pros. No songs. No venues. No musicians.

WHERE WE ARE

27 Original compositions

27 Iconic Victorian venues - and thousands of happy fans

7 AMRAP National Top 10s

1M+ YouTube views

Top 100 Vanda & Young Global Song Comp 2024

Semi-Finalist International Song Competition 2025

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING

"An epic project — and an indisputable success"

— Nikolas Fotakis, Editor, Australian Jazz

"Ballsy, rambunctious, full of heart, body and soul"

— Kate Ceberano

”Bold and sassy"

— Liz Carnovale, Artistic Director, Paris Cat Jazz Club

"Wonderfully audacious!"

— Adam Simmons, Editor, Dingo Jazz Journal

"Reminding us that jazz is fun"

— Keith Pettigrew, Chair, 2MBS Fine Jazz

THE VENUES

32 slots. 27 filled.

1 Charlie's Bar

2 The Fyrefly

3 Jimmy Hornet

4 Open Studio

5 Paris Cat Jazz Club

6 The Brunswick Green

7 Mantra Studio

8 The Brunswick Artists Bar

9 The Moldy Fig

10 The Night Cat

11 The Lido Jazz Room

12 Eltham Jazz Festival / Victorian Jazz Club

13 Jazz By The Green

14 The Gasometer

15 The Wesley Anne

16 The Brunswick Ballroom

17 The Ragtime Tavern

18 Welcome to Brunswick

19 Shotkickers

20 The Graveyard

21 The Toff

22 The Hub, Inverloch

23 Bar 303

24 The Reardon Theatre

25 Royal Brighton Yacht Club

26 Cardinia Cultural Centre

27 TBD

28 TBD

29 TBD

30 TBD

31 West Gippsland Arts Centre - March 2028

32 Birds Basement?

As Melbourne’s premier jazz destination, we’ll give Bird’s pole position as the final venue in the series

THE ASK

A full showcase — the very best of 32 Bars. Four vocalists backed by our seasoned ensemble, culminating in the live filming of one of the final songs in a single take.

THE RESULT

Our final original song, filmed live at Bird’s Basement — a permanent record of your role in the Melbourne jazz story this project is documenting.

THE CONTEXT

The 32 venues are woven into the creative foundation of Phases 2, 3 and 4.

Bird’s belongs in that story.

BIRD’S BASEMENT: POLE POSITION AS THE FINAL VENUE IN THE SERIES

WHERE THIS IS GOING

A four-phase arc. Destination: the next Great Australian Musical

PHASE 1 - Completing 2028

32 songs. 32 venues. 32 recordings, shoots, and releases. The foundations laid.

PHASE 2 - 2027 to 2029

An immersive small-theatre series where audiences actively participate in developing the story for our future musical. The songs, the venues, and the journey are the raw materials. We're designing a participatory experience that will create a story about all of us drawn directly from Victorian audiences, anchored by our 32-page lyric book, and opening in 2029.

PHASE 3 - 2030 to 2031

Full development cycle commences Script, investors, cast, crew, venue, rehearsals

PHASE 4 - 2032

32 Bars — The Musical premieres in Melbourne. An original work built from the songs, the venues, our journey, and the stories that emerge from Phase 2.