Performer swings from theatre to jazz

Jazz music’s unpredictability and creativity drew Charmaine Clements away from musical theatre and to the microphone at the helm of a nine-piece swing band.

The performer, who will be performing on the green in Dunsborough and at Caves House as part of the Jazz by the Bay festival, said she loved the challenge of the musical genre.

Clements studied at the Australian Ballet School before graduating from the WA Academy of Performing Arts with a Bachelor of Arts in Musical Theatre.

Working in musical theatre for 12 years, her credits include Cats, West Side Story, My Fair Lady, The Secret Garden and Romeo and Juliet.

Clements said she always loved jazz and decided to make the switch after working in cabaret.

“Musical theatre and jazz are both completely different styles and couldn’t be more extreme,” she said.

“Jazz is free and is created for you on the spot.

“The song could go anywhere and you don’t ever sing the same song the same way twice.”

Clements will be performing in two shows over the weekend, including in a nine-piece big band, Cherry Pie and the Sugar Rush.

“Cherry Pie is my alter-ego and there will be a nine-piece big band in the middle of town and we will be singing 50’s-style swing jazz,” she said.

She will also be performing in a self-titled duo with Sean Lillico, who will be playing on the grand piano at Caves House.

“We will be performing jazz standards and tunes that are not necessarily very well known.”

“It will be a bit of a lounge vibe.”

Clements attended the first Jazz by the Bay festival as an audience member and performed in it the following year.

“Last year I played all three nights in a row,” she said.

“It’s just grown and grown and is such a fantastic thing for the area for the performers to come to us.”

Exposing people to a style of music they may not necessarily be used to is what makes the festival so great, according to Clements.

“People get to know a genre they might not be aware of and those people who love jazz can appreciate it,” she said.

“There’s something about live performance you can’t get anywhere else.

“When you’re seeing it created in front of you it’s something you can’t capture in any other medium.”

Go to www.jazzbythebay.com.au for show details.