James Morrison with a young performer. Image via City of Mt Gambier
A couple of weeks ago – along with 6,000 others, including 4,200 teenagers – I sat in a giant marquee just outside Mt Gambier. Together we listened to the indefatigable James Morrison coax and inspire a handful of incredible young musicians in the art of jazz soloing. Each performer was under the age of 18, and each displayed a technical facility and musical nous way beyond their years, as they egged each other on, soloing their way to ever-greater displays of musical daring.