Billed as ‘Queensland’s first lady of jazz’, Clare Hansson has led her own jazz trio since 1980. Introduced to jazz by her late bass-playing husband, Bernie Hansson, Clare has forged an identity within the jazz scene as a charismatic leader of her trio of piano, bass and drums. Clare is also a skilled accompanist greatly in demand for festivals and backing top local, interstate and international artists through her ability to play in any style or setting. American singers Jimmy Witherspoon and Ernestine Anderson are just two American stars she has backed, and Australian jazz figures such as Bob Barnard, Don Burrows, John McCarthy, Paul Furniss, Brett Iggulden, Johnny Nicol, Ed Wilson, Su Cruickshank, Barbara Foulds, Sandie White and Wilma Reading have prospered from her talent.
However, trio jazz, swinging, stylish, classy and elegant, is Clare’s chosen niche. The Clare Hansson Trio has enjoyed continuous high-profile status in prestigious Queensland venues throughout twenty-six years. The trio has toured extensively for the Queensland Arts Council. A major career highlight was composing her musical suite AZIMUTH, premiered at Queensland Art Gallery in 1990, a brand-new CD of which has since been released. Musical partnerships with Brisbane artists have been rich and rewarding, and Clare’s current trio consists of Wayne Harper on bass and vocals, and Geoff Ovenden on drums.
See the Clare Hansson Quartet at the Condong Bowling Club on Friday for this month’s Tweed Valley Jazz Club event with The Murwillumbahbarians.
