Since 2004, Lismore Jazz Club has been hosting live jazz gigs with local and big-city performers across an eclectic mix of jazz styles. 

KYLE WATSON’S JAZZ WARRIORS, another great band from this region, are coming to play for the Lismore Jazz Club in May.

Here’s the basic information about the gig:

Date: Sunday, 4 May

Time: 2 to 5 pm (doors open 1.30 pm)

Name of gig: Lismore Jazz Club

Band: Kyle Watson's Jazz Warriors

Venue: Lismore City Bowlo

Cost: $15 members and students/$20 nonmembers, cash at the door

KYLE WATSON’S JAZZ WARRIORS

KYLE WATSON

GOVINDA ABBOTT

JESSE KUPPER

PETER WILKINS

BEAT GISLER

After recently relocating to his Queensland hometown of Toowoomba, long-time Northern Rivers jazz pianist and vocalist Kyle Watson returns to the Lismore Jazz Club on May 4th, 2025, with a powerhouse quintet of Northern NSW and South-East Qld musicians.

Kyle and his lineup of like-minded musical artists are set to take LJC patrons on a jazz tour, travelling through Kyle’s own arrangements of standards, as well as original material, in mainstream and modern styles, toggling between dynamic instrumentals and stylised vocal arrangements, and covering swing, bebop, and modal jazz tunes, as well as ballads and blues.

Kyle’s vocals in this performance will be a treat for LJC audiences, who may be more familiar with his piano/keyboard work. Kyle’s singing incorporates multi-genre song interpretation, scatting, vocalese, throat-singing, rapping, and beatboxing. The success of a sell-out concert for the Toowoomba Jazz Society showcasing Kyle’s vocal arrangements late last year suggests that Lismore Jazz Club patrons will be pleasantly surprised by this development in his performance repertoire.

The band members are known for their balance of strong individual playing and dynamic group interaction, having a combined wealth of formal musical education and decades of professional experience in several areas of music to draw from. This ensemble promises to generate exciting energy and memorable music.

The Jazz Warriors comprise Nimbin resident Govinda Abbott on trumpet and flugelhorn, Lockyer Valley (former Lismore resident) guitarist Jesse Kupper, long-time Northern Rivers drummer Peter Wilkins, and Swiss expat bass guitarist Beat Gisler, who has recently returned to the Northern Rivers after a creative spell back in Switzerland. The band is also likely to be joined by some local special guests on the day.

The band extends the following invitation to the North Coast jazz community:“May the Fourth: be with us! “