FROM LOUIS TO LOUSSIER

Clare Hansson is a talented Brisbane musician whose longevity has seldom been equalled.  The pianist and composer has been a fixture on the national jazz scene for the past 25 years. She has often been described as the “First Lady Of Australian Jazz”. 

“I was a late starter,” she says.  “I studied classical piano and it was not until the late ‘70s that I began my career playing jazz.  I married Bernie Hansson, who was a bass player.  He introduced me to the music.  I started playing professionally in the early ‘80s and have been doing so ever since,” says Hansson. And she’s never looked back.  Whether playing solo or leading her own groups, Hansson remained in constant demand for all types of gigs. “I think that the secret of success in this business is to be professional and reliable, but most important of all, you have to be versatile,” she says.

Her most recent gigs have seen her cover material from Louis Armstrong through to Jacques Loussier. “From Louis to Loussier probably sums up my jazz tastes,” she says.  “When you play Louis, you play New Orleans jazz.  When you play Loussier, you play Bach.  The common thread is that you play this contrasting material in the jazz idiom.  Jazz is a much broader genre than most people think.  You also have to more forward and keep up with the latest trends.  You have to keep developing.”

Hansson has certainly continued to move ahead, both musically and academically.  She is justifiably proud of having recently completed a PhD in jazz studies at the Queensland University of Technology’s Creative Industries Faculty. A bound copy of her thesis, based on the career of the American pianist Marian McPartland, now resides in the archives of the prestigious Institute of Jazz Studies in Rutgers University, New Jersey. “Marian is a great jazz pianist and a good friend of mine,” says Hansson.  “I was inspired to write what is basically an overview of her career.  Marian is one of the few female musicians who has had a long-term career in jazz,” she says. Of course, the modest Hansson is herself in the same category.  She is one of the most-talented musicians Australian jazz has produced – male or female.

No stranger to Gold Coast audiences, Hansson is currently preparing for another Gold Coast City Jazz Club concert at the Southport Yacht Club.
“I’ve put together a quintet.  Peter Freeman is on bass and Geoff Ovenden is my drummer,” she says.  “I’m also looking forward to performing with two horn players – Jim Mackenzie on tenor and Mal Jennings on trumpet.  It’s another challenge playing in a group like this. “It’s a lot different to playing with my trio.  My playing will be more supportive.  The repertoire will be broad as well – from Louis to Loussier and plenty in between,” she says

by Barry Ralph, GO, The Gold Coast Bulletin, p. 5, 29 June 2006