Words by Leah Phillips Photography by Megg Evans Bennetts Lane Jazz Club is an institution. The club’s announcement of its July 2015 closure sent shock waves through the jazz community in Australia and internationally. I spoke candidly with the venue’s manager of 22 years – Megg Evans – about what may happen to the musicians when – some may argue – the epicenter of the jazz community in Australia hosts its last performance? Since opening its doors in 1992 the little space in the corner of a Melbourne laneway has become an institution in the jazz landscape of Australia. A real listening venue; where the art and the audiences who appreciate it fully are the atmosphere; not the space, the bar or the personalities behind it. Perhaps this is why it was labeled the world’s best jazz club according to Lonely Planet, or to David James, the author of recent book The World’s Best Jazz Club – The Story Of Bennetts Lane, the best jazz club to hear Australian music. “Jazz is the most niche, underfunded art form we have and at the same time it’s the most innovative,” says Evans, an innovativeness that Jazz pianist and academic Tony Guild … Continue reading WHILE ONE DOOR CLOSES…