Music Has No Gender is a new 37 minute documentary produced, written and recorded by Eastside Radio’s Mick Paddon from Thursday Drive. Its starting point is that while music doesn’t have a gender, musicians do. Sandy Evans, who has been described as a national treasure and awarded an Order of Australia for her contributions to contemporary Australian music, talks about her attempts in the early 2000s to give more opportunities for young women to study, play and make a career in jazz. Sandy reflects on what has changed in the past fifteen years. We also hear from four musicians who have participated in the initiatives Sandy helped develop: a drummer, a bassist, a saxophonist and trumpeter. The documentary is narrated by Jane Raffan from Eastside’s Arts Monday programme. All the music is performed by the musicians who are interviewed: Sandy Evans, Jodie Michael, Ellen Kirkwood and, as members of the Sirens Big Band, Jess Dunn and Harri Harding.

The documentary was produced with the support of the Community Media Training Organisation and with mentorship from Sharon Davis

Music Has No Gender was aired for the first time on Monday 24th October on Eastside Radio as part of a special Jazz Made In Australia produced in anticipation of the 2016 Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival.

You can hear the full documentary here: