When the audience walked into the Lane Cove Civic Centre foyer last September clutching their hand-written music requests, they became part of something that has grown into one of Lane Cove’s most beloved annual events. At Your Request returns this Friday 11 September.
The concert was created by and named for Dr Judy Bailey OAM, the jazz pianist, composer and educator who made Lane Cove her home from 2011 and served for many years as patron of the Lane Cove Festival. Judy passed away peacefully on 8 August 2025, aged 89, after a career that spanned seven decades and helped shape the entire Australian jazz landscape.
The event is ‘as described on the box’: audience members request their favourite pieces, and the band plays what they can. The band, who between them played with Judy across virtually every stage of her career, ensure every concert is different. Every concert has been special.
“This annual event has been going thanks to the generosity of Lane Cove Council and their desire to honour Judy Bailey,” says Craig Scott, the double bassist who has performed at every edition. “Every one of these concerts has been unique in the content of the music. This year is no exception, as it is driven by the tunes that the audience requests.”
The 2026 lineup is extraordinary. Joining Craig on double bass are pianist Kevin Hunt, trombonist James Greening, saxophonist Col Loughnan and drummer Cameron Reid, five musicians who each shared a long creative history with Judy. “We all played for many years with Judy in all contexts,” Craig says, “even Kevin, who did several two-piano duo concerts with her.”
For those who didn’t know Judy personally, her credentials are staggering. She was a founding member of the jazz faculty at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music from its inception in the mid-1970s, where she influenced generations of musicians as both teacher and performer. She received an OAM for services to music in 2004, an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Sydney in 2017, and the Australia Council Don Banks Music Award in 2022, one of the most prestigious honours in Australian music. Her long-running big band Jazz Connection gave countless musicians their formative performance experience, many are now at the forefront of the Australian jazz scene.
“Judy has been an inspiration both as a musician and composer and also in the field of jazz education,” Craig reflects. “Her long-lived Jazz Connection was a big band where skill and music were at the forefront for generations of musicians and was a tremendously successful training opportunity for many people who are now at the vanguard of the Australian music scene.”
The evening promises music, lots of it, alongside anecdotes and memories. “It is very special and has been so every single time,” Craig says simply.
And why should you come? Craig puts it best: “Because it is on, it is fun, it is entertaining and it is a celebration of jazz and Judy Bailey.”
At Your Request is part of the Lane Cove Festival in partnership with Sydney Fringe Festival.
There’s plenty more happening across the festival this year. Have a look at the full Lane Cove Festival 2026 program guide for everything else on.
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