The final night of the Coopers Alive series of gigs came together with an evening of beautiful jazz and gypsy-style music, perfectly complemented by the elegance of the romantic Promethean on Grote Street.

Relaxing around candle-lit cabaret-style seating, the audience were treated to some of Adelaide’s finest jazz and instrumental talent. Monkey Puzzle Tree opened the gig, with their atmospheric songs flowing from playful to melancholic to dramatic. At times, silencing the crowd with hypnotic tones; at others, reaching a frantic and passionate crescendo – there’s something a little bit magical about this emerging local group.

The instrumental quartet is comprised of Sophie Calderbank on stylish electric violin, guitar-wielding David O’Callaghan, Michelle Lam on grand piano, and Matthew Gorgula with brushes tickling the drums. With a forth-coming album due by early next year, Monkey Puzzle Tree offered a taster with Rapture, Calderbank’s deft plucking on the violin a highlight. Closing your eyes through the short but sweet set’s final song, Oberon’s Garden, it would be easy to imagine tip-toeing through a secret glade while the ethereal notes hushed the audience.

After a brief break, Golonka graced the stage to share their gypsy folk sounds, featuring songs that wouldn’t be amiss in a Tim Burton film soundtrack. The band led the audience through a musical world tour, weaving from Balkan-flavoured tunes to Italian ballads to Parisian manouche.

Golonka is Harley Gray on double bass, Sen Bednikov on accordion, Dylan Woolcock on guitar, mandolin and vocals, Belinda Gehlert on violin, and Quincy La on clarinet, who was absent from the gig. A highlight of the set was a French ballad written and sung with simple yet tender lyrics by Woolcock; the “best part of the performance is in his facial expressions,” quipped Bednikov. Ending the forty-five minute set with a joyous, toe-tapping klemzer style tune, Golonka is sure to have garnered some extra followers from the appreciative audience.

To close the evening, The Baker Suite’s set lovingly combined engaging story-telling with French-influenced jazz and gypsy reggae. Band regulars, John Baker (guitar and vocals) and Gayle Buckby (accordion), were joined by John Aue on double bass and BJ Barker on drums, as they worked through tracks from new release, A Quartet for Car Horns and Brakes.

Songwriter, Baker, draws inspiration from many sources, including a tumultuous family history featuring the tale of an aunt who shot her husband after discovering his affair. While the crowd had thinned by the time The Baker Suite took to the stage, those who remained experienced a treat with Baker’s husky voice and intimate lyrics, complemented by Buckby’s skills on accordion. With an effortlessly elegant set, this world-wise group certainly showed why they are firm favourites in the Adelaide music scene, providing a fitting finale to the Coopers Alive experience at The Prom.