TO celebrate the 40th anniversary of mining iron ore in Western Australia, JazzWA has commissioned a 20-piece orchestra jazz suite that celebrates the social fabric, ancient landscape and history of our northern regions, to be performed next Friday, October 27 at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Titled Beyond the 26th Parallel, the suite was conceived by Helen Matthews (pictured) and is the product of leading WA composers Grant Windsor, Peter Jeavons and Tom O’Halloran. The jazz suite is intended to acknowledge and celebrate Australians working in the mining, education, fishing, cattle, medical, transport and other industries north of the 26th parallel, who enrich the lives of all Western Australians through their endeavours.