About
Hannah is a bassist, composer and band leader currently working in and around Sydney Australia.
Hannah grew up a small rural town outside of Canberra. She began her musical training in classical piano, taking up the double bass in high school. She received a scholarship to study Jazz performance at the ANU School of Music, completing her Honors there under the tutelage of bassist Eric Ajaye before moving to Sydney where she currently resides.
Playing credits include working alongside Katie Noonan, Alister Spence, Sandy Evans, Ingrid and Christine Jensen (US/UK), Silke Eberhardt (ger), Don Burrows, Kevin Hunt, Angie Hart, Dean Manning, Lady Sings it Better and Matt Keegan amongst others, touring around Australia, Asia and the UK.
In 2011, Hannah was the recipient of the Jann Rutherford Memorial Award for up and coming female jazz musicians, formed the Hannah James Group and recorded her debut album ‘Effigy’ Her quintet and trio have been invited to perform at the Wangaratta Jazz Festival, Sydney International Womens jazz Festival, Canberra Capitol Jazz Project, Jazzgroove Summer Festival, Brisbane Powerhouse, Bennett’s Lane, SIMA Sound Lounge, Kinetic Jazz festival and on ABC radio national and ABC Dig Jazz.
Other projects including leading the 10piece power house Sydney Womens Jazz Collective, The Energetic Zen Quartet, Alma Orkestra and tutoring at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.