Category Archives NEWS
DIVERGENCE Jazz Orchestra Celebrates 5 Years
DIVERGENCE JAZZ ORCHESTRA @ FOUNDRY 616
“Divergence Jazz Orchestra is one of Australia’s keepers of the big band flame…An astonishing array of Australia’s best and brightest”- John Hardaker
WHEN: Saturday 23rd September
WHERE: Foundry616, Harris Street, Ultimo
TICKETS: Here!
ALTURAS @ DJANGO BAR
ALTURAS play Django Bar
Inspired by the music of Argentina, ‘Alturas’ combines influences from classical, latin and tango to create a unique blend of haunting melodies with jazz-inspired solos.
WHEN: SUNDAY 17 September, 7:30pm
WHERE: Django Bar, 103 Railway Pde, Marrickville, New South Wales 2204
TICKETS: Click Here!
ALMA ORQEUSTRA @ Foundry 616
ALMA ORCHESTRA @ FOUNDRY616
Performing Traditional. Modern and Original Portuguese Song
WHEN: Saturday 2nd Sept, 8:30pm
WHERE: Foundry 616, Haris Street Ultimo
TICKETS/ADDITIONAL INFO: Alma Orquestra
SWJC feat. Sandy Evans @ Syd Con International Jazz Festival
The Sydney Womens Jazz Collective is honoured to be playing the the inaugural Sydney Con International Jazz Festival.
The festival is one incredible day of music featuring an incredible line up of International, National and Local Artists. Headlining the festival is one of my all time favourite artist, the phenomenal Tigran Hamasyan as well as Jim Black, Greg Orsby, Tal Cohen, Will Vinson, James Muller and many many more!
The SWJC will be playing at 5pm in Recital Hall East, it would be great to see you there!
About the SWJC
The Sydney Women’s Jazz Collective is a 10-piece powerhouse formed in 2016. These talented members represent some of Australia’s up and coming jazz stars.
The Sydney Women’s Jazz Collective is led by bassist Hannah James and trumpeter Ellen Kirkwood. Featuring a six-piece horn section and four-piece rhythm section, the band includes several past winners of the prestigious Jann Rutherford Memorial Award for young women in jazz, performing with the acclaimed Sydney saxophonist Sandy Evans. The SWJC plays primarily Australian Works including specially commissioned works by Andrea Keller (Vic) and local composing talents Jenna Cave, Glenn Doig and Ellen Kirkwood.
Hannah James (double bass) Ellen Kirkwood (trumpet) Sandy Evans (saxophones) Melissa Mony (saxophones) Anna Leckie (baritone saxophone) Louise Horwood (trumpet) Alex Silver (trombone) Sorcha Albuquerque (guitar) Emma Stephenson (piano) Ali Foster( drums)
James + Golden + Dilworth @ Smiths Alternative (canb)
Smiths Alternative Book Shop – 76 Alinga Street, Nigel McRae Canberra City ACT 2601
7pm-9pm
James + Golden + Dilworth
James + Golden + Dilworth is a special collaboration bringing together two of James’s favourite Sydney musicians and long time friends for an intimate concert of original works.
Over the course of the last 5 years James has had the great pleasure of playing extensively with both Golden and Dilworth in very different musical contexts and locations but never together. In one of life’s many strange twists, these three musicians found themselves playing together in a chance encounter in Bali at the Ubud Village Jazz Festival in 2016. This proved the catalyst for the J+G+D trio.
The trio repertoire will lead you into shifting through-composed melodies, tranquil textures and pulsating grooves influenced by artists such as Avashai Cohen, Kenny Wheeler, Shai Maestro and Arve Henriksen.
Hannah James
Hannah leads the HJT and quintet project “Hatch” (both with new albums due for release in 2017), and co-leads the Sydney Womens jazz Collective. Other projects include the Energetic Zen Quartet, the Matt Keegan Band, Lady Sings it Better, Melville Project and Divergence Jazz Orchestra amongst others and as side person has performed with the likes of Ingrid Jensen, Sandy Evans, Alister Spence, Andrea Keller, Katie Noonan, Don Burrows, Angie Hart and Dean Manning including tours of the UK and Indonesia.
Casey Golden
Long term collaborator Casey Golden is a strong band leader in his own right with the highly acclaimed Casey Golden Trio recently releasing their 4th album “Miniature’. At the age of 17 he won a BBM Jazz Award that sent him to study and play with musicians in London. He has been a finalist for Young Australian Jazz Artist of the Year in the Australian Jazz “Bell” Awards, a finalist in the APRA Professional Development Awards in 2013 and nominated for a Freedman Fellowship in 2015. Additional playing credits include working with
Eamon Dilworth
Eamon Dilworth, whose trumpet “sometimes carries a blast of the raucous vibrancy associated with Balkan Gypsies or Spanish bullfight bands” (Sydney Morning Herald) has established himself as a trumpeter, creative musician & manager with regular performances across Europe, Australia & New Zealand alongside musicians from the far reaches of the genre-spectrum from improvised to mainstream-pop music. Eamon is only back in the Australia for a short period of time on a break from his regular touring schedule.
Ingrid and Christine Jensen (Can/US) @ The Unorthodox Church of Groove
I am very honoured to be playing with the incredible Jensen Sisters (Ingrid and Christine) at the Unorthodox Church of Groove, Newcastle.
DATE: 6 Nov
VENUE: The Unorthodox Church of Groove, 3 Tudor Street, Newcastle West N.S.W
2300
Band:
Ingrid Jensen: Trumpet
Christine Jensen: Saxophone
Gavin Ahern: Piano
Hannah James: Bass
Toby Hall: Drums
TIME: 7:30
Tix Available on the door!
Thanks to Christine and Ingrid for such a beautiful gig! Some pictures from the night curtesy of SIMA
27/10 Alister Spence Trio + Hannah James Trio @Venue505
Thursday 27th October HJT are playing a double bill @Venue505 with one of my all time favourite Australian bands – The Alister Spence Trio.
The HJT is very excited to welcome the incredible Simon Barker on drums! We have been working on some new material in preparation for a recording later in the year and are very excited to be presenting it on Thursday.
Venue 505 – Cnr Cleveland and Elizabeth Street Surry Hills
Doors – 6:30
Music From – 8:30
The HANNAH JAMES TRIO
Hannah James: Bass
Alister Spence: Piano
Lloyd Swanton: Bass
Toby Hall: Drums
https://www.facebook.com/events/589928887860099/
The Mieville Project @ Venue 505
The Mieville Project will be performing again at 505 in September!
When: 8 Sept 8pm
Where: Venue 505
Who:
Ellen Kirkwood – trumpet
Sandy Evans – saxophones
Byron Mark – piano
Hannah James – bass
Evan Mannell – drums
Caroline Levien – narrator
https://www.facebook.com/ekmievilleproject/?fref=ts
ELLEN KIRKWOOD’S MIEVILLE PROJECT
The quirky, rhythmic eccentricity of Ellen Kirkwood’s music meets the weird, dark and imaginative writing of British author China Mieville in a suite of four illustrative narrated pieces. Commissioned by Ars Musica Australis and premiered in October 2015 at the Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival to a room full of enraptured listeners, the suite musically explores excerpts from Mieville’s books, including dramatisation and interaction between the musicians and audience. A runaway train ambushed by frolicking spirits, a nightmare moth with swirling hypnotic wings, a diseasepassed on by the utterance of a word, and a cleaning construct that is developing sentient thought are all brought to life through this colourful and captivating set of music.
Jann Rutherford Memorial Award recipient (2012), trumpeter and bandleader Ellen Kirkwood has rapidly been gaining recognition for her compositional work. Her five-part suite, the narrated music-story Theseus and the Minotaur, performed by her band Captain Kirkwood, received wide-spread critical acclaim and glowing reviews.
The Mieville Project features some of Sydney’s most exciting musicians, including national treasure, saxophonist Dr Sandy Evans OAM and creative genius Alon Ilsar on drums plus his fascinating creation, the AirSticks.
“Brilliantly devised” – John Shand
Jazzwise UK review ‘Triliphony’ – New Album Out Now
Thanks to Jazzwise, the UK’s no.1 Print and Online Jazz Magazine, for the lovely review of both the #HJT’s latest album ‘Triliphony’ as well as our pianist Cases’ latest release ‘Outliers’. Check it out by following the link here or have a read below!
Hannah James Trio
Triliphony
Self Release ★★★★
Hannah James (b), Casey Golden (p), Ed Rodrigues (d). Rec. 24 May 2014
A year ago, on this site, I reviewed with much enthusiasm, James first release, “Effigy” and predicted a bright future for this young bassist / composer. Now comes her second, which confirms the promise demonstrated so clearly 12 months ago. She has also taken the bold step of introducing her new compositions in a live setting, recorded at Sydney’s Sound Lounge. There is a sense of déjà vu with the album reviewed above, Casey Golden and Ed Rodrigues return to complete the trio. Despite this, it is James who is the clear leader here, penning 5 of the 6 tracks; the remaining track is Golden’s “Six”. As with her debut, she features a strong sense of melody and compositional skills, providing the perfect vehicle for Golden’s simply luscious piano. Rodrigues is again outstanding on percussion and I suspect it won’t be long before he achieves greater recognition for his different take on the role of the drummer. He is certainly one of the most innovative drummers around today. Golden further cements his reputation as a pianist of sheer class and brings life and passion to James’s compositions. This is a very worthy follow-up to her debut and confirms the promise so clearly evident on that album. – Michael Prescott
Review HJT Album Launch
Thanks to John Clare for the review of our album launch. Full article is pasted below with web link at the bottom 🙂
2014 Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival
November 11, 2014
Reviewed by John Clare
This is the first time I have seen and heard more than a few nights of this impressive event organised by the Sydney International Jazz Festival and SIMA (artistic directors Joanne Kee and Peter Rechniewski) and while it followed hard on Wangaratta and listening exhaustion on the part of this observer, I found every night enjoyable and several engrossing.
At Foundry 616 was the Hannah James Trio’s Trilophony launch. Both pianist Casey Golden and the leader and double bassist James write lovely tunes that are pleasingly exotic yet scrupulously neat and ingenious. I really love this approach, which has echoes of European groups I have heard at Wangaratta. Certainly the trio can strike hard, but these surges are both passionate and coldly bracing, like an intricate tumble of ice crystals. Can you write music like this in a warm and humid climate? Apparently so.
The first tune was by James and it had one of the most engaging bass ostinato patterns I have heard in some time – widely spaced, of four notes, one of which is dropped in the cycle and then restored. This is held. Then the tune emerges, then over this slow step Golden began to race. His lines often run brilliantly toward deft stops in which another brilliant pattern is spawned and instantly sprung. Drummer Edward Rodrigues has the same precise musicality of his colleagues. James achieves a warm smooth tone with soft hands. That is the impression. She can certainly lean into it, however, and did so where appropriate. It is hard to think of a local bassist who plays more lyrically. She is the Lester Young of the bass. Many smiles were exchanged across and around the trio, and these became viral throughout the audience.
http://www.sima.org.au/GigReviews/657/n/3/0/0/