Barry O’Sullivan

Tessie Overmyer has established herself as one of the most exciting, dynamic saxophone players in the Australian jazz scene, rapidly gaining recognition for a maturity that appears well beyond her years. Her skills have been recognised in the form of a nomination for the prestigious Freedman Jazz Fellowship, a commission from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and selection as the Sydney Improvised Music Association’s Sonic Futures artist for 2023.

So, what is The Great American Songbook, and how is it loosely defined? It comprises a canon of a significant number of American tunes with lyrics written in the Golden Age of American popular music. Gregg Arthur is an exponent of an art form of singing jazz vocals, and he wants to make sure that it’s not forgotten and doesn’t disappear into the annals of musical history.

The music on this album, with its esoteric title, is undeniably outstandingly composed and arranged by Vanessa Perica.

Matthew Thomson is an award-winning pianist, composer and educator based in Sydney. Having won the prestigious National Jazz Awards in 2021, he continues to build a profile as one of Australia’s prominent jazz pianists.

Felix Bornholdt is a New Zealand pianist and composer. An active figure in the Australian improvised music scene, Felix is...

As the title of pianist and composer Mike Nock’s newest recording indicates, it is all about the facility of perceiving sounds. More pertinently, interpreting them in a particular way.

Jane Irving’s’ ability to navigate the many sides of the jazz vocal genre is confirmed by this album of eleven engagingly diverse songs, some of which display her accomplished pianism and others, her superbly refined scatting skill.

Barry O’Sullivan reviews her headline performance at the Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival

There is no doubt that Cécile McLorin Salvant has been blessed with a unique vocal instrument. Commencing classical piano lessons at the age of five and then singing in a children’s choir at age eight, she began classical voice lessons as a teenager and progressed to university level in France, where she studied baroque and jazz music (as well as law) at the Darius Milhaud Conservatory in Aix-en-Provence. Salvant then went on to win the Thelonious Monk Vocal Competition in 2010 and has received three Grammy Awards for Best Vocal Album. Since then, her international reputation and live performance career has skyrocketed.

Simone Waddell is one of Australia’s top contemporary jazz artists performing jazz, soul, and funk-infused with groove. She was the first Australian to win a scholarship to the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston USA and after completing her music degree, she has continued her career internationally in Asia, Europe, and Australia, performing at countless top venues, both solo and with world-class musicians.

The album draws inspiration from his anticipation of becoming a father and the feeling of crises and isolation at the start of the pandemic while living in New York. The music flows extremely well, and there is frequently a swing to it on a range of moods and stylistic influences.