2021 Youth Band INFORMATION PACKET Prepared by Toshi Clinch P a g e 2 Contents Overview .............................................................................................3 2021 Guest artists ..............................................................................4 2021 program ......................................................................................6 project details ...................................................................................7 important information .......................................................................9 audition process ...............................................................................10 selection criteria .............................................................................11 scholarships & awards .....................................................................11 meet the director .............................................................................13 contact .............................................................................................13 j a z z m e l b o u r n e . o r g P a g e 3 Overview The Jazz Melbourne Youth Band Program is a year long initiative that brings together students from across Victoria and focuses on promoting jazz education within Australia. Bands are comprised of students aged 16-21 and perform multiple times throughout the year alongside a variety of renowned artists. In the past these have included Mat Jodrell (AUS), Tanya Darby (USA), Richard DeRosa (USA), Dick Oatts (USA) and many more. Additionally, those involved with the program are provided opportunities to develop their composition and arranging skills within the bands, culminating in a recording project and performance featuring student compositions. For 2021, each band will feature four projects throughout the year with two performances per project at the Paris Cat Jazz Club. Blind auditions are held each year for the program, with successful applicants being eligible for a variety of scholarships and awards. The big bands are tiered based on the difficulty of material they perform, with all bands requiring a high level of instrumental proficiency. Each band receives the same amount of rehearsals and performance opportunities throughout the year, and operate at a standard between high school and professional caliber. Jazz Melbourne is committed to providing a safe learning environment for all students, with all artists, volunteers, and staff going through a series of checks to maintain child safety standards. For more information on our child safety policy please visit the Jazz Melbourne website. Big band instrumentation Each band features the standard big band format: 5 Trumpets (One lead player, two section players, two improv players) 4 Trombones (One lead player, two section/improv players, one bass trombone player) 5 Saxes (Two alto sax players, two tenor sax players, one baritone sax player) 5 Rhythm (One pianist, one guitarist, one bassist, one drummer, one percussionist) j a z z m e l b o u r n e . o r g P a g e 4 2021 Guest Artists nick mulder (AUS) Born in Melbourne in 1973, Nick studied under Bob Hower at the Elder Conservatorium of Music before embarking on a freelance career. He has a national profile as a performer and composer and has performed with artists including Ray Charles, George Garzone, John Clayton, John Riley, Bill Cunliffe and Chuck Findlay. Nick currently leads a number of jazz groups and composes and arranges music primarily for big band. In addition to his performing career, Nick is Head of Performing Arts at Carey Grammar and is in demand as a guest clinician and adjudicator around Australia. angela Davis (AUS) Described by the Age as having ‘an instinctively melodic approach’, Aria Award nominated saxophonist Angela Davis is a unique and sought-after musician currently based in Melbourne. She holds a Masters of Music from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and during her time overseas recorded two critically acclaimed albums as a leader – ‘The Art Of The Melody’ and ‘Lady Luck.’ The Art Of the Melody, was released in May of 2013 to rave reviews throughout the USA and Australia in publications such as the New York City Jazz Record, All About Jazz and The Weekend Australian. The album was officially released at the world-renowned New York City venue - The Kitano. After receiving the Brian Boak Outstanding Performer Bursary in 2014, Davis was able to record her second album as a leader entitled Lady Luck, featuring Dan Tepfer, Linda Oh, Richie Barshay and a string quartet. Lady Luck was shortlisted for three 2016 Australian Bell Awards including Best Instrumental Jazz Album, Best Produced Album and Best Australian Jazz Composition. Her most recent release ‘Little Did They Know’ (ABC Jazz) was nominated for a 2019 Aria Award for best jazz album and features Australian Jazz greats Sam Anning and Tony Gould. As a bandleader, Angela has been featured in the Emerging Artists Series at the Bar Next Door in New York and has performed at the Brisbane International Jazz Festival, Melbourne International Jazz Festival, the Wangaratta Jazz Festival, among other events. She has had the opportunity to perform with numerous jazz luminaries including Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, Vince Jones, James Morrison, Kristen Berardi, Dan Tepfer, Linda Oh. Since relocating the Melbourne Angela has become a permanent member of various groups including the Johannes Luebers Dectet, The Daryl McKenzie Jazz Orchestra, ATM 15 and Andrea Keller’s Composers Collective. Angela currently holds the position of Lecturer in Jazz at the James Morrison Academy of Music at UNI SA and in the last two years has held workshops at Monash Univeristy and The Queensland Conservatorium of Music. j a z z m e l b o u r n e . o r g P a g e 5 ross irwin (AUS) Ross Irwin is a singer-songwriter, trumpeter and arranger/composer from Melbourne, Australia. Born to a classical soprano mother, and a folk loving father, Irwin was raised in the Dandenong Ranges in Victoria. Irwin's musical life was born at home. At age 9, he was welcomed into a Brady Bunch-esque step-family of brass players, pianists and conductors. Learning from his brother-in-law, Irwin showed early talent as an instrumentalist, and very quickly developed as a jazz trumpet player. Influenced by the greats like Miles Davis, Clifford Brown and Louis Armstrong. At age 15, Irwin was already working professionally as a jazz and commercial trumpeter, playing pubs, restaurants and clubs in his hometown Melbourne. Since those early days, Irwin has never looked back. Aside from his solo career, he has ended up working as a multi-instrumentalist and sideman with artists like Megan Washington, Brooke Fraser, Magnolia and Tinpan Orange. His involvement with seminal Australian bands The Cat Empire and The Bamboos, to his highly ambitious compositions and arrangements that have been performed by countless big bands and orchestras have cemented him in the Australian music industry. Most recently he has also added co-writer, arranger and producer credits to this list, for bands and artists like Lanu, Felix Riebl, The Cat Empire, and The Bamboos. Vashti sivell (AUS) Vashti Sivell is an energetic keys player, music creator and educator. With a genuine passion to seek meaningful music experiences, she is always on the search for inspired souls to collaborate with and support. She has had musical chapters in Sydney, Melbourne, Japan, Portugal, Macau, Colombia and USA. In 2005 she was the national winner of the ‘Oz Music Awards’ world music category with an original Latin work. She has a Bachelor of Music (JazzStudies) from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and a Master of Music (Performance Teaching) from the University of Melbourne. She deeply believes in the cultural and emotional significance of music with its power to uplift, transform, and create connection. She has performed at some of Australia’s best music festivals; The Big Day Out, Sydney Bacardi Festival, The Bellingen Global Carnival, Woodford Folk festival, Melbourne Woman’s Jazz Festival, WOMADelaide, Brisbane Festival Spiegeltent and The Byron Bay Blues festival. She has also performed at the Tokyo Hilton, Macau Venetian Casino, Hong Kong Disneyland and was based in New York City for seven years performing and producing music. Since 2017 she has lived in Melbourne performing with: The Chantoozies, Nina Ferro, Eugene Hamilton, Elvis Trilogy, Damien Leith, Claymore, Nicky Bomba, Debra Byrne, Mayito Rivera, Calle Luna, Cumbiamuffin and Gorgi Coghlan. She has produced music for emerging artists, podcasts and TV series and currently lectures at Monash University in Latin music and Jazz. P a g e 6 2021 Program Youth Band ONE Youth Band two Project One - The Music of Ross Irwin Project One - The Music of Angela Davis Featuring Ross Irwin (AUS) Featuring Angela Davis (AUS) Rehearsals: April 10th, 17th & 24th, Rehearsals: April 17th & 24th May 8th & 15th May 8th, 15th & 22nd Performances: May 19th & 21st Performances: May 23rd & May 28th Project Two - The Music of Puente & Machito Project Two - The Music of Nick Mulder Featuring Vashti Sivell (AUS) Featuring Nick Mulder (AUS) Rehearsals: May 22 & 29th, Rehearsals: May 29th, June 5th, 12th & 19th June 5th, 12th, 19th & 26th Performances: June 23rd & 25th Performances: June 27th & 30th Project Three - The Music of Pat Metheny Project Three - The Kansas City Suite Rehearsals: July 10th, 17th, 24th & 31st, Rehearsals: July 17th, 24th & 31st, August 7th August 7th & 14th Performances: August 11th