May

Sunday, 5th Sunday, 26th Sam Gill’s Coursed Waters (Syd/Mel) – Debut/CD Launch Haywood-Ball-Ferella with guest Dorian Ford (London) – Debut Coursed Waters is an improvising quartet led by saxophonist and composer London-based pianist/composer Dorian Ford came up playing along- Presenting original jazz & improvised music in since 1983 Sam Gill. A cross-city collaboration, the band features Melbourne-based side many musicians who went on to form the backbone of the London jazz drummer James McLean (2017 Freedman Jazz Fellowship winner) alongside renaissance of the 1980s. Through a scholarship he went to the USA and Sydney’s Novak Manojlovic on piano and Jacques Emery on bass. This became a Berklee graduate and Chick Corea Jazz Masters award winner. concert will celebrate the release of their debut album ‘Many Altered His unique and personal playing style takes in jazz, classical, folk and rock, PM PM Sundays 8:30 –11:00 at The JazzLab Returns’ (on Earshift Music). Recorded in late 2018, the album’s six tracks and he often makes the crossover between jazz and classical audiences, 27 Leslie St, Brunswick → off Victoria Street feature expanses of open improvisation within provocative multi-sectional especially with his Bill Evans tributes. He has worked on film scores, and compositions, moving between moments of extreme density through toured Europe and Japan, as well as performing a solo piano concert at $20 & $15 Con. to whispering calm. The band will be playing music from the album, as the London Jazz Festival. On his Melbourne debut he will collaborate with Unless otherwise noted well as the premiere of some new compositions. This will be a concert of (trumpet), (bass) and Ronny Ferella (drums). challenging, energetic, and rhythmically charged improvised music. “an incandescent piano trio.” - John Fordham, The Guardian Visit www.samgillmusic.com

Sunday, 12th Sunday, May 26th 4-6pm LongPlay, 318 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North $15/$10 con. Maddison Carter Quintet Spartacus Collective The Maddison Carter Quintet launched itself last year as a contemporary Ronny Ferella (drums), with Gideon Brazil//Sean Rammers/Flora Carbo jazz ensemble, seeking to blur the lines between improvisation and (woodwinds). Spartacus Collective is a platform to explore the drumset composition, pulse and tempi, featuring works by young drummer/ as solo instrument with accompaniment. A combination of written composer Maddison Carter. With a sound palette ranging from simple notation and improvised material is utilised. One of the aims of the group melodies to layered-multi-tempi structures, this ensemble steps in to fill is to highlight the drumset as a tonal instrument that can adapt to the a gap in the Melbourne music scene. Comprising Eugene Ball (trumpet), requirements of the music on hand. Theo Carbo (electric guitar), Joe O’Connor (piano), Tamara Murphy (bass), and Maddison Carter (drums), the ensemble released their debut album in Nat Grant/Dave Brown March. In this project, Maddison offers that “the individual is often asked to David Brown (guitar) melds conventional electro acoustic methods with make improvisatory choices within the compositional structure of a piece noise and rock and also the development of a vocabulary of tiny acoustic that exert non-metronomically related tempi against one-another. The sounds enlarged outside their normal context. Nat Grant (drums) produces superimposition of these tempi propels the piece forward and drags it back performances and recorded works that focus on stillness, the slow all at once, creating a rhythmically ambiguous space that allows one’s revelation of small changes in sonic landscapes, and a reflective listening to ears to wander, latching on to what they can.” everyday sounds in different contexts. In this duo there is a focus on texture Visit: maddisoncarter.com rather than time, on timbre more than tonality.

Sunday, 19th The MJC is co-presenting this drummer-led initiative, a series of four Eugene Ball Quartet (Melbourne/Tokyo) concerts over 2019 curated by Ronny Ferella. With trombonist James Macaulay (winner of the National Jazz Award 2017) now living in Tokyo, this is an unique opportunity to hear this ensemble during his brief visit to Melbourne. Trumpeter, composer and eternal

sideman Eugene Ball took almost 20 years to form a group under his own NAT GRANT & DAVE BROWN name, so it comprises some significant talents in drummer James McLean (winner of the 2017 Freedman Jazz Fellowship), and electric bassist Mick Meagher. Since the release of their debut album, Hi(gh) Curious (which John Clare described as “one of the most startling jazz records”), they have appeared at the Wangaratta, Stonnington and Perth jazz festivals. For this concert, the 4tet will perform predominantly new material, which they have developed in recent months. Hi(gh) Curious can be found lurking at bandcamp.com MADISON CARTER

and Gershwin Reimagined, with the M.S.O. (both at Hamer Hall): Billy Childs June Quartet, Lisa Fischer, and Linda May Han Oh (at the M.R.C.); Ambrose Akinmusire (at 170 Lonsdale); and, Bill Frisell Trio, and Vijay Iyer Trio (at The Jazzlab), amongst others. See www.melbournejazz.com Sunday, 2nd Friday, June 22. 8 pm, at The Salon, Melbourne Recital Centre, Vijay Iyer Trio (USA) Southbank Boulevard & 31 Sturt Street, Southbank; $30/ $25 concessions Day Concert Broadcast (Melbourne International Jazz Festival) Ball-Hanlon-Schulz - Debut Highlights from the Global concert will be broadcast on ABC TV on Sunday, Ball-Hanlon-Schulz is a collaborative ensemble that draws together the May 5 from 4:30pm (presented by James Valentine). https://www.abc.net. Sunday, 9th diverse musical worlds of its three distinguished members. Multi-award au/jazz/features/specials/a-guide-to-international-jazz-day/10952944 Rafiq Bhatia (USA) winning trumpeter Eugene Ball is widely regarded as one of Australia’s most (Melbourne International Jazz Festival) adaptable musicians; as at home performing early jazz (Hoodangers, John Australian Jazz Bell Awards Scurry) as with contemporary groups (Allan Browne Quintet, Celebrating its 17th year in 2019, the voting process commences in early Sunday, 16th Quartet) and large ensembles (Australian Art Orchestra, Bennetts Lane Big May. The winners of the 2019 Australian Jazz Bell Awards will be announced in The Retro Revival Quartet – Premiere Band). Double bassist Ben Hanlon is a young lion of the orchestral scene, Melbourne at a function at Bird’s Basement on Monday, 15th July. The Jazz ‘Retro Revival’ is a brand-new quartet led by young tenor saxophonist and is currently one of the youngest members of the Melbourne Symphony Bell Awards are the only jazz-specific awards in Australia to acknowledge Jonathan Cooper (who is a member of the Monash Art Ensemble, recording Orchestra. Accordionist Anthony Schulz is an improviser whose music is excellence in performance, creativity and presentation, with each award of on Barney McAll’s Zephyrix album). Formed to celebrate the music of steeped in the Western Art Music tradition. Anthony is best known for his the 7 categories featuring $5,000 prize money instrumentalists/composers such as Billy Strayhorn, Wayne Shorter and performances with Frock, Zulya and the Children of the Underground, Mark Simmonds, this quartet will attempt to stretch the limits of group and cellist Rachel Scott. The ensemble’s music, composed by Eugene and interplay with a fresh contemporary take on tunes from some of the Anthony, is representative of this diversity: equally beautiful, confronting, most celebrated composers of the jazz canon (including Australia’s Mark still, churning, sweet, daring. Memberships & Acknowledgements Simmonds). The group features the highly experienced trumpeter Paul support the co-op in 2019 Williamson, together with two other emerging talents in Harry Morrison M.J.C. Associate Membership (bass) and Patrick Earl-Danao (drums). See www.jazzlab.com & www.uptownjazzcafe.com for more gigs. MJC Membership for 2019 is available in three tiers: Gold level is $75, while Silver level is $30 ($20 concessions), and Bronze level is $10 for musicians. Sunday, 23rd See www.mjc.org ausjazz.ent www.jazz.org.au Membership benefits include free entry for one MJC performance by a Marinucci-Gould-Davidson-Murphy – Debut www.australianjazz.net & www.sima.org.au for more news. Victorian act; concession entry to all MJC performances for Gold members; Earlier this year Tony Gould was commissioned to compose a piece for the special member deals on selected events; and, semi-regular giveaways Escher exhibition at the NGV. The piece was performed by Tony Gould through the e-newsletter. Visit our website, email [email protected] (piano), together with three melodic improvisers in Lachlan Davidson (alto or write to 16 Geel Street, Bentleigh 3204, for more details saxophone), Gianni Marinucci (trumpet) and Tamara Murphy (double bass). For this performance the ensemble will perform this piece, together with a Sign Up To Our E-News variety of originals byall members of the ensemble, and a broad range of Around The Scene Keep up to date by joining our free mailing list. Emails are sent once a composers. The music has been selected to explore the interplay between fortnight with the latest gigs, albums and giveaways. Sign-up online at the musicians, and the nexus between composition and improvisation. May 12 & 20 at Hamer Hal www.mjc.org.au or email [email protected] Branford Marsalis & A.C.O. Sunday, 30th

Beck-Disario-Magnusson This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the These three musicians - bassist Frank DiSario, drummer Dave Beck Australia Council and its arts funding and advisory body, the Victorian Government, through Creative Victoria, and APRA/AMCOS. and guitarist - have a long history of growing Jazz News up and playing music together in Melbourne, and usually perform as members of Magnusson’s quartet, Kinfolk. In the Trio context, there Stonnington Jazz 2019 will be even more emphasis on interplay, and perhaps one or two of The Stonnington Jazz 2019 program has again been produced with Chelsea DiSario’s well-crafted original compositions. Co-winner of the 2000 Allen as Artistic Director, and runs May 9-19. Highlights include the Australia National Jazz Guitar Award, Magnusson went on to win the Melbourne Art Orchestra performing Peter Knight’s The Plains; Lance Ferguson’s The Founding Artistic Patron: the late Brian Brown, OA Artistic Patrons: Mike Nock, ONZM, & Professor Tony Gould, OA Music Prize in 2013. DiSario always provides a rock-solid foundation Arrow of Time; and Barney McAll’s Hearing the Blood. There is also another MJC Chairperson: Eugene Ball to any group, while adding subtle musical interplay, and Dave Beck Jazz Industry Summit, with guest Lilly Schwartz, from SFJAZZ Festival. is an in-demand player across several genres. In this collaboration Program details: www.stonningtonjazz.com.au they will produce earthy, bluesy grooves, while creating continual musical conversations in their improvisations. Visit www.mag.net.au Melbourne International Jazz Festival “An artist with nothing to prove but much to say” - All About Jazz, USA The Melbourne International Jazz Festival is being staged from June 2-9, 16 Geel Street, Bentleigh 3204 Phone: +61 3 9557 2229 with over 120 events. Headline international acts include Herbie Hancock, Email: [email protected] Web: www.mjc.org.au