SIMA International Winter Series

2015

Near East Quartet

Welcome Hello and welcome to our 2015 International Winter Series. This year’s program brings to our shores a range of acts from all around the globe with a diversity of musical styles, from traditional world musics to the experimental avante-garde, there is something for everyone.

Kicking off the series will be The Bad Plus. Renowned for their energetic performances with a dirty mix of jazz, rock and pop, they will arrive from a residency at New York’s famous Blue Note. According to Rolling Stone, these guys are “about as badass as highbrow gets.” We also welcome Grammy nominated saxophonist, Miguel Zenon and his quartet, for an exciting collaboration with Australia’s award-winning Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra.

Ethiopian jazz meets Jewish traditions with Duo Ras Dashen, whilst the Near East Quartet display a blend of modern jazz with traditional Korean music. One of America’s finest upcoming pianists, Taylor Eigsti, joins the Reuben Bradley Trio for the launch of Bradley’s new album, and Australian ex-pat, Marc Hannaford, returns from New York to debut his Freedman Fellowship project with US mates, Ellery Eskelin and Tom Rainey and Melbourne trumpeter, Scott Tinkler.

To top off this exciting line-up, we also have the return of the critically acclaimed Komeda Project celebrating the music of Polish composer, Kryzstof Komeda.

This series is packed full of exhilarating, innovative performances. I hope you enjoy this wonderful winter music.

Joanne Kee, Creative Director

The Bad Plus (USA)Wednesday May 27@The Basement 8:30pmThursday May 28 @Foundry616 8:30pmTuesday May 26 @Wollongong Conservatorium of Music, 6pm and 8pm

“about as badass as highbrow gets” Rolling Stone

“Audacious, rule-breaking jazz trio crunches and at times pul-verizes swing to let improvisational freedom shine...Dynamics play a huge role in the act’s music, as does humour, an element sorely lacking in most of contemporary jazz. But beauty is also key... jazz purists tremble while the vanguard flocks.” Billboard

Few jazz groups in recent memory have amassed as high acclaim and inspired such controversy as The Bad Plus. For over a decade they have thrived at the intersection of jazz, indie rock and contemporary classical music.

This powerhouse collective have broken down the walls of jazz conventions, creating an uncompromising body of work, while staying true to their belief in avant-garde populism, that is, progressive and musically sophisticated ideas without the highbrow trappings.

Their vast repertoire is primarily composed of original music, but they are also renowned for their deconstructions of pop, rock, country, and classical pieces, from Nirvana’s Smells Like Team Spirit to Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring.

Reid Anderson (bass) Ethan Iverson (piano) David King (drums)

Basement: $54.95 (full) | $45 (concession) | $25 (students) +booking feeFoundry616: $50.00 (full) | $45 (member/concession)Please note that both the Basement and the Foundry offer meal options. Please see venue websites for details.

Marc Hannaford Quartet (USA/Aust)Friday May 29 @Foundry616 8:30pm

I have never heard jazz like Marc’s…the intricate rhythms are mes-merising, the improvisation continually surprises, the blend of heritage and innovation full of wit and amazement. This is a true musical mind finding its own new path. Richard Letts (Freedman Foundation)

Marc Hannaford is one of Australia’s most exciting improvising pianists. He combines elements of American and Australian jazz traditions, south Indian classical and western art music to create multi-faceted and energetic performances.

In 2013 Marc won the Freedman Fellowship, leading to the development of this project which includes US musicians Ellery Eskelin, who is at the forefront of the global creative improvised music scene, and Tom Rainey, critically acclaimed master drummer.

Marc was awarded the 2013 Jazz Bell Award for most original album (Sacrophile), and won the 2013 APRA Art Award for best work (Anda Two). Homage with Allen Browne and Sam Anning received the 2010 Jazz Bell Award for best traditional jazz album. It was also nominated for a 2009 A.I.R. Award, and named album of the year in both the Herald Sun and Rhythms Magazine.

This is the third concert in our  Freedman New Jazz Master series, which celebrates the work of past recipients of the prestigious Freedman Jazz Fellowship Award.

Marc Hannaford (piano) Scott Tinkler (trumpet) Ellery Eskelin (sax) and Tom Rainey (drums)

$35.00 (full) | $25.00 (member/concession)$20.00 (students) +booking feePlease note that the Foundry offers meal options. Please see venue websites for details.

Miguel Zenon Quartet (NY) + JMOThursday June 4 @The Basement 8:30pm

This will be a concert of epic proportions. Miguel Zenon, one of the worlds most celebrated saxophonists, will bring his quartet from New York to be joined by Australia’s leading jazz orchestra, the Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra, fresh from their sell-out season at Sydney Festival.

In this performance, Miguel Zenon will be presenting his 2014 big-band epic, Identities Are Changeable – a dynamic, audacious and intensely powerful work that will require nearly 20 musicians packed onto the Basement stage.

Widely considered one of the ground breaking and influential saxophonists of his generation, Zenon topped both the Jazz Artist of the Year and Alto Saxophonist categories on the 2014 Jazz Times Critics Poll.

Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra (JMO) has gained a reputation as one of the world’s most exciting and innovative independent jazz orchestras. The JMO is on a mission to blur the boundaries between jazz, rock, classical delivered through the dynamic, rhythmic and textural context of a jazz orchestra.

Miguel Zenon QuartetMiguel Zenon (sax/composer) Luis Perdomo (piano) Hans Glawschnig (bass) Henry Cole (drums)Jazzgroove Mothership OrchestraDavid Theak, Murray Jackson, Evan Harris, Matt Keegan, Steve Fitzmaurice (saxes) Darryl Carthew, Dane Laboyrie, Andy Fiddes, Simon Ferenci (trumpets) Dave Panichi, Ben Gurton, Justin Kearin (trombones)

$45 (full) | $35 (members/concession) | $25 (students) +booking feePlease note that the Basement offers meal options. Please see venue web-sites for details.

Duo Ras Dashen (Israel)Wednesday June 3 @Foundry616 8:30pm “When Berihun opened his mouth and began to sing an an-cient prayer with the most authentic blues intonation I had ever heard, I was already floating a few centimeters above my seat. Every sound in this performance flew straight into the soul, including the sound of the drops of sweat that fell from Yedid’s hair and landed on the piano keys.” Ben Shalev, Haaretz 

Powerful and evocative, the music of pianist Yitzhak Yedid and saxophonist/vocalist Abate Berihun is inspired by Ethiopian Jewish folk songs and religious prayers. Duo Ras Dashen are named after the highest mountain in Ethiopia and have been collaborating for over ten years, delicately fusing traditional Jewish and African genres with contemporary blues, gospel and jazz.

Duo Ras Dashen is regarded as one of the finest and most original jazz albums to have been produced in Israel in the last decade. These songs expressed the longings of the Beta Israel, Ethiopia’s Jews, for Jerusalem and the story of their journey, presented in a fresh and modern framework with the addition of blues, gospel and jazz influences. The music of Ras Dashen emphasizes that the musical roots of blues and jazz are in Africa.

Abate Berihun (Vocal & Saxes) Yitzhak Yedid (Piano)

$39.50 (full)| $25.00 (members/concession)Please note that the Foundry offers meal options. Please see venue websites for details

Near East Quartet (Korea) Friday 5 June, @The Sound Lounge, The Seymour Centre 8:30pm Saturday 6 June @The Sound Lounge, The Seymour Centre 8:30pm

The Near East Quartet (NEQ) combine the sounds of traditional Korean music, gugak, and modern Jazz through improvisation and storytelling to create a fascinating mix of rhythms, forms and melodies. The ensemble began in 2010 as a collective between saxophonist and composer, Son Sungjae, guitarist Chung Suwuk, and former members percussionist Kim Dongwon, and Bassist Lee Soonyong. The group regularly performed local club gigs and concerts around South Korea, developing a unique sound and breaking the barrier between jazz and traditional Korean music. That same year they recorded their debut album Chaosmos.

Building a global profile in Europe and the United States, we are delighted to present their Australian debut. New members jazz drummer Junyoung Song, and vocalist Yulhee Kim, bring a fresh dynamic to the quartet and continue its exploration of two musical worlds – the transit between Eastern and Western territory. After many years of examining ways to create a distinctively Korean style of music, NEQ. has opted to avoid simple formal fusion in favour of creating a fundamentally new music with a new approach and style. Sungjae Song (sax) Yulhee Kim (vocal, jing) Suwuk Chung (guitar) Junyoung Song (drums)

$30 (full) | $25 (members/concession) | $15 (students) +booking fee

Reuben Bradley Trio feat. Taylor Eigsti (USA, NZ, Aust.)Cthulhu Rising Album LaunchFriday 12 June @The Sound Lounge 8:30pm

Dark and mystical, the nightmarish stories of famed horror author H. P. Lovecraft have been brought to life through Tui Award-winning drummer/composer Reuben Bradley’s latest jazz album Cthulhu Rising. First recorded in New York in 2013 and premiered at the 2014 Wellington Jazz Festival, Bradley will present his haunting compositions accompanied by two-time Grammy-nominated musician Taylor Eigsti (USA) and first-class bassist Brett-Hirst (NZ/Aus).

Inspired by the rhythm and tone of Lovecraft’s Cthulhu series, Cthuhlu Rising is distinguished by rich melodies punctuated with striking angles, through a performance that uses a mix of electronics and improvisations to add an other-worldliness to the experience.

Augmenting Bradley’s dark, edgy beat, Taylor Eigsti’s lyrical swagger spotlights a pianist/composer of well-established ability. Having worked with such musical luminaries as Dave Brubeck, Joshua Redman, Nicholas Payton and Esperanza Spalding, performed in venues as renowned as the Hollywood Bowl and Carnegie Hall, and penned a variety of orchestral and film compositions, Eigsti’s accomplishments are immense. Matched by the serious musicality of bass player Brett Hirst there is a confidence within the trio which allows for both consistency and experimentation.

Reuben Bradley (drums/samples) Taylor Eigsti (piano) Brett Hirst (bass)

$28.00 (full)| $23.00 (members/concession) | $15.00 (students) +booking fee

Komeda ProjectSaturday June 13 @The Sound Lounge 8:30pm

Following on from a critically acclaimed world premiere at the Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival, 2014, we are delighted to welcome back Andrea Keller and Miroslav Bukovsky with music inspired by Polish jazz pianist and film composer, Kryzstof Komeda. Well known to cinema enthusiasts as the composer of the scores to Roman Polanski’s films Knife in the Water, The Fearless Vampire Killers and Rosemary’s Baby.

This fascinating project takes the listener on a musical voyage with bold music that conjures up cinematic imagery. The music responds to and reinterprets the music of Komeda by two leading Australian jazz composers and instrumentalists of Eastern European heritage, Andrea Keller and Miroslav Bukovsy, who have been strongly influenced not only by the music Komeda wrote, but by the spirit in which he wrote. Through this project they give new voice to the spirit of freedom in Komeda’s music.

Komeda inspired European jazz musicians with a ground breaking European aesthetic. He examined music of his own tradition and heritage (folk, classical and popular European melodies), rather than relying on American sources. A fine jazz pianist, he was initially inspired by the hard-bop players of the 1950s. By the mid-1960s the “European turn” in his music was clearly discernible and can be heard on the ground breaking album “Astigmatic The British critic Stuart Nicholson called it “marking a shift away from the dominant American approach with the emergence of a specific European aesthetic.”

Andrea Keller (piano) Miroslav Bukovsky (trumpet) James Crabb (accordion) Andrew Robson (sax) James Greening (trombone) Ben Hauptmann (guitar) Jonathan Zwartz (double bass) Evan Mannell (drums)

$35 (full) | $30 (members/concession) | $20 (students) +booking fee

Book tickets online www.sima.org.au Phone bookings please contact the listed venue: The Sound Lounge (02) 935 17940 Foundry616 (02) 9211 9442 The Basement/Moshtix 1300 438 849 *For more details on the Wollongong Conservatorium event visit wollcon.com.auFoundry 616 and The Basement offer special Dinner plus Show packages. Visit their websites for more information: foundry616.com.au thebasement.com.auVenue locations are listed on the last page of this brochure.

SIMA gratefully acknowledges donations in support of the International Winter Series 2015 from: Prof. Di Yerbury, Whitney Anderson, Dr Paul Cooper & Maureen Bell, Tim Dunn (Rufus Records), Phillip Fiebig, Prof. Graham Greenleaf, Andrew Jones, Laurence Kavanagh, Ian Moyser, Lenore Robertson, Michael Smith, Patricia Stebbens, Alexandra Stevens, Paul Van Bergen, Leann Yuen.

SIMA Winter Series 2015 Date PlannerThe Bad Plus May 26 6:00 & 8:00pm

Wollongong Con*

May 27 8:30pm Foundry616

May 28 8:30pm The Basement

Marc Hannaford Quartet May 29 8:30pm Foundry616

Miguel Zenon Quartet + Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra

June 4 8:30pm The Basement

Dua Ras Dashen June 3 8:30pm Foundry616

Near East Quartet June 5 8:30pm Sound Lounge

June 6 8:30pm Sound Lounge

Reuben Bradley + Tay-lor Eigsti

June 12 8:30pm Sound Lounge

Komeda Project June 13 8:30pm Sound Lounge

TicketsBook tickets online www.sima.org.au Phone bookings please contact the listed venue: The Sound Lounge (02) 9351 7940 Foundry 616 (02) 9211 9442 The Basement/Moshtix 1300 438 849 Foundry 616 and The Basement offer special Dinner+Show packages. Visit their websites for more information.

Venue Locations and informationPlease check locations carefully as performances take place at different jazz venues across the city.The Sound Lounge at The Seymour Centre, Corner City Rd and Cleveland St, Chippendale. Parking is available at the Theatre car park – entrance via Shepherd St. The Seymour Centre can be accessed by Train (Redfern or Central Stations) or Bus (422, 423, 426 and 428)Foundry 616 is located at 616 Harris St, Ultimo. Foundry 616 is a 5 minute walk from Central Station and Railway Square. Cross George St and walk down Harris St to the corner of Mary Ann St. Street parking is available on and around Harris St from 6pm or 7pm.The Basement is located at 7 Macquarie Pl, Sydney. The Basement is a two minute walk from Circular Quay Station.Wollongong Conservatorium is located at Murphy’s Ave, Keiraville. Visit wollcon.com.au for concert details.

For information and enquiries visit www.sima.org.au or phone (02) 9036 6292.

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