After many years of touring and performing together, Jake Barden (Sydney) and Louis Stapleton (Germany) formed a great musical bond and deep understanding of each other’s playing. In 2008 and 2009, Louis and Jake toured Europe together playing at Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, Jazz a Vienne in France and the Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy. Since then, Louis has moved to Weimar, Germany where he is studying at the Franz Liszt School of Music and Jake is now studying at the Sydney Conservatorium.  Last year they recorded an album together (Late Nights and City Lights), and while Louis is back in Australia for a couple of months we have the opportunity to hear them together, with Cam Reid on drums and Brendan Clarke on double bass.

“Jake Barden is a very talented musician. I’m sure his name will be widely known among the next generation of top players”
— Don Burrows, 2010
“Louis has strong concepts of voicing, melodic line, complex rhythms and I must say, for his age, his compositions are very advanced”
— Tom O ́Halloran, 2008

check out some youTube at jakebarden.com.au

“The shadowy, serpentine soprano and alto trails of Gai Bryant are on the list of Australian jazz music’s most treasured delights.”
Craig Pearce-Drum Media

"Paul Derricott's... outstanding and varied compositions, intelligently played; (are)a demonstration of how pop influences can be fused into valuable jazz interpretations." John McBeath

" Borthwick weaves agile lines around lazy trombone yawns and raking blasts." John Clare, Sydney Morning Herald

Brief biographies and sound bytes are available at: gaibryantspareparts.com/gai_bryant.htm

Maybe you aren't one of Bri's 1200 facebook friends, maybe you didn't follow her adventures through the jazz capitals of the world last year, culminating in the recording of her first album in New York with Aaron Goldberg, Reuben Rogers, Greg Hutchinson, Ambrose Akinmusire, and Mike Moreno.

but tonight you can hear her beautiful voice fill Colbourne Ave in real life, with a completely different and much more local band - Greg Coffin (piano), Ken Allars (trumpet), James Muller (guitar),Brendan Clarke (bass), Nic Cecire (drums)

John Harkins is Sydney's favourite Chicago blues man (or ours at least), playing a tribute to Hank Jones - the jazz legend who died last month at the age of 91.  In his 20s Hank worked with Hot Lips Page, and he played through the whole history of bop, bebop, and popular jazz working with Colman Hawkins, Ella Fitzgerald, Mailyn Munroe, Benny Goodman...  But it's not a tribute to any of them.

A beautiful singer with a great voice who understands the groove.  Bri has been playing all over town this year, and she deserves the great rap she's getting - but this is her farewell gig before she leaves for some jet-setting, so get your last fix...

Briana Cowlishaw (Voice)
Ken Allars (Trumpet)
Greg Coffin (Piano)
Brendan Clarke (Bass)
Nic Cecire (Drums)

myspace.com/bricowlishaw

singing Jazz / Latin / Funk originals
with TOM O'HALLORAN (Keys), JAMES MULLER (Guitar), BRENDAN CLARKE (Bass), NIC CECIRE (Drums)

This young jazz singer, recently graduated from the Australian Institute of Music, will bring her sweet hot grooves to your loungeroom our lounges.

myspace.com/bricowlishaw

Our favourite chicago blues-man.

John sent a photo of an old black monkey playing with two baby white tigers

John Harkins, Kevin Hunt, Barney Wakeford, Gavin Ahearn