Darrin launches his CD: Melancholy Woods.

The recording is a selection of Archer originals and features Sam Anning and Raj Jayaweera. With both of these players now residing in New York, he will be joined two of Sydney’s finest: Phil Stack (bass) and Tim Firth (drums).

Darrin studied composition at Latrobe University and Jazz Piano at Sydney Conservatorium, and now resides in Melbourne. He won the Jazz Action Society Composition competition in 1996, was a finalist in the 2003 MusicOz songwriting competition (Jazz Category), and was a semi-finalist in The National Jazz Awards (2006). In 2008 he studied at Banff Centre, Canada (under the direction of Dave Douglas), and got a lesson from Marc Copland in New York. He has just been awarded the 2013 APRA Composer Commission for the Melbourne Jazz Fringe Festival.

This new quartet will be playing a collection of original music, jazz standards, and reworked classical tunes arranged especially for this ensemble - featuring henri peipman on piano, spike mason on saxophones, matt gruebner on double bass and tim firth on drums

Nadje Noordhuis, 2007 Thelonius Monk International Jazz trumpet competition finalist, New York adoptee since 2003,    will playing with local lads Henri Peipman (piano) and Tim Firth (drums) along with Mark Lau (double bass).   Nadje's music has grace strength and beauty not disimilar to the lyrical work of Dave Douglas, whom she recently had the pleasure of working with as part of the exclusive Carnegie Hall young artists in residence programme. And as for the band you couldn't ask for a more sympathetic and tasteful accompaniment...

Tim Stevens and Mark Lau, two old friends now living in new york and melbourne, only get to play together every couple of years when they meet up in Sydney.  This is it...

'Stevens is an improviser of endless melodic inventiveness and seemingly inexhaustible harmonic knowledge. He is clearly a diligent student of jazz tradition, yet he eschews imitation and cliché.' (Aaron Searle, Music Forum)

if the title isn't jazz enough for you... this will be a once-only collaboration between five great improvisers, long-time far-flung friends...
nadje noordhuis: tpt (nyc) - (she's a expat sydneysider too, monk
competition finalist etc.)
spike - sax
carl dewhurst - guitar (winner Ike Issacs International Jazz Guitar competition)
mark lau - bass (nyc)
tim firth - drums

Mark waited a long long time to record this first celebrated album.  Melding Jewish tradition with contemporary Australian jazz, it is a ground-breaking musical odyssey.  At times haunting, yet melodic and beautiful, the group strikes a skillful balance  between moments of intensity and tranquillity. Generations explores Markʼs musical roots and heritage combining ancient modes with modern themes. Markʼs research work, part of a Master of Music degree at the Sydney Conservatorium, examines the linkages between  Jewish cantorial singing and jazz improvisation.

Mark Ginsburg - saxophones : Greg Coffin - piano : Karl Dunnicliff - bass : Tim Firth - drums

markginsburg.com.au

Mark Ginsburg, Ryan Grogan, Karl Dunnicliff, Tim Firth : playing music from their new album "Generations"

Based on Mark’s thesis research into the linkages between Jewish cantorial singing and jazz improvisation, this album pays homage to his prior generations as well as cultural experiences in early childhood that influenced the development of his musical voice. Extensive reading, listening and conducting of interviews with musicians propelled Mark into further examination of the subject via interpretations of music of Jewish origin as well as his own compositions.

with his old friends Spike Mason (sax), Richard Maegraith (sax), Tim Firth (drums)

We love it when Mark comes home for a visit.  He says his new album, Centrical, "moves freely from beautifull stripped down ballads to aggressive, distorted horn textures and loops" - they are playing different aspects of the music at Jazzgroove on Tuesday and everyone's favourite secret Jazz venue on Wednesday - on Thursday we're getting the beautiful stripped down set, see if you can get to all three!