Drummer, Composer and Educator Sonja Horbelt, the Artistic Director of the Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival visited the Bent Notes studio to chat about the challenges experienced by Women in Jazz and the progress for them becoming featured artist and working musicians; and the fabulous women artists performing in this year’s Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival.

The festival cponcert series will be held agaon at The Jazzlab in Brunswick.

Hear about the Improvising Symposium and Equity in Tertiary Education discussion, the new Lumina Award, and so many talented Women featured across 9 days of festival, including Abi Lee, Mia Barham, Jess Green, Andrea Keller, Nat Bartsch, Holly Moore, Coco’s Lunch. Lucy Clifford. Kennedy Snow, Naked Raven, Ame;lia Evans, Genevieve Kuner and Louise Rankin!

All the festival details are found at mwijf.org.

Sonja Horbelt was guest of Bent Notes on Sunday November 24, 2024

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Lee Orszaczky, co-leader of the Sydney based music collective MOSAIC, spoke with Bent Notes about his family musical upbringing, including exposure to a broad range of great music; as well as some of his experiences as a music student at the Sydney Conservatorium of music – where he has co-created the MOSAIC collective – a group with an objective to play as much original music as they can.  Lee was inspired towards creating Mosaic when he participated in a workshop led by Sydney based group Ten-Part Invention.

Album artwork: Lee Francis-Evatt (@blonde_pigeon_)

Mosaic released their debut album on October 13, 2024 – called Where We Are Now.  Lee talks about the significant amount of work and emotional investment in the project and the nice feelings to have it released.

Lee talks through the pieces of the album describing each piece with such great enthusiasm, and talking of the storytelling that takes place.

Mosaic was formed at the Sydney Conservatorium by Trombone player Lee Orszaczky and Saxophone player Chiara Minotto, and features the musical voices of Braden Clarke, Sarah Morrison (Tpt), Leo Marland. Lachie Eggert, Aidan Wong (saxes), Matt Simmonds (Drums), James Watt (Bass) and Ravi Trachtenberg Ray (Pno.)

Mosaic will be launching the album in Sydney on October 24 at the Lazybones Lounge followed by a performance at the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and Blues at 1pm on Saturday November 2, 2024 at the Wangaratta Club.  More information from wangarattajazz.com.

Mosaic Band Photo: Blake Holden (@blakeholden_13)

Lee Orszaczky was guest of Bent Notes on Sunday October 13, 2024

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Alastair Kerr, one of Australia’s leading exponents of Brazilian percussion and jazz drumming, visited the Bent Notes studio to chat about his love of Brasilian jazz, the wonderful music of Antonio Carlos Jobim, and his addiction to Brasilian Jazz!

Alastair told us that Antonio Carlos Jobim was perhaps the most important composer of the 20th century, becoming known for his Bossa Nova music, as well as orchestral works and art music.  The Stan Getz / Jao Gilberto album –  Getz/Gilberto, was the first internationally massively successful Bossa Nova album which featured music by Antonio Carlos Jobim – it was also the very first album of Jobim’s music that Alastair Kerr heard.

Panorama Brasil is the ensemble put together by Alastair to perform the music of Jobim and Brasil – a group based in Melbourne who will be performing music of Antonio Carlos Jobim with Orchestra Victoria as part of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival at Hamer Hall on October 26, 2025.  This feature concert of the festival pays tribute to the 100th anniversary of  Rhapsody in Blue, and the music of Chick Corea featuring Japanese pianist Makoto Ozone, and the music of Antonio Carlos Jobim featuring Panorama Brasil.

Hear what Alastair had to say in this podcast from Bent Notes at JOY 94.9.

Alastair Kerr was guest of Bent Notes on Sunday October 13, 2024

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Saxophonist Jamie Oehlers spoke with Bent Notes about the inspiration he received from hearing and seeing the saxaphone in popular music of the 80’s; and starting his musical journey at school with a year of learning and practicing the flute before migrating to the sax.  Jamie recalls the inspiration he recevied from his instrumental teachers along the way.

Jamie described pushing musical boundaries alongside guitarist Stephen Magnusson and drummer Ben Vanderwal.  Those boundaries are in part due to the instrumentation of their trio which does not include drums or bass, giving them their own sonic world to collaboratively explore and expand.

The trio, Paper Tiger, released their self-titled first album in 2014, and will be debuting their followup album Between The Lines Of Stillness at The Jazzlab on October 22, 2024 as part of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival.

Jamie Oehlers was guest of Bent Notes on Sunday October 13, 2024

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Saxophonist, Educator, Researcher and Educational Author Rob Burke visited the Bent Notes studio to chat about how the definition of Jazz has changed ove the years, and how that change has been driven in part by the different diaspora’s  around the world .

Rob talks about the challenges of collaborating with the music of other cultures, maintaining the character and life of the music, whilst blending it with the Western approach to improvisation.

Barlines and Beyond released their debut album, recorded at the Sir Zelman Cowan School of Music at Monash University,  on the Jazzhead label in 2015.

Rob will be performing with the Barlines & Beyond project, a project where Indian Classical music on the Slide Guitar played by Debasis Chakroborty, is blended with the Western approach to Improvisation from Rob (Tenor & Soprano Saxaphones & Alto Clarinet), Stephen Magnusson (Electric Guitar), with rhythm from Sam Evans (Tabla), as part of this year’s Melbourne International Jazz Festival.  More details from melbournejazz.com

Rob Burke was guest of Bent Notes on Sunday October 6, 2024

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Michael Tortoni, Artistic Director of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, visited the Bent Notes studio to talk about the team working with him to curate and activate the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, and the superb roster of artists creating music during the 2024 festival.

Michael spoke about over 400 artists representing 12 countries, performing in 109 events across 34 venues in and around Melbourne, with a collective tally of 34 Grammy award wins and 99 Grammy award nominations.  The festival also sponsors over one third of the program to be a range of free events for the entire community to enjoy – from toddlers to the more mature age!

Artists coming to Australia inclde Herbie Hancock, Marcus Miller, Esperanza Spalding, Antonio Sanchez and the TBC Brass Band.

Events include a major party on opening weekend at the Sydney Myer Music Bowl featuring Herbie Hancock, Marcus Miller and Australia’s own Bumpy; a 2nd line street parade featuring the TBC Brass Band and Free jazz at Fed Square.

Hear Michael chat about the festival in this podcast from JOY 94.9’s jazz program – Bent Notes.

The Melbourne International Jazz Festival runs from October 18 to October 27 with all the details on their website melbournejazz.com.

Michael Tortoni was guest of Bent Notes on Sunday September 1, 2024

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Serge Carnovale visited the Bent Notes studio to chat about his new role this year as the Artistic Director of the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and Blues.

Serge spoke about the range of artists appearing  across the many venues in and around Wangaratta and the venue-based ticketing system introduced this year, as the festival is re-born alongside the National Jazz Awards – this year for Saxophone.

This years artist roster includes Vince Jones, Hetty Kate, Mark Fitzgibbon, Ilaria Crociani, Kellie Santin, Tamara Kuldin, Julien Wilson, Jack Earle, High Society and lots more!

Find more details about the 34th festival at the website – www.wangjazzblues.com.

Serge Carnovale was guest of Bent Notes on Sunday July 21, 2024

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Harry Mitchell described the philosophy behind his latest album – NOON – when he spoke with David Moyle and Chelsea Wilson on Bent Notes.

NOON is created as a collection of songs inspired by Harry’s observations of society’s collectively diminishing attention spans.  The inspiration said to Harry that he should create someting long-form – that can’t be consumed quickly. (recalling the days when you would put a vinyl record on the turntable then sit down to listen for 22 minutes for each side.)

Harry would like us to listen to the entiure album from start to finish in one sitting to receive the best appreciation.  Harry has composed the pieces reflecting each other in a Pallindromic fashion, including both longer and shorter composistions to tell the story.

Find NOON on Bandcamp, and read, see and  hear more about Harry at his webiste – harrymitchell.net

Harry Mitchell was guest of Bent Notes on Sunday July 21, 2024

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The Take Note Leader of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival for 2024 is Jazz flautist and composer Erica Tucceri.  Erica visited the Bent Notes studio to chat all things Take Note – an impportant role that addresses the underrepresentation of women and gender diverse musicians in jazz by celebrating and promoting women and gender diverse leaders on stage and in high schools across Victoria.

Erica spoke of the joy of meeting so many young musicians when visting secondary schools as part of the role; her thrill at being commissioned to write a major new work to be debuted at the festival, enabling Erica to write for an ensemble including a String Quartet; learning the drums, and making percussive sounds in her music that surprises the secondary school students!

Hear Erica in this podcast from JOY 94.9

Erica Tucceri was guest of Bent Notes on Sunday September 1, 2024

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Violin player, artist, songwriter and entertainer Xani Kolac described her path to become a professional violin player and entertainer when she was guest on Bent Note recently. Xani reminisces about causing her violin teacher to cry from the beautiful interpretation she gave of Dvorak’s Humoresque, and auditioning for the VCA with her sister playing the bass.

Xani spoke about the focus on improvisation and using the effects pedals and other equipment to produce her style of music using her electric violin – calling upon her skills in the worlds of Pop, Rock and Jazz to create interesting and entertaining sounds and musical sequences to keep her audiences enthralled.  Xani has described her music as exploring the spaces between Pop, Jazz, Electronic and Chamber music.

Hear Xani recall her first gigs along Fitzroy Street St.Kilda and how so many amazing jazz artists are taking part in the FUSION ON FITZROY event across so many Fitzroy Street St.Kilda venues on Satuday August 31, 2024.

Xani Kolac was guest of Bent Notes on Sunday August 18, 2024

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