John is a great player of the American songbook part of jazz piano.  He's one of our favourite players, solo or in an ensemble.

This week he will be supporting Grace Chung, who sings the great songs of Alan and Marilyn Bergman

John recently launched his new CD, Cognition, at the foundry.  If you missed it (or if you loved it and you want to hear it again), he'll be playing it again for us.

It's an album launch, of an album recorded at Colbourne Ave over two nights in the heat of January 2013.  

It was great then, it'll be great now.

see the songs as recorded on YouTube

In January this year Mike recorded two nights of live music at Colbourne Ave.  The album is almost ready, and they'll be playing the songs this week to warm you up for their upcoming CD and DVD launch.   Three horns, piano, bass, and drums, playing original Sydney jazz.

John Harkins, the Chicago-born piano player who inhabits the time when Jazz and the Blues weren't different yet.  Jazz and Bebop compositions, mixed with Standards from the Great American Songbook.

with Jonathan Zwartz on bass (who has been playing some great gigs lately on the back of his excellent new album)

and Andrew Gander on drums

Jan 9 & 10 @ 8pm  (please be seated by 7:45pm)
Entry: $20/ $15 concession.
Tickets also available at www.moshtix.com.au, 1300 GET TIX (438 849) and all moshtix outlets

Kenny's Lab Band

Mike Kenny: Trumpet and flugelhorn
Richard Maegraith: Saxophones and flute
Jason Morphett: Saxophones
John Harkins: Piano
Brendan Clarke: Bass
Jamie Castrisos: Drums


Mike, Richard, Jason and Jamie were in the RAAF band together for a number of years. Now art and the military go together like oil and water, so to stop their artistic sensibilities from being drilled out of them, they formed 'The Lab Band'. This band was originally a place to try out ideas and keep sane. Eventually, someone who had some biff worked out that they were actually making pretty good music and let them loose at a few jazz festivals. Much to everyone's surprise 'the civilians' actually liked their music, and these square pegs in round holes got a bunch more gigs, just before the top brass decided that that much fun at taxpayers expense should be stopped. A bomb is more bang for your buck than Jamie 'dropping bombs' during LAC Morphett's third chorus of Alone Together. So they went their own way until Mike had the idea; 'lets re-institutionalise the de-militarised lab rats, add a couple of Jazz cats (Harko and Clarkey) and see what happens!' Now take some old standards that everyone knows and loves, run them through some vigorous experiments involving the harmonies of John Coltrane and Roger Frampton and who knows, sparks might fly, explosions take place and the hypothesis that music is the merging of melodies, minds, modes and past masters be proved.

The performances will be recorded over the two nights to make an album and video.

Jan 9 & 10 @ 8pm  (please be seated by 7:45pm)
Entry: $20/ $15 concession.
Tickets also available at www.moshtix.com.au, 1300 GET TIX (438 849) and all moshtix outlets

Kenny's Lab Band

Mike Kenny: Trumpet and flugelhorn
Richard Maegraith: Saxophones and flute
Jason Morphett: Saxophones
John Harkins: Piano
Brendan Clarke: Bass
Jamie Castrisos: Drums


Mike, Richard, Jason and Jamie were in the RAAF band together for a number of years. Now art and the military go together like oil and water, so to stop their artistic sensibilities from being drilled out of them, they formed 'The Lab Band'. This band was originally a place to try out ideas and keep sane. Eventually, someone who had some biff worked out that they were actually making pretty good music and let them loose at a few jazz festivals. Much to everyone's surprise 'the civilians' actually liked their music, and these square pegs in round holes got a bunch more gigs, just before the top brass decided that that much fun at taxpayers expense should be stopped. A bomb is more bang for your buck than Jamie 'dropping bombs' during LAC Morphett's third chorus of Alone Together. So they went their own way until Mike had the idea; 'lets re-institutionalise the de-militarised lab rats, add a couple of Jazz cats (Harko and Clarkey) and see what happens!' Now take some old standards that everyone knows and loves, run them through some vigorous experiments involving the harmonies of John Coltrane and Roger Frampton and who knows, sparks might fly, explosions take place and the hypothesis that music is the merging of melodies, minds, modes and past masters be proved.

The performances will be recorded over the two nights to make an album and video.

Another great night from John Harkins, the Chicago-born piano player who inhabits the time when Jazz and the Blues weren't different yet. He'll bring us the same swinging vibe he carries wherever he goes, but with all new material and arrangements.

John and Brendan, both steeped in the jazz tradition, great improvisers who have worked together for years, will perform this very rare duet show.  2 sets of Jazz and Bebop compositions, mixed with Standards from the Great American Songbook.

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.