STOP PRESS : This is actually the album launch of the new "Jeremy Sawkins Organ Quartet" JazzTrack recording.  The band has changed their name to "The Jeremy Sawkins Organ Quartet", but I had already created this event and i couldn't bring myself to change the great name to a boring name just because they switched drummers.  I don't even think they did switch drummers.

The last time the Jazz Organism played, someone asked me "who plays jazz on an organ or for that matter listens to organ music other than in church?....this Thursday not for me?"  and i said "you're thinking of the wrong kind of organ.think of Deep Purple... Pink Floyd... Procol Harum... Booker T...  Darren's groove comes from the middle 60's jazz players who influenced the psychedelic movement of the 70's.  i can listen to him all day long, and i'm not one for church organs."

That's what the organism is.

Master guitarist and experimental composer, Guy Strazz, returns with the exciting Eastern Blues Quartet to Colbourne Ave.  Experimental jazz nuanced with Indian classical music and Latin funk where the scintillating sounds of two guitars are driven by a hard swinging, vibrant rhythm section.

Comments from last month’s performance at Jazzgroove:

‘EBQ - Blending aspects of jazz, Indian, blues and Latin music. In fact, the word "aspects" is probably redundant, so completely are the component parts integrated, providing the players with unique rhythmic and melodic fields upon which to unleash their improvising skills’.  J. Shand SMH

‘Oh. My. God!’ Ben Panucci, director @ Jazzgroove

‘Brilliant!’ David Rasko (spectator and guitarist)


Eastern Blues takes influence from Ravi Shankar and the Coltranes to name just a few - an approach coupled with a strong sense of the improvisational elements of Indian music.
Impressive **** Jazz & Beyond

 
"Guy Strazz is amongst the most lyrical players in the land, the influence of the Indian sitar tradition can be traced beside that of the the combustive fire of Brazil and the explosive virtuosity of the likes of John McLaughlin and Egberto Gismonti" - John Shand, The Sydney Morning Herald.

Guy Strazz – electric guitar   
Aaron Flower – electric guitar   
Toby Hall – drum-kit   
Hugh Fraser – electric bass   

It means "whisper" in Portuguese.  Classic and innovative readings of the timeless Brazilian songbook - echoes of Jobim, Luis Bonfa, Joao and Astrud Gilberto, Gal Costa, Djavan and others.

Forming the core of Sussurro are Jeanne Bastos (vocals, percussion) Peter Toohey (guitar) and Gavin Ahearn (piano). Jeanne is “the real deal” bringing her heritage from Bahia to down under. Peter continues his decades long love affair with the Brazilian guitar tradition. Gavin is a Colbourne regular. In the engine room are bassist Peter Gray who studied in NY with John Pattituci, Toby Hall (the happiest drummer in town) on drums, and the in-demand and diverse Tim Bradley on percussion. Sussurro are a whisper of Brazil as Sydney launches into summer.

The long-awaited launch of Clea Crimson’s debut album “Home Is Where The Art Is”.

The album is a collection of jazz/folk infused songs written by Clea and recorded live over two days at Aphek Studio with some of Sydney’s best jazz musicians (Bill Risby, Ben Ackland, Steve Elphick, Toby Hall and Spike Mason).

“I enjoy the process of recording live songs with the band – rather than tracking everything separately and then putting it all together.” says Clea. “It is an intense focus, to sing every time knowing it might be the one that goes on the album. We were exhausted at the end of the two days but I think we came away with a great result.”

Luke Pittman will open the night.  Growing up on a steady musical diet of Metal, Punk Rock and eventually Neil Young, one might be expecting a musical outcome sounding something like a very cranky bloke singing folk music.  The result is in fact laid back tunes ruminating on Love, God, Love, Satisfaction, Love, Dissatisfaction and the ocean, all presented in a voice sounding some what more like Tim Buckley than Jeff Buckley.  After a few years off, he returns to the stage in 2011 with a newfound relaxed stage presence that only comes from re-assessing life's bigger questions and coming up with very few answers.

Gavin Ahearn, Matt Ottignon, Toby Hall, Karl Dunnicluff

music inspired by winter

with a solo set up front by John Dip Silas

www.gavinahearn.com

2ser 107.3FM - one of Australia’s longest running community radio broadcasters - turns 30 years old on October 1.  Known throughout this time as a crucial hub for exposing diverse and new music, widescreen culture and independent reporting, they're throwing more than 20 parties around Sydney between October 1 and November 1, 2009.

The World According to James

Sydney's funkiest trombonist cuts a deep deep groove, with Andrew Robson, Steve Elphick, and the world's happiest drummer, Toby Hall

Miss Little

The debut performance for this lineup of Miss Little.  Sarah McCallum will be joined by Matt Keegan on sax and a reel-to-reel tape machine playing drums – all that analogue warmth, with no sweat.