Tim Clarkson began playing jazz at age 15 in rural Queensland. Since moving to Sydney in 1998, he has appeared with a diverse array of performers in Australia, the USA and Canada. He has also performed with blues legends Russell Jackson, Chris Kleeman and Bob Stannard (B.B. King), Montreal’s legendary Vic Vogel (Maynard Fergusson), hip-hop outfit Side-C (Montreal). In Australia he performs with multi-ARIA award winning ‘MARA!’, James Morrison, Dan Barnett, Matt Baker, George Washingmachine and The Brad Child Orchestra. Tim recently followed up his Masters Degree research at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music on saxophonist Mark Turner by studying with him for 3 months in New York.
Cameron Reid is a versatile percussionist, in demand with many great artists for his ability for support and musical situation with sensitivity and virtuosity. He leads the Band of the Giants, and performs with Dale Barlow, The Dilworths, Bobby Gebbert, Matt Baker, Velvet Lounge, Papa Groove, Jane Irving, Dave Smith, Jo Fabro, Carrie Lakin, Sarah J Hyland, Adrian Cunningham, Evelyn Duprai, and the Chuck Yates Trio. During 2003, Cameron was the drummer for the Logie-winning ABC comedy program, CNNNN. Noted for his sensitivity as a musician, he was also a semi-finalist in the 2004 National Jazz Awards. He has studied jazz with Australia’s best, as well as Clarence Penn and Tom Rainey in New York.
Phil Stack is the bassist and one of the founding members of Thirsty Merc. Phil won the National Jazz Awards in 2008, held at the Wangaratta Jazz Festival, and returned as bassist for the house band for the 2009 awards. Originally from Dubbo, NSW, Phil studied at the Sydney Conservatorium in his earlier years and for over a decade has been bassist of choice for many of Australia’s greatest bandleaders including James Morrison, Emma Pask, Lily Dior, Vince Jones and Dan Barnett. He is a regular feature at major music festivals in the rock and jazz. His virtuosity, hard-swinging feel and ability to perform the most challenging of music at the highest level make him one of the best bassists ever to emerge from Australia.
