Once a week, in the cafe at the arts community in Tasmania where Spike lives, he and Lea play a jazz duet.  They've been doing it for years.

Spike is one of Australia's great jazz saxophone players.  So it's a bit of a surprise that he's been playing piano.  But this will be his first trio gig.

- he has chosen some beautiful musicians to help him

 steve elphick : double bass

 

cameron reid : drums

Spike Mason : piano

Lea Mason : vocals

Spike and Lea Mason will be once again visiting the North Island to play their annual duet show at Colbourne Ave. Lea will create her new melodious interpretations of popular jazz standards, and Spike will support and inspire her with the prettiest chords he can find on the piano. 
This year they will be joined by a special guest. Cameron Reid (aka the time machine) will add his soulful rhythms on the drums. Singing, piano and grooves - timeless songs about life and love - such a lovely way to spend an evening.
Lea and Spike Mason really love creating music together. Every Saturday night they weave their way through jazz standards at the Chalet in Poatina where they live. Lea sings and Spike plays the piano - and their one rule is - "Don't play the song the same way we played it last week."
(This rule works so well that last week one of the regulars remarked, "I haven't heard any of those songs before" - when in fact he had heard every one!)
This year they've decided to travel with the girls and play a 4-gig mini-tour of NSW. Colbourne Ave is their first show of the tour and will feature a special guest performer...
 

Spike and Lea Mason don't get to play music at Colbourne Ave very often any more. That's because they live 956kms from the front door in a beautifully remote town named Poatina in Tasmania. Every Saturday night they perform a duo jazz gig at the towns Chalet. Spike plays the piano and Lea sings, and they improvise their way through their favorite jazz standards. Tonight is a rare chance to hear them create their soulful and melodic magic in Sydney."

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.