Hard-hitting jazz meets Scandinavian inspired pop and Australasian roots in this powerful collaboration!

Described during their recent tour of Australia as “a great blowing band with dense heads, occasional free and floating segments, room for solos and some great grooves” (Canberra Jazz) this is music drawn from diverse influences ‒ modern New York jazz meets Swedish indie pop and European free improvised music. Audiences are first drawn in by introspective, timbral improvisations and then set to foot-tapping with danceable beats, songlike melodies and fiery solos.
Having extensively toured Australia and New Zealand last year, Antipodes are back on the road again, with shows in Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and Hobart before they head to New Zealand.

Antipodes was formed after Baxendale met Sweeting at a jam session in Berlin in 2013. Their musical connection became immediately apparent and they began writing and performing original compositions together. Sweeting from Sydney is a pianist known for his indelible work with jazz-improv group the Grey Wing Trio. Saxophonist Baxendale a key force behind the burgeoning Kiwi band The Jac and is one of the most energetic forces coming from the underground Wellington jazz scene.

After returning from their time overseas they set to work touring NZ and Australia with an expanded group in early 2014, producing several live recordings and garnering positive reviews from critics. Motueka born guitarist Callum Allardice, a frequent collaborator of Jake’s, joined them in NZ and contributed a number of his own compositions. The new sextet also features Sydney musicians Simon Ferenci (trumpet) of Mothership Orchestra fame, one of Sydney’s hardest working double bassists Max Alduca and Harry Day of electro-pop band Beaten Bodies.
Featuring:

Jake Baxendale (saxophone) 
Luke Sweeting (piano) 
Callum Allardice (guitar) 
Simon Ferenci (trumpet) 
Max Alduca (bass) 
Harry Day (drums)

jakebaxendale.com/antipodes/

Bonnie Stewart has always been drawn to the innovative style of angular melodies, unusual forms and jagged rhythms of Thelonious Monk's music. In her project, "Criss Cross", Bonnie uses these aspects to inspire original compositions as well as new arrangements of Thelonious Monk's tunes. Bonnie infuses Monk’s quirky bebop compositions with her own melodic and rock influenced free-improvisation style, creating a new contemporary dimension to Monk's music.

Since completing her BA(Hons) in Jazz Performance in Ireland, composer and drummer Bonnie Stewart furthered her studies at the School of Improvised Music in New York.
Originally formed in her home town of Dublin, Bonnie is excited to bring “Criss Cross” to life in Sydney with a fantastic local line up.

Simon Ferenci - Trumpet
Peter Farrar – Alto Sax
Luke Sweeting – Piano
Thomas Botting – Double Bass
Bonnie Stewart – Drums


To listen, here are some clips from a live performance at Bohemian Grove!

https://soundcloud.com/bonniedrums/promo-crisscross


"Excellent blend of jazz sensibilities with more abstract textures. All four members of the quartet contribute great things." - Lloyd Swanton

Simon's quartet has been playing his long, sparse compositions for trumpet, piano, bass, and drums for four years.  A couple of years ago Eamon Dilworth (another great trumpet player) asked Simon about his influences.  The answer is an education. thedilworths.wordpress.com/2010/03/04/top-5-simon-ferenci/

 

Have a listen here, you can buy a hard copy of the album on the night:

simonferenci.bandcamp.com

 

Originally from Indonesia (In 2005, she led her quartet in the Jakarta International Java Jazz festival) but currently based in Sydney, Francesca Prihasti is now studying under Mike Nock at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music, and recently played with Dale Barlow in his sidewomen project.  It's the first time we've had the pleasure of hearing most of these young musicians - James Waples (drums), Alex Boneham (Double bass) , Nic Vardanega (guitar), Chris O Dea (Sax), and Simon Ferenci (trumpet) - it will be a great six piece band plaing Francesca's original compositions and new arrangements of standards