Louise Denson - Pianist/composer/educator
Louise Denson is an award-winning pianist, composer and educator based in Hobart, Australia. She is in demand both as an ensemble player and soloist and has completed several significant composition commissions. She has released four CDs under her own name, two as co-leader with vocalist Ingrid James, and one as co-leader with saxophonist Martha Baartz.
Her jazz performance career started in Montreal, collaborating with musicians such as Mike Milligan (bs), Paul Leger (dr), Frank Lozano (sax), Aron Doyle (tpt) and others. After migrating to Australia, Louise continued performing and recording with celebrated Australian horn players Tony Hobbs, John Hoffman and Phil Noy. Helen Russell (bs) is her longest term rhythm section colleague, featuring on four of her CD recording projects. A 15-year collaboration with vocalist Ingrid James resulted in two CD recordings and performances across Australia and in the UK.
Louise’s compositions span the jazz and classical genres. Her work demonstrates a commitment to melody as a primary concern, and a love of the rich harmonic language of the Romantic era and the French school. She was deeply affected by extended experience with Afro-Cuban and Brazilian dance music, and much of her work fuses the rhythmic language of these musical cultures with a western European harmonic sensibility and jazz-based improvisation.
Recent projects include a number of larger scale works including Love Asunder (w/Elly Hoyt, sextet, 2025); Saborea el momento (string ensemble, 2021) mulaka milaythina (w/Nunamie Sculthorpe-Green, 10-piece ensemble & narrator, 2023); Bridge (sextet, 2023); Cooktown Cantata (w/Jan Black, Derek Rosendale, sextet & 3 vocalists, 2021).
Louise's compositions have been recorded by others, incuding the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, Muses Trio, Viney-Grinberg Duo, San Gabriel 7 w/Ingrid James and Downbeat poll-winning trombonist, Bill Watrous, Elly Hoyt, Qld Conservatorium Con Artists, Barega Saxophone Quartet, and Qld Conservatorium Saxophone Orchestra. Several of her jazz compositions have won or been Highly Commended in the jazz and latin categories of the QSong Awards and the Queensland Music Awards.
Louise has appeared at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Wangaratta Jazz Festival, Wimbledon International Music Fesival, Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival, Valley Jazz Festival, Manly Jazz Festival, Noosa Jazz Festival, Brisbane Festival, Broadbeach Jazz Festival and many others. She has collaborated with musicians of national and international renown such as Downbeat poll-winning trombonist Bill Watrous, saxophonists Sandy Evans, Julien Wilson, John Mackey, Martin Kay, James Sandon, Frank Lozano and Adrian Cunningham, trumpeters Miro Bukowsky, Aron Doyle, Bob Schultz and Paul Armstrong, pianist Steve Newcomb, bassists Michel Donato, Mike Milligan, Ben Robertson, Helen Russell, Andrew Shaw, drummers Ted Vining, Todd Harrison, Paul Hudson, Gary Fieldman, Ronny Ferella, Tony Floyd, Cameron Reid and Paul Leger.
