Looking forward

It's a cloudless, dazzling day as I write, looking forward to another intriguing and challenging year playing music here in lutruwita/Tasmania. The calendar is already filling up. Lutruwita Art Orchestra has two projects in the works - one in August presenting Persian music, led by setar player/vocalist Ehsan Zabihi, and one in Novemeber led by palawa musician and culture-bearer Dewayne Everett-Smith. Saxophonist/composer Ken Schroder has invited me to be part of his new sextet which is going to focus on non-swing rhythms from around the world including Cuba, Brazil and South Africa and I'll be playing gigs on and off with samba drummer Carlos Ferriera.

In amongst, my own groups will get a few showings. Vibración, my latin sextet with vibraphonist extraordinaire Kelly Ottaway will be playing at the Founders Room SAC in September and Winter Feast in July, as well as other bits and pieces. I'll have a rare chance to present my 2-horn tunes as part of the Jazz@Salamanca series in July - really looking forward to this! I have been able to hone my piano trio skills over my years living here, but I LOVE comping behind horns, so this is going to be a treat for me. And hopefully for everyone - tunes such as Moving On, Running Creek, Look Over There etc don't often get a drive around.

The Clarence Jazz Festival is looking great this year and I will be busy with 5 gigs of different characters. The highlights will be Love Asunder - a new show with vocalist/songwriter Elly Hoyt. It's  the story of a convict couple, separated through transportation to VDL in the 1840s, who against all odds find each other again and settle near Kempton. And A Supreme Love, a 60th anniversary tribute to John Coltrane's seminal work A Love Supreme. Several of us have contributed compositions which Spike has arranged for a medium sized ensemble.

It's going to be a good year!