Jazz & Improvised

Crossing Paths

Ensemble Liaison and the Tony Gould Trio take turns across the programme: each piece is heard first in a scored reading, then in an improvised jazz response that opens the same melodic and harmonic material to fresh colour.

Jazz Music Series, Vol. 5: Ripper

The fifth and final volume in John Sangster’s jazz series of suites, written for a lively little orchestra that gathers some of Australia’s finest jazz musicians around his vibraphone writing.

Jazz Music Series, Vol. 4: Take That

Volume four of John Sangster’s Jazz Music Series finds his “lively little orchestra” of leading Australian jazz players in a ten-movement suite of wit, swing and colour.

Jazz Music Series, Vol. 3: Steady Lads

Third in John Sangster’s series of suites for a lively little orchestra of some of Australia’s finest jazz musicians: ten pieces of small big-band writing with Sangster on vibraphone.

Jazz Music Series, Vol. 2: Requiem (for a loved one)

Volume 2 of five suites by John Sangster, played by his fine small orchestra of leading Australian jazz musicians. A 1980 requiem for Janice Patricia Byrnes, nicknamed Bo Diddley.

Jazz Music Series, Vol. 1: Don't Mean a Thing if It Ain't Got That Doo-wup

As John Sangster put it, "Here is the first in a series of Suites written for this lively little orchestra, a gathering that includes some of Australia's finest jazz musicians."

Peaceful

John Sangster's Peaceful gathers nine quiet jazz pieces for tenor saxophone, flutes, acoustic guitar, electric piano, vibraphone, marimba and percussion. The mood is contemplative, with room for gentle improvisation.

The Art of Melody

Jazz legends Tony Gould (piano) and Graeme Lyall (saxophone) offer superb readings of well-known standards, joined by Ben Robertson on double bass and Joe Batrouney on drums.

Spirit Wind

Flautist Derek Jones presents seven free-flowing improvisations inspired by a universal spirit shared across musical cultures, layering flute lines over synthesiser soundscapes, drones and deep gamelan-like bells.

Tony Gould on the Art of Creative Music

This is a tribute to revered Australian pianist, praised educator and musical thinker Dr Tony Gould, Australia’s first professor of jazz. It comprises an audio CD and bonus one-hour video DVD documentary.

McGann LIVE 81 / 83

Live recordings of Australian alto saxophonist Bernie McGann from two celebrated concerts: three originals with Chuck Yates in Sydney in 1981, and standards with the Ted Vining Trio in Melbourne in 1983.

Atmospheros

The Christopher Young Quartet presents ten new pieces by Young and the group, spanning atmosphere, hard bop and free collective improvisation.

Our Favourite Things

The Ted Vining Trio’s first studio album since bassist Barry Buckley’s death in 2006. With Gareth Hill now on bass, Bob Sedergreen and Ted recorded standards and originals after their August 2015 south-east Australian tour.

For Ever

The idea for this recording came about after the Alan Lee Quartet reunion concert on the closing night of the 2014 Stonnington Festival in Melbourne, which saw the vibraphonist in collaboration with old friends Ted Vining, Tony Gould and Derek Capewell.

TNT: 2 Pinots 2 Pales and 2 Hours

Two pinots, two pales and two hours later, with little discussion and no rehearsal, five spontaneous improvisations and three standards were captured with the ease that only comes when three dedicated jazz musicians meet solely to make music.

Fluteman

John Sangster wrote the score for the little-known 1982 Australian film Fluteman. Led by Don Burrows on flute, with eight other jazz players, the music makes wonderful listening quite apart from the picture.

Seasons of Love

A jazz trio, string orchestra and guest soloists join vocalists Gian Slater and Eddie Perfect. Graeme Lyall’s rich arrangements refresh Great American Songbook standards and other stage and screen favourites.

Such a Sky

Such a Sky gathers live Salon performances from the Melbourne Recital Centre. Cellist Imogen Manins and pianist Tony Gould are joined by Slava Grigoryan, David Jones, Gian Slater, Riley Lee and Eugene Ughetti.

The Cello and the Mockingbird

Improvisations on beautiful melodies from cellist Imogen Manins with pianist Tony Gould and percussionist David Jones. Their second trio album gathers film themes, standards and original sketches, shaped in the studio through open improvisation.

Kinetic Conversations

A set of free improvisations by composer–pianist Keith Humble and American double-bass virtuoso Bertram Turetzky, taped in 1986. Two new-music pioneers meet in spontaneous, high-energy dialogue for piano and bass.

Brood Groove

"One of the most rewarding sessions I've recorded for Jazztrack. Maybe the stars aligned that day... the musicians really listening and responding to each other. It's music that surprises and explores."

The Lucky Ones

This solo piano collection gathers old and new standards, original pieces, film music and three works composed spontaneously at the keyboard, capturing Gould’s playing and ideas at a particular moment in life.

Home

Pianist Tony Gould and singer Emma Gilmartin offer intimate voice-and-piano readings of cherished songs, including three Gould originals, centred on home, family and childhood memory.

Bossa Eyes

Laid-back jazz vocals drift over bossa and samba grooves in a programme inspired by Antônio Carlos Jobim. Familiar standards sit beside originals on an acoustically open set that favours space, lyric and a gentle Latin pulse.

Uttered Nonsense (The Owl and the Pussycat)

Uttered Nonsense (The Owl and the Pussycat) sets eight Edward Lear poems, spoken with grave poise by Ivan Smith, among fourteen instrumental jazz pieces drawn from the Nonsense Books. Sangster’s large Australian ensemble answers the verse with playful colour.

In Memoriam

In Memoriam centres on John Lewis’s four-hand concert piece of that name, heard here in a world-premiere two-piano version. Martial Solal’s Suite for two pianos is likewise a first recording, framed by shorter works and improvisations from Tony Gould and David Ward-Steinman.

Music of John Lewis

John Lewis's music joins romantic and classical lines with blues and jazz. Written for the Modern Jazz Quartet, these chamber-jazz pieces are freshly taken up by Alan Lee (vibraharp), Jo Abbott (piano), Ivan Rosa (bass) and Ben Hendry (drums).

Songe

Emma Gilmartin’s follow-up to her collaboration with Tony Gould, Tomorrow, just you wait and see, is a poised jazz vocal set: standards, two of her own songs, and a clear, understated delivery.

For Elvin...

This live set captures a real night with the long-running Ted Vining Trio: Ted Vining on drums, Bob Sedergreen on piano and Barry Buckley on bass. Guitarist Stephen Magnusson makes a special guest appearance on two tracks.

Place

When Aaron Choulai was only twenty-one, Paul Grabowsky called this debut “a milestone in Australian jazz”. The disc presents original compositions recorded in a New York studio with leading American players.

Jacinta's Song

ARIA-winning pianist Andrea Keller, guitarist Steve Magnusson and percussionist Peter Neville join multi-saxophonist and composer Jenny Game-Lopata on Jacinta's Song, a set of original works for the Jenny Game Ensemble.

Prism

Years in the making, Tabula Rasa’s debut Prism blends thought-provoking lyrics with a strikingly original mix of classical, Celtic and jazz, coloured by Spanish influences and Brazilian rhythms.

McJad Goes Organic

Those who knew the Melbourne jazz scene of the 1970s will fondly remember McJad, the free-improvising duo of trumpeter Keith Hounslow and pianist Tony Gould. This double CD pairs a new pipe-organ session with a bonus reissue of their original LPs: a true collector's item.