Resurgence CD release and other news

My new jazz CD Resurgence will be released on the ABC/Universal label on June 9 and launched in Sydney at Winebanq on Thursday June 14 at 8:30pm. Recorded last year in Los Angeles at Capitol Studios, Hollywood the band features award-winning Australian guitarist James Muller and American luminaries drummer Vinnie Colaiuta (currently touring Australia with Herbie Hancock), saxophonists Bob Sheppard and Steve Tavaglione and bassist Jay Anderson. Recorded by Chick Corea's engineer Bernie Kirsh and produced by yours truly it features eight of my original compositions. (preview listening here)

The Australian "Resurgence" band playing for the Sydney launch features saxophonist Matt Keegan, bassist Brett Hirst and drummer Tim Firth along with James Muller and myself. Following the launch we will be appearing in Mackay on July 27 for the Queensland Music Festival's Tropic of Jazz program. From there we'll fly to Japan to appear at the Kutchan Festival July 29, the Sapporo City Jazz Festival and on to concerts in Tokyo, Korea and Thailand.

On the composition front, on Monday May 7 my piece Divertimento will be premiered at the concert hall of the Sydney Opera House by students of MLC Girls' School. On Saturday May 19 in Townsville, Queensland my piece Chinkon for bass koto solo will be performed in Belgian Gardens cemetery by Satsuki Odamura as part of the In Repose project. And on Saturday July 7 Sydney Philharmonia Chamber Singers will premiere my choral setting of the ee cummings poem i carry your heart with me at the Verbruggen Hall in the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.

After curating three jazz festivals since 2005 at the Brisbane Powerhouse performing arts venue I have now taken up a permanent part-time position with them as Curator, Jazz Program. I'm currently working on programming a major festival for early November which will feature an exciting roster of international and Australian artists. Also around that time I will tour nationally with the Australian "Resurgence" band.