THE KINETIC JAZZ ORCHESTRA featuring RILEY LEE & ROGER DEAN

What is KINETIC JAZZ? It all began in 2010 when Kinetic Energy Theatre Company’s co-directors Graham Jones & Jepke Goudsmit got together with trumpeter/composer Lee McIver with a mission to support Australian jazz & jazz-theatre in an acoustic concert environment. The inspired trio named their brainchild Kinetic Jazz, and have since then produced 15 seasons and festivals featuring leading performers and boundary breaking projects right in the middle of the Inner West at the St Luke’s Church precinct in Enmore.

For their first event in 2015, Kinetic Jazz comes to the Foundry with our very own KINETIC JAZZ ORCHESTRA. This 18-piece ensemble was formed in 2011.

It is a ‘Composers Orchestra’, with a focus on creating original work, and nurturing each member’s individual talent. All new works are created with the Orchestra’s particular line-up in mind. Over the years, the Orchestra has developed a unique body of work with a distinct dynamism and feel. Their book also includes a repertoire of timeless gems by Gil Evans and Mike Gibbs, courtesy of two trips Mike made here to conduct our versatile big band. The Orchestra has established itself as a force majeur in the Sydney music scene.

Tonight (13 February) is their third appearance at the Foundry, where you will hear: Don Reid, Tim Clarkson, Jason Morphett, Scott Simpkins, Justin Buckingham (reeds/flutes), Rob Flynn, Paul Weber, Matt O’Brien, Lee Tuckwell, (trombones/tuba), Chris Ellis, Mike Kenny, Cam McAllister, Marty Duck (trumpets/flugelhorn), Ben Hauptmann, Hugh Fraser, Alex Masso, Wilbur Whitta, Ed Goyer (rhythm section). Featured tonight are compositions by Tim Clarkson, Don Reid, MikeKenny, Cam McAllister and Justin Buckingham.

Also featured tonight are two special guests, with whom the Orchestra has an ongoing creative relationship. Firstly: the eclectic Roger Dean.

Roger Dean is a composer, pianist and improviser. He works with keyboards, computers and is one of the doyens of electro-acoustic music here in Australia. He is the founder and artistic director of austraLYSIS. His most recent CD release - MultiPiano (1978-2012), solo and computer interactive piano - was awarded a rare 5 stars Jazz Journal (Europe).John Shand called it: 'a trail-blazer', 'exquisite', 'surprising and disquieting', 'willing grooves'. The Kinetic Jazz Orchestra will play Dean’s BiKinetic. This is a substantial experimentation in improvisation for large orchestra. It was commissioned by us for the April 2014 Kinetic Jazz Festival.Dean’s second piece is a new work: February’s Pitch. It features our second special guest, the inimitable Riley Lee, on shakuhachi.

This will be Riley Lee’s debut performance at the Foundry. Born in America, he studied traditional music in Japan as a young adult. In 1980 he became the first non-Japanese person to attain the rank of Dai Shihan (grand master) in the shakuhachi tradition. Riley settled in Sydney after completing his PhD at the University of Sydney. Riley is a world renowned performer and teacher. He is co-founder of the Japanese festival drum group TaikOz. He has made over sixty commercially released recordings.Apart from featuring in February’s Pitch, Riley will also play in Liberty is a Willful Windby Don Reid. And at Riley’s request, Don Reid has created a fresh arrangement of Jo Zawinul’s monumental In a Silent Way for Riley & the Orchestra.

Our concert wouldn’t be complete or kinetic without some spoken word. Done in a hip and musical way, Graham Jones and Jepke Goudsmit will revive some of their own pieces (Knitting Text and NameGame), as well as indulge in some jive talk renditions of Shakespeare (Sonnet 116).

Foundry616 is located at 616 Harris St in Ultimo.

Bookings: 9211 9442 Tickets: $25/$20

www.foundry616.com

www.kineticenergytheatre.org