The Pre-USA Tour Australian Performance!

One of Australia’s most celebrated youth jazz orchestra’s teams up with one of the worlds leading guitarists to present an incredible celebration of Australian Music. This will be their last performance before heading to US for performances in Chicago and a recording at Systems Two in New York.

Since its inception in the early 70s, the Sydney Conservatorium Jazz Orchestra has formed an alumni that features many of the leading lights in Australian Jazz. Comprising 5 saxophones, 4 trombones, 4 trumpets, guitar, piano, bass and drums, the “CJO” features many of Sydney’s finest young improvisers.

“Over the past 5 years, the standard of Jazz Orchestral studies has developed rapidly with an emphasis on collaborating with, and performing the music of leading international composers such as Bob Brookmeyer, Maria Schneider, Bert Joris, Florian Ross, Jim McNeely, Darcy James Argue, Julian Arguelles and Dick Oatts to expose the students to the leading music and contemporary techniques required to perform Jazz Orchestral music at its highest level. These amazing young players have risen to the challenge on every level, and we aim to continue impressing audiences whenever we perform, with a level of sophistication normally reserved for professional Jazz”. The orchestra’s debut national tour in 2013 with Belgian based super composer, Bert Joris, was a tour de force.

Conservatorium Jazz Orchestra Artistic Director David Theak has been a tireless advocate for large ensemble jazz in Australia through his work with the Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra, as a teacher at the Sydney Conservatorium Jazz studies program, convenor of the National Big Band Composition Competition and as guest artist and artistic advisor with the West Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra. Theak created the ‘Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra’as a young member of Sydneysmusic scene and is now mentor to scores of emerging musicians nationally and internationally.

Guitarist James Muller is one of the most exciting and innovative musicians on the Australian music scene today. His distinctive sound, coupled with masterful improvisation and breathtaking virtuosity, has made him one of the most respected and most significant young musicians in the country. 

The Adelaide-born musician began teaching himself the guitar at age 12, initially inspired by the rock guitar legends of the 60s and 70s. Once the harmonic complexities of jazz caught his ear, there was no looking back. By the time he burst onto the Sydney scene in 1996, at just 21 years of age, James had already recorded his first independent album No You Don't. He was soon playing and recording with some of the biggest names in jazz and rock including: James Morrison, Vince Jones, Katie Noonan, Dale Barlow, Bernie McGann, Don Burrows, Mike Nock, Renee Geyer, Jimmy Barnes, Nigel Kennedy, Rai Thistlethwayte (Thirsty Merc) and Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra.

As well as US musicians: John Scofield |Chad Wackerman (Frank Zappa, Allan Holdsworth) | Vinnie Colaiuta (Sting, Jeff Beck) | Keith Carlock (Steely Dan) | Bill Stewart (John Scofield, Maceo Parker) | Adam Nussbaum (Michael Brecker) | Christian McBride (Pat Metheny)

He also recorded three more critically acclaimed albums under his own name and made multiple tours to Europe, Asia and the US to critical acclaim. Muller is the recipient of numerous accolades including the coveted ARIA award, the highest acknowledgement in the Australian recording industry.

Winner of the ARIA for Best Jazz Album 2000 - James Muller Trio “ALL OUT”| Winner of the National Jazz Award, Wangaratta Jazz Festival 2000 | James Muller Quartet “THRUM” nominated for Best Jazz Album ARIA Awards 2002 | “PAUL BLEY” taken from “THRUM” winner of the APRA award for Most Performed Jazz Work 2003 | Winner of the esteemed Freedman Fellowship 2004 | James Muller Trio “KABOOM” nominated for Best Jazz Album ARIA Awards 2006 | Full length interview in esteemed US magazine “Guitar Player” April 2008

Few people have lit up the Australian music scene so brightly and so quickly.

This is an exciting opportunity to hear this outstanding musician in the rare format of a jazz orchestra in a jazz club, so bookings highly recommended.

“James has it all..I love his playing.” - John Scofield

“James Muller is a mountain of guitar virtuosity...All the things that are the most effective in jazz, rock, blues and country guitar emerge naturally at the right time, in the right place and it can give the listener shivers” - John Clare (Sydney Morning Herald)

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Orchestrator of the James Muller/CJO project, Florian Ross is a musical explorer. His journey into the many lands of jazz began with studies in Cologne and later London and New York, where he honed his skills both as a pianist and a composer. Florian's special area of devotion and expertise was post-bop, which flowered into his remarkable ability today to handle all forms of contemporary and improvised music. His first album as a leader appeared in 1998. Now he has a dozen to his name, with more on the way...

Florian's music comes from a deep synthesis of heart and mind, of feeling and intellect. This is why he can so effortlessly span the realms of improvised and composed jazz. His gifts as a piano player prevent him from being seduced into the abstract theory of purely intellectual composition, while his instincts as a composer enables him to steer clear of self indulgence on the keyboards. He leaves to others the boring arguments about traditional jazz versus the avant-garde. Florian’s too busy making music. And it's music of a breathtaking variety. The diversity of formats he works in is simply dazzling. Just listen to the samples {include link to Audio page} to hear Florian casually excel in every combination from solo, duo, trio and quintet right up to big bands and string orchestras.

It's not cool to drop names, but if we were going to we could mention everyone from Bob Brookmeyer and Kenny Wheeler to Vince Mendoza and John Scofield. Florian has worked with them all.

He has taught at many German universities and academies and is currently teaching Piano and Composition at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz, Köln. He has also been involved in teaching clinics and workshops all over the world. He has played, composed and arranged for many orchestras across Europe including the Metropole Orchestra, WDR and NDR Big Band. Florian’s international awards for playing and composing are too numerous to list, but among them are the coveted first prize in the Danish Radio Big Band International Thad Jones Competition and the prestigious WDR Jazz prize for composition.

Taken from an interview with Andrew Cartmel, Spring 2014

SYDNEY CONSERVATORIUM JAZZ ORCHESTRA ARE:

David Theak – conductor

Guest Guitarist & Composer – James Muller

Felix Lalanne – guitar

David Allen – piano

Nick Henderson – contrabass

Oliver Nelson – drums

Sam Gill, Nishcal Manjanuth, Evan Harris, Michael Avgenicos, Chris O’Dea – saxes

Ellie Shearer, Matt O’Brien, Raygun Kang, Des Cannings - trombones

James Power, Kyle Eardley, Joe Lisk, Tom Avgenicos, Nick Calligeros – trumpets