Daryl Aberhart is well known in the Australian jazz and blues community as a highly talented vocalist, pianist and composer and lyricist. He has played at many jazz and blues festivals over the past two decades, including Thredbo, Manly International, Bellingen, Dubbo, Jazz In The Vines and the Newcastle Jazz Festival, both in his own right and as a sideman with other groups and acts such as blues guitarist Ray Beadle. The only person ever given the permission and honour to write and record an album of lyrics written to the tunes of American jazz guitarist and composer John Scofield (The Cat Within 2007), Daryl has also recorded a funky, soulfully jazzified album of classic Australian radio songs (Aussie Gold Vol 1-2010), as well as a live EP of original works that same year. After something of a creative and performing hiatus, owing predominantly to his increasing duties as a tertiary educator with the School of Creative Industries at Newcastle University in NSW over the past decade, Daz is well and truly back in 2021 with a cracking collection of fresh songs. This new album, Shake These Blues Away, artfully blends many of Daryls favourite influences into a tasty mash- up of soul, country, jazz, blues, gospel, r+b and pop. One minute it’s a little like Nat King Cole, then some straight up Little Richard, next you are feeling some funky 70’s groove, followed by a tasty side dish consisting of a splash of B.B King, a spoonful of Charlie Daniels and a healthy sprinkle of Otis Redding to top it all off. It’s a heady mix, yet it manages to feel completely rooted in, and communicate an authoritative and authentic take on both jazz and the blues, as well as the tastefully incorporated soul, country and funk influences, with some really fun lyrics playing with the traditional themes of the idiom. A big part of this 8 song project for Daryl, an avid lover of great guitar players, was to attempt to capture the vital and essential voices of some of our best jazz and blues guitarists, and let them put whatever they feel the tracks require down with a total hands off approach from the writer. Shake These Blues Away has four amazing Australian guitarists doing their thing, the raucously swingin’ Carl Dewhurst on the title track (as well as Rollin With It), Carl Morgan with his signature slinky shredding, (Bad Luck Blues), which also features a cracking rhythm guitar part from Arne David Hanna.. The mighty Jim Kelly takes on three contrasting tracks. FIrst, the Keb Mo-ish laid-back honky tonk bar blues One Glass At A Time, the heartbreaking, soulful explorations in the solo and outro of I Dont Wanna Be Without You, (about which he said to Daryl ‘this might just be the best blues solo I’ve ever done’) and the Steely Dan meets B.B King-esque No Time To Be Feeling Blue. Ray Beadle, widely regarded as one of the finest blues guitarists this country has ever produced, is the final soloist, with two incredible contributions, the finger-blistering boogie-woogie on We’re Gonna Have A Party, and the funky, laid back New-Orleans style All On My Own, a song that Daryl originally wrote for the Ray Beadle Trio many years ago and re-worked for this recording. A dynamic and passionate performer who loves nothing more than playing great music with amazing musicians for enthusiastic music lovers, Daz is really looking forward to getting this good time, blues-jazz-soul party on the road in 2021, and taking these songs as far and wide across the country as he can, so be sure to keep an eye out for forthcoming tour dates being planned for all capital cities (and also some regional areas), as this is one show you will not want to miss. Hyperlinks to some dazmusic and live performances: Gonna Find My Way (The Cat Within 2007) Overkill (Aussie Gold Vol1 2010) I’ve Got This World On A String (Live trio performance 2013) Back On The Road (Cover performance on Hey Hey Its Saturday) Billies Bounce (Live 2010)