Andrea (jazz piano):
Australian pianist and composer Andrea Keller is a leading figure on the Australian jazz scene.
Andrea Keller is “one of Australia’s most consistently interesting musical minds.”
Awards: Three ARIA Awards, two Bell Awards, and two major fellowships, including the MCA/Freedman Foundation Jazz Fellowship. She has toured extensively nationally and internationally, and her discography includes seven albums under her name and her compositions and performances heard on countless others.
Studied: Andrea Keller holds a Bachelor of Music in Improvisation (Hons) from the Victorian College of the Arts and a Master of Arts from the Queensland University of Technology.
Keller and her players are consistently outstanding – Michael Webb
Apart from being an outstanding piano player, Keller has the gift for writing totally distinctive and engaging compositions. This recording stands as a marker of just how good Australian jazz is. – B. Stapleton (allaboutjazz.com)
One of this country’s most daring and fascinating composers, she produces work that bristles with surprises, a powerful blend of European lyricism with space and improvisation. Leon Gettler. The Age
Stringspace events: Andre Rieu VIP event (jazz trio); solo jazz piano concert for ANZ design team dinner.
Harry (jazz & pop piano):
Harry graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with first-class Honours in 2013. He has performed with James Morrison, Dale Barlow, and Paul Furniss. He has also played and toured extensively with pop and jazz artists, including Matt Corby, Dereb the Ambassador, Touch Sensitive, Ben Hauptmann, Donny Benet, and Ngaiire.
Harry is one of Australia’s most promising young jazz pianists. In 2010, he won the James Morrison Scholarship at the Generations in Jazz Festival in Mount Gambier. He recorded for ABC Jazz digital radio and has been featured on “Jazztrack” with Mal Stanley. He is a finalist in the 2019 Freedman Jazz Fellowship.
“My music director Harry Sutherland – when I sent him the music after it was done and asked him to come on tour, he scored the entire album part by part, and he was almost more responsible for divvying up each specific role for each band member more than I was. To have someone with that kind of genius-level of operating has made my job really fun.” – Matt Corby (1883 Magazine)
Hugh (jazz guitar):
Hugh began playing the guitar at age five and, by age 11, had shared a stage with Tommy Emmanuel.
Studied: The Elder Conservatorium; Bachelor of Music (Honours) at the Victorian College of the Arts.
Awards: James Morrison Scholarship; The Elder Conservatorium’s award for most outstanding undergraduate.
The James Morrison Scholarship allowed Hugh to study in New York.
In 2007, Hugh was a prize winner at the National Jazz Awards, possibly Australia’s most prestigious competition for jazz instrumentalists.
Stringspace Projects: Youtube Channel – StringspaceLive, Gourmet Traveller Awards Night @ Vue De Monde, Garvan Institute of Medical Research Fundraising Gala, Porsche Christmas Party, duo film clips with Jade Macrae and Briana Cowlishaw, a duo performance with Jade MacRae at Abbotsford Convent for “Friends Gather Round”, & VIP client events for Tiffany & Co. at their Melbourne Collins Street store.
Hugh features on our YouTube channel, StringspaceLive.
Justin (sax):
Justin is a saxophonist, clarinet, and vocalist living in Melbourne, Australia. After completing a Diploma of Jazz Performance, he moved to Sydney and completed a Bachelor of Music (Jazz Performance). Justin has enjoyed performing in Australia and internationally at venues and festivals such as London Southbank Centre, Sydney Festival, Sydney Opera House, Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and WOMADelaide. He has also toured Japan, China, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Italy, and Germany.
Justin is also an active composer and has written over a hundred compositions.
He has served as artistic director for the Jazzgroove Association. A two-year tenure began in November 2012. Jazzgroove is an artist-run, not-for-profit organisation that promotes improvised jazz-based music. As artistic director, his role was to curate approximately one hundred performances each year and program an annual four-day festival. This was a huge honour and a highly rewarding way to support the creative music community of Sydney and Australia.
Performing highlights in his career include playing alongside Lulo Reinhardt, James Morrison, Ed Kuepper and the Aints, Goldfinger, The Meltdown, Scotch and Soda (circus), The Bird, Thundermentals, TUKA, Bernie McGann, Jason Marsalis, Christa Hughes, and Judy Bailey as well as many other fine musicians.
David (bass):
As a boy, David was introduced to the guitar, mainly classical guitar, but it wasn’t until he was asked to learn the bass guitar for the school jazz and rock ensemble that he fell in love with music. The bass guitar was the link he was looking for between rhythm and harmony.
Over the years, David has performed with many Australian artists, including master drummers David Jones and Darryn Farrugia, as well as vibraphonist James Whiting and saxophonist Ben Carr. David has also had the pleasure of performing with local Brisbane artists, Elly Hoyt, Toby Wren, Dave Spicer, Chris Poulsen, Cleon Barraclough, Shannon Marshall, Sophie Min, Kayleigh Pincott and Lachlan Hawkins. However, David’s real musical love lies at the heart of improvised music. Over time he has been able to carve out a home in the Australian Jazz scene, where he continues to hone his skills as a jazz bassist and composer.
David has also performed with the “Soundscapes Trio” led by composer and pianist Cleon Barraclough. The Soundscapes trio released their second recording titled “The Unravelling” in 2016. David has also been fortunate to perform with the modern Jazz group “Lateo,” led by Brisbane drummer and composer Joseph Marchisella. In 2015 David was asked to record with Bart Stenhouse, a fine guitarist and composer. David performed on Stenhouse’s two releases, “The Best of Times” and ” Five Days in Grenada.” These recordings reflect the rich musical history of India and Flamenco Music.
In 2018, David joined forces with pianist Sophie Min and Percussionist/Drummer Lachlan Hawkins to release their first recording as the Nimble Trio called “From All Sides”. “From All Sides” features all members’ original compositions and special guests Kristin Berardi, Elly Hoyt on vocals and percussionist Tsoof Barros. “From All Sides was featured on the ABC Jazz on the “Home Cooked” program and has received wide acclaim as a modern jazz recording in the Australian improvised landscape.
Currently, David is working on the material for his third solo recording, which will feature material inspired by the Australian outback. He has been fortunate to live and interact with people very close to his heart in this area. The “Wood and Wire” Quintet is now based in Melbourne and features Vince Hopkins on Guitar, Ade Ishs on Piano and Mark Voogd on drums; they will be recording and performing in and around Melbourne very soon, so keep your eye out for this dynamic group of musicians playing all original jazz.
