“Andy Baylor has opted not to play the glamour card. His blues is poetry of the back verandah kind, citing John Lee Hooker above John Donne, with a come-as-you-are feel set to the rhythm of the Melbourne suburbs.” – Michael Dwyer, The Age

Andy Baylor is a highly respected, influential Australian musician known for his multi-instrumental skills, song-writing and versatility. Inspired by the way Cajun music of Louisiana during a trip to the USA in the 80’s, Andy set about a mix of his own Southern blues, funky rhythms, Country/Cajun fiddle and Australian bar-room music.

Andy Baylor’s music is available on Bandcamp: https://andybaylormusic.bandcamp.com/

‘It’s not jazz, it’s not rock… Whatever you want to call it, this is one mighty sonic trip that paints colourful pictures in the mind.’ –  Loudmouth Magazine.
An approachable, modernistic sonic trek into the extra-terrestrial area of improvisation. The brainchild of pianist and composer Alister Spence, Asteroid Ekosystem is a supergroup for the 21st century bringing together four of the country’s most acclaimed and talented musicians. Ed Kuepper’s guitar surges in like a gusting solar wind, while the backdrop of the Alister Spence Trio serves as a darker, more solidified horizon for musical exploration. Journeying through densely layered textures, to more open psychedelic surf jazz – this quartet will leave you contemplating much more than the music.

Alister Spence – Piano
Lloyd Swanton – Bass
Toby Hall – Drums
Ed Kuepper – Guitar, Electric

Award-winning Australian vocalist Emma Pask has established herself as one of this country’s favourite jazz voices. Emma Pask’s effortlessly honest stage presence combines with her powerful vocals, leaving audiences spellbound and inspired. Emma weaves storytelling through timeless jazz standards, upbeat Latin rhythms, tender ballads and raucous blues.

The daughter of Australian icon Jimmy Barnes, soul singer Mahalia grew up listening to the greats; from Ray Charles to Otis Redding, Wilson Pickett, Ike & Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Donny Hathaway and Stevie Wonder, all of which shaped her into the powerhouse vocalist she is today. Don’t expect a restrained or gimmicky performance – Mahalia is a showstopper. Alongside her band The Soul Mates, Mahalia delivers soul music with a dynamic, raw & exciting performance.

“One of the world’s great trumpet players” Eric Myers, The Australian. Phil Slater has masterfully created “the most consistently sublime and intensely beautiful music I’ve ever heard” (Joseph Cummins, Loud Mouth).
‘The Dark Pattern’ is a thick hazy atmospheric work composed by Phil Slater, and features a super-group quintet of Sydney musicians. The minimalist rhythmic framework produced for trumpet player Phil Slater is often dry to the bone, letting him soar in isolation. The hypnotic album recalls an aesthetic often found on the ECM label. This introspective performance will captivate the listen in such a way, they’ll feel an out of body experience looming. A marvel to witness.
Phillip Slater – Trumpet
Matt Keegan – Saxophones
Brett Hirst – Double Bass
Matt McMahon – Piano
Simon Barker – Drums

When Ray Beadle, Clayton Doley  and Andrew Dickeson hit the stage they electrify audiences with their deliciously Soulful and Bluesy Jazz Organ Trio. Ray’s burning guitar is as smooth as hot butter and faster than a speeding bullet, Clayton’s Hammond is grooving and spinning like a category 5 hurricane destroying all in its wake, Andrew’s drumming is swinging like a freight train exploding out of a tunnel into the light. These guys are not only keeping the 60′s soul jazz groove alive in Australia, they are pushing it to a new level, modernising it and putting their own unique blues stamp on it!
Ray Beadle – Guitar
Clayton Doley – Organ
Andrew Dickeson – Drums

Robbie Mortimer is an Australian Singer-Songwriter, with two studio albums. Robbie is a natural storyteller, with his music influenced from life experiences. He’s a passionate writer, covering love, travel, life, and heartbreak. His upbeat and acoustic music has resonated across Orange, as he is a proud local “I’m not forgetting where I’ve come from. I never want to do that.” Have played at countless functions and festivals over the past few years. Robbie and his band are high energy, performing songs from a variety of genres. Recently, Robbie and the band won the bride’s choice award for best live entertainment and Robbie Mortimer’s solo album recent reached top 10 on the Australian pop charts.

Robbie Mortimer
Quinn Luxford
Jacob Pickett
James Mortimer

“Still sounding like no one else” – Sydney Morning Herald

Formed by bassist and composer Lloyd Swanton in 1991, this beloved iconic ensemble has formed a body of beautifully crafted music that mixes African, Caribbean, Latin and Eastern influences, resulting in a vibrant live performance. To celebrate their incredible legacy created over three decades, The catholics will perform their favourite pieces, as well as a number of new works by the band.

Lloyd Swanton – Bass
Sandy Evans – Saxophones
James Greening – Trombone
Gary Daley – Piano & Accordion
Jon Pease – Guitar
Fabian Hevia – Percussion
Hamish Stuart – Drums

“The Morrisons play big band folk, like a mash up of both Inside Llewyn Davies and Oh Brother Where Art Thou’s T-Bone Burnett” – (Concrete Playground)
Sydney is not known for its fireflies – just as the Appalachian hill-country of Virginia, Kentucky and East Tennessee aren’t known for picturesque sandstone harbours. But, as anyone familiar with the dun bushland quarters of the city’s hinterland knows, there ARE fireflies here – just as there are local musicians seized with the spirit of the enduring musical traditions of the American South. Sydney’s own The Morrisons are just such a band of peerless pickers: musicians possessed of an ancient and unsleeping fire.

“Written and improvised melodies are flawless… There is a sublime pacing to each of the tunes …twisting the narrative of each hypnotic groove into an ever-unfolding and irresistible arc.” – Downbeat

The ARIA-nominated roots jazz band, The Vampires, play a groove-based form of jazz. This is music for the feet and the body. Weaving their magic on top of the rocksteady rhythm section of Noel Mason and Alex Masso, Jeremy Rose and Freedman Jazz Fellow Nick Garbett concoct a heady brew of jazz, intermingled with diverse influences such as reggae, dub, Latin & Afro-beat, and funk. The Vampires deliver an inspired & memorable set, and the natural acoustics & architecture of this venue will provide a great backdrop for the intimate show.

Nick Garbett – Trumpet
Jeremy Rose – Saxophone & Bass Clarinet
Noel Mason – Bass
Alex Masso – Drums