Bent Notes

Serge Carnovale , Artistic Director of the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and Blues , visited the Bent Notes studio to chat about this year’s festival, providing his guidance for your Wang Hang!  This is the 2nd festival that Serge has artistically directed, working with the new board establilshed to resurrect the festival and put it back on the map. Serge spoke about the achievements made last...

Hamed Sadeghi asked his mother for a TAR when he was 14 years of age, after hearing it played on the radio and falling in love with the sound of the instrument.  He decided that Music was to be his career when 18 years of age then started his university studies into Persian Classical music. Hear Hamed talk about his classical musical education in Iran before moving to Australia where he commenced...

When Paul Grabowsky and Michelle Nicolle visted the Bent Notes studio they spoke about the feelings, emotions and memories they recall after gigs and projects, and their consideration of the history of songs and music in their projects. Paul spoke especially about his memories and experiences working with first nations people for many years and the learnings he has made about their music and histo...

Quinn Knight visited the Bent Notes studio to chat about his musical upbringing, developing musical career, and the debut album of his father’s TL;DR project.  The album is called Too Long;Didn’t Read – an album described by Quinn as music for the listener to interpret as they wish. The 4-piece project was founded by Trumpeter Peter Knight , and includes Peter (Trumpet, Electroni...

Mina Yu spoke on Bent Notes of starting her classical piano education at a really young age and of taking up the Jazz mantle when the concept of Jazz was introduced to her.  Mina has not become a Jazz musician, but rather a musician who plays in the Classical and Jazz spheres. Three years in the making, this new album from Mina – A Day and Life – results from her cross- genre musical s...

Melbourne based vocalist and composer Michelle Nicolle visited the Bent Notes studio upon the occaision of the release of her 11th album – THE SILENT WISH .  Michelle was about to leave Australia for a visit to America to launch the album in the country where she had recorded it with guitarist Larry Koonse . The album is a collection of 10 songs including one composed by Michelle herself. He...

Perth based Pianist and composer Austin Salisbury spoke of his musical journey to date and bringing his piano trio to the Eastern States to launch their new album – OUTLINES – at the Church St Studios in Camperdown (NSW), and The Jazzlab in Brunswick (VIC) Austin recalls his earliest musical memories which include watching the movie “The Blues Brothers” and marveling at the...

Pianist and composer Paul Grabowsky chatted about emotion in music, from composer, arranger, engineer, performer and the listener; and how vocalists have the greateast opportunity to imbue their vocal works with emotion. Paul will be accompanying American countertenor vocalist Reginald Mobley with his Gospel and Spiritual repertoire on his Australian Tour during March & April 2025.  This reper...

Andrew Harrison is a musician who composes to order.  His new EP – Time Is Truth – is a work he was commissioned to create by a gay couple wishing to celebrate 20 years of relationship committment in a very special way. A couple who love music, their chioce was a musical suite to celebrate deeper truths about love and committment, through contemporary Jazz arrangements and intimate voc...

Drummer, Composer and Educator Sonja Horbelt, the Artistic Director of the Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival visited the Bent Notes studio to chat about the challenges experienced by Women in Jazz and the progress for them becoming featured artist and working musicians; and the fabulous women artists performing in this year’s Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festi...

Lee Orszaczky, co-leader of the Sydney based music collective MOSAIC , spoke with Bent Notes about his family musical upbringing, including exposure to a broad range of great music; as well as some of his experiences as a music student at the Sydney Conservatorium of music – where he has co-created the MOSAIC collective – a group with an objective to play as much original music as they...

Alastair Kerr , one of Australia’s leading exponents of Brazilian percussion and jazz drumming, visited the Bent Notes studio to chat about his love of Brasilian jazz, the wonderful music of Antonio Carlos Jobim , and his addiction to Brasilian Jazz! Alastair told us that Antonio Carlos Jobim was perhaps the most important composer of the 20th century, becoming known for his Bossa Nova music...

Saxophonist Jamie Oehlers spoke with Bent Notes about the inspiration he received from hearing and seeing the saxaphone in popular music of the 80’s; and starting his musical journey at school with a year of learning and practicing the flute before migrating to the sax.  Jamie recalls the inspiration he recevied from his instrumental teachers along the way. Jamie described pushing musical bo...

Saxophonist, Educator, Researcher and Educational Author Rob Burke visited the Bent Notes studio to chat about how the definition of Jazz has changed ove the years, and how that change has been driven in part by the different diaspora’s  around the world . Rob talks about the challenges of collaborating with the music of other cultures, maintaining the character and life of the music, whilst...

Michael Tortoni, Artistic Director of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival , visited the Bent Notes studio to talk about the team working with him to curate and activate the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, and the superb roster of artists creating music during the 2024 festival. Michael spoke about over 400 artists representing 12 countries, performing in 109 events across 34 venues in...

Serge Carnovale visited the Bent Notes studio to chat about his new role this year as the Artistic Director of the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and Blues . Serge spoke about the range of artists appearing  across the many venues in and around Wangaratta and the venue-based ticketing system introduced this year, as the festival is re-born alongside the National Jazz Awards – this year for Saxo...

Harry Mitchell described the philosophy behind his latest album – NOON – when he spoke with David Moyle and Chelsea Wilson on Bent Notes. NOON is created as a collection of songs inspired by Harry’s observations of society’s collectively diminishing attention spans.  The inspiration said to Harry that he should create someting long-form – that can’t be consumed...

The Take Note Leader of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival for 2024 is Jazz flautist and composer Erica Tucceri .  Erica visited the Bent Notes studio to chat all things Take Note – an impportant role that addresses the underrepresentation of women and gender diverse musicians in jazz by celebrating and promoting women and gender diverse leaders on stage and in high schools across Vic...

Violin player, artist, songwriter and entertainer Xani Kolac described her path to become a professional violin player and entertainer when she was guest on Bent Note recently. Xani reminisces about causing her violin teacher to cry from the beautiful interpretation she gave of Dvorak’s Humoresque, and auditioning for the VCA with her sister playing the bass. Xani spoke about the focus on im...

Australian born musicians Jody Sternberg (Voice, Sax) and David Lewis (Trumpet, Piano) have lived in France for some years and spoke with David Moyle and Chelsea Wilson on Bent Notes when they visited the JOY 94.9 studios recently as they commenced their 2024 Aussie tour. Jody Sternberg & David Lewis in-studio at JOY 94.9 Jody recalled her journey from Australia where she played sax in her pri...

When trumpeter and band leader Travis Woods and sousaphone player Jay Scarlett from The Horns Of Leroy visited the Bent Notes Studio they spoke about the way they as a band are inspired by the music and the musicians of New Orleans .  They recalled the immense energy they picked up from watching, listening, jamming and performing with these bands and how this changed their outlook and musical crea...

Michelle Nicolle visited the Bent Notes studio to chat with David Moyle and Chelsea Wilson about her brand new album – 10 Live At The Jazzlab . The album was recorded at the Jazzlab by the ABC during the 2023 Melbourne International Jazz Festival and has now been released to the world. Michelle talks about the thrill of performing in ALL RISE with the Lincoln Centre Jazz Orchestra led by Wyn...

Melbourne Drummer, Composer and Artistic Director of the Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival , Sonja Horbelt visited the Bent Notes studio to chat all things 2023 Festival with David Moyle and Paul Gardner.  The festival runs from December 3-10, 2023 with most events schedueld at The Jazzlab . Sonja spoke about the legacy and the memory of the late Lynnette Irwin , for many years t...

Cheryl Durongpisitikul Cheryl Durongpisitkul spoke with David Moyle on Bent Notes about the work involved in preparing for the debut of her new suite for 12-piece improvising ensemble that channels her own personal experiences of loss, grief  and healing. As the Take Note leader for 2023 for the Melbourne International Jazz Festival , Cheryl was commissioned to compose this work as well as visit s...

Zac Hurren, Katie Noonan, Ben Hauptmann Katie  Noonan ‘s ELIXIR project kicked off in 1997, with their goal to explore the relationship between text and sound and celebrate great Australian poetry. The current line-up for the trio is National Jazz Award, ARIA Award winning and Freedman Jazz Fellowship finalist saxophonist/composer Zac Hurren , Freedman Jazz
Fellowship winning and National Ja...