Bent Notes

Emma Pask Emma Pask was discovered at a school concert gig by multi-instrumentalist and entertainer James Morrison – a week later Emma was invited to tour with the James Morrison Big Band – and the rest is history! Hear Emma talk about that amazing experience and much more in this podcast from Bent Notes, including Trombone player, arranger and band leader Ed Wilson , the necessity to...

Vanessa Perica. Photo: Pia Johnson Award winning composer Vanessa Perica is launching her 2nd Jazz Orchestra album as part of the lineup for this year’s Melbourne International Jazz Festival . The 1st album, Love Is A Temporary Madness , was named one of the best Australian albums of 2020 by The Guardian, winner of the Best Jazz Album at the Music Victoria Awards, ‘Work of the Year’ at the A...

Australian composer and pianist Paul Grabowksy AO and Chinese-Australian composer, performer and pioneer of modern guzheng music Mindy Meng Wang chatted about the empathy, cultural awareness and conversation necessary to create new music crossing boundaries between different muscial cultures. Mindy plays the Guzheng – a chinese instrument similar in look and sound to a Zither , and has colla...

Ruth Rogers-Wright Ruth Rogers-Wright began her career in London where she was one of the leading artists in the “New British Jazz” movement, before migrating to  Australia.  Her band in London included two Aussie ex-pats – pianist Mark Fitzgibbon and vocalist Nichaud Fitzgibbon. Ruth was introduced to the music of Nina Simone while in London and saw her perform live a number of...

Monique diMattina Stella Miiles Franklin was an Australian author, activist and feminist, leaving an endowment behind celebrating Australian Literature in the form of the annual  Miles Franklin Award .  However, Stella was much more than an author! Inspired by the dramatic and exciting life story of Stella Miles Franklin, Melbourne based composer, vocalist and pianist Monique diMattina has written...