On the Sydney leg of its tour, Melbourne-based improvisational outfit I Hold the Lion’s Paw stopped for air with a “grown-up” show at Newtown’s funky Church St Studios.

The qualifier there speaks to audience, not material: members trumpeter Reuben Lewis, vocalist/keys player Emily Bennett, bassist Adam Halliwell and drummer Ronny Ferella are also creators of Imagination Exploration, a children’s show currently being presented in schools around the country as a part of Musica Viva Australia’s Education program.

I Hold The Lion’s Paw performing Imagination Exploration. Photo © Musica Viva Australia

I Hold the Lion’s Paw is “free-wielding, jazz inspired ensemble that wants to situate improvisation as a key tool for making work”, Lewis and Bennett tell Limelight. Output can land anywhere between surf-rock-style grooves, left-field soundscapes and psychedelic jazz – depending on the day.

Made from the same stuff, Imagination Exploration is an improvisation-focused show that aims to impart children with the tools to walk into any space and “use anything at hand to make some fun music”, says Lewis.

“Improvisation [is something]  you can do with anything in front of you. Imagination...