International stars join local legends on jam-packed lineup.

December’s playlist is entirely constructed from 2021 releases. It’s been a great chance to look through what’s been happening through an intense and stressful year – and the amazing work our composers and performers have done.

An invigorating jazz performance with moments of genius that evoked a tremblingly gorgeous mystical realm.

With international borders still closed, the festival is celebrating the diversity of the local scene in its tenth year.

ABC Classic dominates the Classical category once again, while Earshift Music receives three nominations in Jazz and World Music.

Jeremy Rose talks jazz in the time of corona, the resilience of musos and showcasing the best of the local scene at the Earshift Music Festival.

A sombre, sometimes explosive exploration of percussion set to the tense groove of US civil unrest.

An improvisational powerhouse pushing the limits of jazz, blues, and middle eastern music, live and intimate at the Utzon Room.

In this month's playlist of Australian music, Cameron Lam highlights works that explore space and contemplation.

Jeremy Rose read The Fatal Shore, Robert Hughes’ seminal account of Australia’s invasion, colonisation and transformation into a penal colony, in 2012. He was struck by the brutal reality faced by prisoners shipped over from the continent, as well as by the Indigenous population, and eventually found a way to engage with that dark history through music. Iron in the Blood is a series of scenes performed by Rose and the Earshift Orchestra, underscoring narrated excerpts of Hughes’ work, read by actors Philip Quast and William Zappa. The excerpts give an overview of the struggle of the convicts, as well as the cruelty of British officers and lawmakers. The descriptions of the treatment of the original population – particularly the genocide of Tasmania’s Aboriginals – are harrowing. Musically, Iron in the Blood is an eclectic experience. Tracks draw on more conventional jazz idioms, while art music traits are present too, including sonic landscapes with dislocated, chromatic harmonies and extended instrumental effects. Some of the most intriguing features are the extended, frantic, improvised solos, often underscoring the most disturbing parts of the narration. Individual performances and sound are excellent, and the narrations are enjoyable both on a theatrical and… Continue reading…

Inspirational mentoring scheme sees triumphant fledglings leave the nest.