Dec 5 The Jazzlab

The Jazzlab Doors 8.00pm Show 8.30pm $20/15 Tickets here or at the door

DOUBLE BILL

Merinda Dias-Jayasinha Trio (Bris/Melb)

Claire Cross - Moving Targets

Vocalist Merinda Dias-Jayasinha presents a set of original music (with a standard or two thrown in) exploring streams of consciousness, and the states between reality and dreams.

Merinda Dias-Jayasinha - vocals

Theo Carbo - guitar

Isaac Gunnoo - double bass

Restless and rhythmic, Claire Cross’ project ‘Moving Targets’ explores the experiences of stress, love, lust and loss through lyrical and unpredictable compositions. A blend of folk idioms with rich contemporary jazz harmony is woven throughout, with the band moving seamlessly from brisk intensity to immersive melancholy performance, underscoring the theme of how transient our feelings can be, never frozen in time. My desire is a Moving Target.

Claire Cross: Bass and Compositions

Tom Noonan: Alto Saxophone

Harry Cook: Keys

Tommy Harrison: Drums

MORE INFO:

Merinda Dias-Jayasinha Trio

Vocalist and composer Merinda Dias-Jayasinha is happiest when she is singing. Whether it be jazz, improvised, chamber, or new music, she delights in storytelling and pursuing musical excellence through her art and collaborations. Merinda leads her own jazz ensemble, the Merinda Dias-Jayasinha Quartet, and a chamber string/voice quartet, Meridians in Brisbane. She is also works with a range of wonderful musicians, including John Hoffman, Steve Newcomb, and her colleagues from the Conservatorium and the Brisbane music scene. A recent Bachelor of Music (Jazz Voice) graduate from the Queensland Conservatorium, Merinda studied with renowned vocal pedagogue Dr. Irene Bartlett and celebrated Australian jazz vocalist Kristin Berardi. She has performed at the Brisbane International Jazz Festival, Melbourne International Jazz Festival, and the Magnetic Island Jazz Festival, as well as the Brisbane Jazz Club, JMI Live, Queensland Performing Arts Centre, and Bennetts Lane Jazz Club, Melbourne. In 2017 and 2018, Merinda was a Generations In Jazz Vocal Scholarship finalist.

Theo Carbo is a young improvising guitarist from Melbourne. He began playing at the age of 7 and now, at 18, performs regularly with many of Australia’s most renowned jazz musicians. Theo was the youngest ever recipient of the Pat Corrigan Scholarship, which allowed him to record his first album at age 13; a recipient of the Brian Brown Jazz encouragement award and a two-time finalist in the James Morrison scholarship. Some of Theo’s career highlights have included performing with Nadje Noordhuis at the Wangarratta Jazz Festival, Barney McCall’s ASIO band, Andrea Keller and Gian Slater.

Bassist and composer Isaac Gunnoo began performing on the Melbourne jazz scene before even completing his studies at the Victorian College of the Arts. He has toured internationally with renowned Australian folk group “The Bean Project” and has appeared on a wide discography of recorded works as leader and sideman. Isaac performs and composes as part of new music group the “Carbo/Carter/Gunnoo quartet” who have played regularly around Melbourne; the Wangaratta Jazz festival being a highlight for the group. Isaac’s active performance profile and flexibility are evident through the broad body of work he has contributed to.

CLAIRE CROSS

Composer, bassist, and band leader Claire Cross has become an integral part of Melbourne’s contemporary music scene, gaining acclaim for her versatility, creativity, and inclination to transcend genres and categorisations.

After completing her Honours Degree in Jazz Performance and Composition at Monash University in 2014, Claire has emerged as a sought-after bass player working with a wide array of Australian pop, rock and r’n’b artists, through the Her Sound, Her Story project and SPIRE Ensemble. Artists she has worked with in these settings have included prominent female performers Kate Cebrano, Kylie Auldist, Mojo Juju, Thando, Ella Hooper and Sampa The Great. Her most recent engagements as a touring session bassist include synth-pop artist Phia, the indie-Australiana group The Outdoor Type, and internationally acclaimed folk-pop duo Oh Pep.

Claire’s skills as a composer have been showcased through her work with the SURFACE project, a jazz-rock outfit that incorporates elements of folk, ambient music and electronica, having released their full length debut album Next in 2015 and subsequently touring the East Coast of Australia with Tom Barton/Diego Villalta in 2016. Her compositions from this album ‘Borsch’ and ‘Your Honour’ have been included and featured in the Australian Jazz Real Book. As well as proving herself to be an engaging composer, she recently demonstrated her skills as a highly creative arranger through her work as musical director for ‘Björk: Interpreted”, a project launched at Stonnington Jazz Festival 2018, and specially curated by artistic director Chelsea Wilson. This concert received strong praise and was listed widely as a festival highlight in the media.

In 2015, Claire was the recipient of a Creative Victoria Music Works grant for skills development, which saw her travelling to the USA to study with Shane Endsley from the grammy nominated ensemble Kneebody. As she keeps growing as an artist, Claire has been using her experience to give back to the community. A co-founder of the YoWo Music program, she has offered mentorship to female and non-binary teenagers, with the aim of unfolding and developing their performance skills and gaining confidence. A YoWo music recording is due to be released in November 2018, following an EP of original music released in 2016.

"Claire Cross is one of the most restless creative people in Melbourne today. As a jazz-and-beyond bassist, she will blow your mind; as a composer and bandleader, she has created a sonic world of her own” - Nikos Fotakis, Australianjazz.net