ARTISTS
Volant
Australia
Matthew Ottignon saxophones
Lauren Tsamouras piano
Hannah James double pass
Hayley Chan drums & percussion
is there something about this music, flush with heightened beauty and transcendence, that speaks tellingly to our times? On the strength of Volant, one senses a resounding yes.
★★★★ ½ Dingo Jazz Magazine (AUS)
Volant, meaning the ability to fly, are a contemporary jazz quartet inspired by the beauty and intricacy of birds – and the freedom they embody. Led by saxophonist Matthew Ottignon, and completed by pianist Lauren Tsamouras, bassist Hannah James, and drummer Hayley Chan, their music is velvet and granite; soft, subtle, hard and boisterous in equal measure.
The band’s debut album (Earshift Music, 2024) was born out of Ottignon’s extended period of pandemic solitude, a rare stillness in a career defined by relentless touring and collaboration. Alone with his reeds and recordings, he jammed to Joe Lovano, Keith Jarrett, Ornette Coleman and The Necks, composing music that became “an echo of all the sounds that had resonated with me over the years”. The result was deeply personal: a modern acoustic jazz language rooted in the spiritual searching of John Coltrane, Alice Coltrane and Pharoah Sanders, yet unmistakably original.
Central to Volant’s identity is the musicians Ottignon has carefully assembled. Tsamouras brings chromatic hues, sparse but luminous, her playing lending the music much of its buoyancy. James grounds the ensemble with both her playing and overall confidence, with her arco work conjuring dark, textured mystery. And Chan, whose drumming gives the band a new, propulsive motion, keeps the ensemble alert to every shift in the music’s current.
In the time since the ensemble’s debut release, they have continued to evolve as a creative force. Their live performances now incorporate new compositions from all members. The forthcoming second album promises to deepen their collective voice, from groove-driven guttural intensity to the most delicate and contemplative of moods.
As the musicians play, Volant elevates into something much grander: music that holds joy and melancholy in the same breath, born of introspection, and offered outward.
Resonance
AUSTRALIA / SWITZERLAND
Andrea Keller co-leader, composer, piano
Sandy Evans co-leader, composer, saxophones
Kristin Berardi voice
Jenny Barnes voice
Four world-renowned female improviser / composers harness the resonance of their collective musical voices to shatter the glass ceiling
“While there were moments of propulsion and intensity, the overall mood of the evening was one of intimacy, restraint and – yes – resonance.”
★★★★ The Age (AUS)
In this new collaboration two of Australia’s finest musicians, Sandy Evans and Andrea Keller, are joined by exceptional vocalists Kristin Berardi and Jenny Barnes. Sandy and Andrea are distinguished for their profound music and roles as leaders within contemporary jazz. Kristin is a brilliant, internationally renowned Australian jazz singer currently based in Switzerland. Jenny is an extraordinary vocalist whose unique practice explores findings from her deep study of linguistics in improvisatory contexts.
Resonance is inspired by their shared experiences striving to be prolific, creative musicians while juggling multiple roles – caring for partners, children, aging parents and community. The suite aims to resonate with the challenges, demands, and glass ceilings faced by mid-career and elder women, especially within the male-dominated jazz scene, and a society that falls short of recognising and addressing these issues effectively.
The texts include 3 new works by Michele Morgan, Hazel Smith and Andrea Keller and settings of poems by Sara Teasdale, Mary Oliver and Jeannie Greensfelder.
‘Each piece contained a structured section where Berardi interpreted the lyrics, her gorgeously expressive voice alighting on each word with grace and tenderness, and a free section where Barnes offered an improvised response to the poem in wordless sounds and instinctive gestures.’ Jessica Nicholas, The Age
Andrea and Sandy build on their strong partnership of collaborative duo performances which has included performances at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Wangaratta Festival of Jazz and Blues, Zephyrs Jazz at Four Winds, and the Orange Winter Jazz Festival.
The debut performance of Resonance at the JazzLab in Melbourne in February 2025 was enthusiastically received by a capacity audience. A recording of the project will be available later in 2025.
‘While there were moments of propulsion and intensity, the overall mood of the evening was one of intimacy, restraint and – yes – resonance, with all four artists focused on listening, responding and sharing, their spirit of openness resonating with the audience in turn.’ Jessica Nicholas, The Age
This project will inspire meaningful conversations about gender, creativity, and the challenges faced by women in the arts.
Shakti Spirit
AUSTRALIA
Sandy Evans saxophones, composer
Nadhamuni Gayatri Bharat Voice, composer
Jess Green Guitar
Pirashanna Thevarajah Mridangam and other percussion
Prahlad Iyer Ghatam and other percussion
“The sheer beauty and emotional weight of their performance left me breathless.”
★★★★★ Indian Link
A meeting point between South Indian traditional music and jazz improvisation.
Shakti Spirit is an Indian Jazz collaboration formed in 2024 celebrating female creativity through the shared joy of improvised music-making. This collaboration transcends music, offering a celebratory experience of cultural exchange.
The project features compositions by Nadhamuni Gayatri Bharat and Sandy Evans. The music includes works with poetry revered female Indian mystic saints such as Andal and Venibai.
The music encompasses deep emotional expression, virtuosic Indian singing, stunning percussion playing and unique dialogue between electric guitar and veena. Along with Gayatri’s mystical voice and Evans’ powerful tone, is an ensemble of extraordinary talent.
Mister Ott
AUSTRALIA
Matthew Ottignon tenor and baritone saxes
Ellen Kirkwood trumpet
Ben Panucci guitar
Jann Bangma bass
Carlos Adura drums
Daniel Pliner keys
With a sound originally rooted in the Ethiojazz …Mister Ott expand their sonic palette to incorporate psychedelic guitars, reverb-drenched horns, intergalactic keys, and a crunchy drum-and-bass combo that would make DJ Shadow envious.
Album of the Week, Eastside Radio
This high energy album features superb compositions and writing for the horns, and it’s here that Ottignon truly shines, as only a jazz musician could write such hip, convincing lines.
The Australian
Led by saxophonist and sonic explorer Matthew Ottignon, Mister Ott is a genre-bending ensemble that fuses Afro-funk, Ethio-jazz, dub, and psychedelia into magnetic dancefloor mantras. Their sound is groove-based and spiritually charged.
What began as Ottignon’s personal love letter to the hypnotic grooves of Mulatu Astatke and Getatchew Mekurya has grown into one of the standout voices of Australia’s improvised music scene.
After a tour of Ethiopia with Dereb [Desalegn] the Ambassador, Ottignon immersed himself in Ethio-jazz’s modal scales and rhythmic architecture, channeling its ancestral weight into a contemporary context powered by funk, hip-hop, and global groove.
Rooted in Sydney but fluent in a dozen musical dialects, Mister Ott features some of Australia’s heavy-weight improvisers: Ellen Kirkwood (trumpet), Ben Panucci (guitar), Daniel Pliner (keys), Dave Symes (bass), and Carlos Adura (drums). On stage, the band is a collective force — rhythm section locked in, horns blazing unison lines, and a sonic atmosphere that lifts the dancefloor into ecstatic territory.
Their debut album Drop It Like It’s Ott (2015) introduced a potent fusion of Ethio motifs and jazz-funk exuberance, described by Rhythms Magazine as “chunky sax solos, wicked funk and trance-like rhythms.” With Single Shot (2016), the band pushed further into Afro-futurist territory. Eastside Radio praised the album’s “psychedelic guitars, reverb-drenched horns, intergalactic keys, and a crunchy drum-and-bass combo that would make DJ Shadow envious.” while Echoes and Dust (UK) called it “an expansive album that embraces world music and culture… a strong contender for one of the year’s best jazz releases.”
The latest release, In the Flow (2021, Urban Trout/Earshift), continues that expansion, blending Afrobeat heat, dub textures, and swirling ethereal landscapes. The Weekend Australian noted how the “electronic backgrounds are highly imaginative” and praised Ottignon’s writing, “as only a jazz musician could write such hip, convincing lines”. Reviewer Eugene Ulman for the Sydney Morning Herald lauded the record’s ability to “create a space of uninhibited bliss” with tracks that move “like you’ve returned to a familiar neighbourhood where the whole street loves you.”
Whether laying down cosmic meditations or blasting funk-driven firestarters, Mister Ott embodies what it means to make music that is both deeply rooted and unmistakably modern.
They draw on global traditions not to mimic, but to transform. It’s something entirely its own: ecstatic, genreless, and alive.
Sandy Evans Trio
AUSTRALIA
Sandy Evans saxophones
Brett Hirst bass
Toby Hall drums
Three of Australia’s greatest jazz musicians are playing here, with Evans’ virtuosity authentically captured. Hirst and Hall, no mere sidepersons, are able to establish brilliant rhythmic grooves throughout, and when called upon to solo, both come to the party with absolute authority.
★★★★★ Eric Myers, The Australian
This is world class contemporary music performed by some of the very best exponents in this country”
John McBeath, Adelaide Advertiser
Sandy Evans is renowned for leading a series of saxophone trios with outstanding bassists and drummers since 1986. Her current trio features Toby Hall on drums and Brett Hirst who joined in 2003. The trio has released Not in the Mood (2002) with Brendan Clarke on bass, and The Edge of Pleasure (2009). Hall and Hirst also form the rhythmic back-bone for When the Sky Cries Rainbows (2011), Evans AIR Award-winning sextet album which was recently re-released by ABC Music. In collaboration with Bobby Singh and Sarangan Sriranganathan, Evans’ trio became one of Australia’s foremost Indian-jazz ensembles and released the groundbreaking album Kapture (2015).
The trio has performed at festivals and for leading jazz organisations in Australia including: SIMA, Orange Winter Jazz Fest, Perth Jazz Society, Melbourne Jazz Co-op, and Wangaratta. International highlights include JazzFest Berlin, Montreal Jazz Festival and Edinburgh Festival. Their unique sound and intuitive rapport has been enthusiastically received by audiences and media in Australia and internationally for many years.
Evans Robson Quartet
AUSTRALIA
Sandy Evans tenor & soprano saxophones
Andrew Robson alto & baritone saxophones; descant recorder
Brett Hirst double bass
Hamish Stuart drums & percussion
an album packed with strong ones from both leaders and with a wealth of slippery dialogues between four master musical conversationalists.
Sydney Morning Herald
The warmth and directness of expression on this album is palpable at all times
Paul Cutlan
Experience an electrifying night of contemporary jazz led by two of Australia’s most acclaimed saxophonists, Sandy Evans and Andrew Robson,
Evans’ powerful tenor sound and soaring soprano melodies combined with Robson’s great sense of groove and an uncanny instinct for melodic lyricism create a beautiful and engaging musical dialogue. As the Sydney Morning Herald notes, “Evans has been among the country’s preeminent tenor and soprano players for 40 years, while Robson has been a scalding and imaginative alto player for a decade less.”
They’re backed by a powerhouse rhythm section of bassist Brett Hirst and drummer Hamish Stuart, who anchor the group with a rhythmic chemistry that is both solid and daring. “They can cruise like a Cadillac or bellow like a Harley Davidson”, keeping the music deeply grounded no matter how freely it flows.
The quartet moves effortlessly between blazing virtuosic solos, playful exchanges, infectious grooves, and moments of profound stillness.
Masters of their craft, they transform every performance into a thrilling conversation—one that invites listeners into the spontaneity, joy, and deep human connection that defines jazz.
Magic Music
AUSTRALIA
Sandy Evans Tenor and soprano saxophone
Satsuki Odamura Koto and bass koto
Steve Elphick Double bass
Sohrab Kolahdooz Tonbak, percussion, voice
“remarkably compelling and beautiful.
Shane Nichols, The Australian Financial Review
World class is world class, pandemic or no pandemic.
Sydney Morning Herald
flowing sax melodies over Odamura’s vigorous and percussive koto playing. . . Evans was magnetic throughout. . . She’s still got it. That magic.
Billy Burchess, Check Check
A compelling meeting of Jazz, Japanese and Iranian music, featuring four innovative musicians, as they celebrate friendship and the magical power of spontaneous musical dialogue.
This rare and engrossing ensemble doesn’t merely play music; they conjure an atmosphere where cultures intertwine, and improvisation becomes a shared language that bridges the terrestrial and the celestial.
Sandy shares her excitement about the project, highlighting the unique qualities of these musicians: “Their inventiveness, musicality, sensitivity, responsiveness, and depth of sound and feeling open doors to magical musical places… One note…can bring a complete sense of peace and calm – or a dark mystery – or a ray of sunshine.”
Satsuki Odamura, whose mastery of the Koto and Shamisen transforms these traditional Japanese instruments into vessels of contemporary expression. Her notes ripple like water across a still pond, creating psychedelic swirls of sound.
Vocalist and percussion virtuoso, Sohrab Kolahdooz brings the resonant depth of his Tonbak (an Iranian goblet drum) and Hang drum – calling on ancient rhythms and modern meters – together into a tapestry of percussive prowess.
Steve Elphick, a luminary of Australian improvised music, anchors the ensemble with his acoustic bass. His lines moving like roots through soil—steady, nourishing, and vital to the collective sound.
Completing the quartet is saxophonist Sandy Evans, whose creative output and leadership over her 40 year career has had an unparalleled impact on the Australian jazz scene. Her improvisations feel like stories unfolding in the moment—constantly evolving with originality and luminosity.
Their performances promise more than a concert. It is an invocation of the human spirit—a space of freedom, where tradition and innovation dance together in harmony.