Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra 10th Anniversary Tour comes to Sydney this Sunday

This Sunday 9th June, the Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra teams up with Brooklyn-based jazz composer and big band luminary Darcy James Argue and renowned pianist Sean Wayland for its 10th Anniversary Tour.

Since its inception in 2003, the ARIA nominated Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra (JMO) has gained a reputation as one of the world’s most exciting and innovative independent jazz orchestras. Comprising seventeen members playing five saxophones, five trumpets, four trombones, guitar, bass and drums, ‘The Mothership’ represents many of Australia’s finest young improvisers.

To mark the 10th Anniversary, the Sydney-based Mothership ensemble is delivering a program that both promotes new Australian music and collaborates with high calibre international composers and conductors.

“It is with a great feeling of accomplishment that the Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra is able to present such an excellent program for our 10th Anniversary tour,” says David Theak, JMO co-founder and Artistic Director. “The past 10 years have delivered an incredibly diverse range of musical experiences as we’ve developed the Mothership from a ‘public bar dream’ into Australia’s leading jazz orchestra.”

In the last two years alone the JMO have worked with Chris Potter (NY), Jim McNeely (NY), Bob Sheppard, Alex Sipiagin, Bert Joris (Belgium), Jazz Legend Charles Tolliver (USA) and John Hollenbeck/Theo Bleckmann (USA) plus local singer Kristin Berardi.

“Personally, being able to collaborate with jazz legends such as Chris Potter, Maria Schneider, Jim McNeely and cutting edge artists Florian Ross and Darcy James Argue has been a dream come true for myself and the orchestra.”, Theak continues.

A tireless advocate for large ensemble jazz in Australia, Theak has been as a teacher at the Sydney Conservatorium and as guest artist with the West Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra. Theak created the ‘Mothership’ as a young member of Sydney’s Jazzgroove scene and is now mentor to scores of emerging musicians nationally and internationally.

On a stated mission for originality, the JMO continues to push the boundaries of new Australian music through collaborations and performances with international musicians such as Argue, Wayland and, as at the Melboure International Jazz Festival, Maria Schneider.

Darcy James Argue is currently one of the most talked-about jazz musicians; Infernal Machines, the debut recording featuring his 18-piece bigband, Secret Society, was nominated for a Grammy. Five-time winner in the DownBeat Critics Poll, Argue is credited with “reinventing the jazz big band for the 21st century” (The Guardian); The Village Voice’s Richard Gehr called his work “maximalist music of impressive complexity and immense entertainment value, in your face and then in your head.”

“Darcy embodies the artistic aspirations of the JMO. He’s successfully composing new music for jazz orchestra that is both excellent, innovative, and resonates with contemporary culture,” says Lucian McGuiness, co-administrator and a trombonist in the Mothership. “With their haunting compositions and imaginative experiments, Argue’s Secret Society might do for jazz what Radiohead did for rock — and poach some of its audience, too.”

The band is similarly excited to be playing with New York based, ex-pat Aussie pianist Sean Wayland, himself well known his prolific writing and ability to compose and improvise. Wayland has released over fourteen critically acclaimed CDs and has worked with some of the world’s most celebrated musicians including Madeliene Peyroux, Allan Holdsworth, Wayne Krantz, and David Binney. “Sean commands enormous respect amongst musicians all over the world, he’s an important and unique jazz composer and pianist. Translating his style to the jazz orchestra format is a special treat for us and for Sean too, I’m sure,” said McGuiness.

This Sunday’s Opera House show is the final of the tour and the last opportunity to catch this unique collaboration between Argue, Wayland and the seemingly unstoppable JMO.

Check out Darcy James Argue’s Secret Society performing at the Kennedy Centre in 2011:

Also have a look at Sean Wayland, Nate Wood, Sam Minaie and James Muller performing in 2012 at 55 bar, NYC. 

What: The Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra feat. Darcy James Argue and Sean Wayland

Where: Sydney Opera House, The Studio

When: Sunday 9th June

Info: JMO website or Sydney Opera House