Mike Nock Trio

Recognised as one of the greats of Australian Jazz and a creative force in modern music Mike Nock has returned to his original trio format several times in his lengthy career to record some outstanding examples of the genre.

The current Mike Nock Trio features bassist Ben Waples and drummer James Waples, two extraordinarily talented musicians, who now rank amongst the best of Australia’s young creative musicians.

2nd place-winner at the 2008 Australian National Jazz Awards, Ben is featured on many acoustic jazz CDs. Both he and younger brother James are first choice players for many leading Australian groups and have been playing with Mike for several years.

The trio recently recorded two CDs (one live at Sydney’s Sound Lounge and one at the Opera House Studio) both of which will be released in 2009 and are currently working on another project – CET (Creative Electronic Trio) featuring the trio’s electronic concepts and a fresh perspective to their music, creating a new sound for a new generation.

The evening featured pianist Mike Nock leading a superb trio with Ben Waples on bass and brother James Waples on drums… There is no doubt that Nock is in his prime, and it was a privilege to watch him interact and be inspired by his empathetic colleagues with such obvious delight – Stonnington Jazz Festival review