JAZZ VISIONS: Chris Abrahams & Phillip Johnston + HIT Organ Trio

Chris Abrahams & Phillip Johnston 8.30 – 9.30pm

Phillip Johnston plays with the Microscopic Septet, SNAP, The Coolerators, and Fast & Bulbous: the music of Captain Beefheart. Chris Abrahams plays with The Necks, Roil, Mike Cooper and Melanie Oxley. The Sydney Morning Herald wrote about Abrahams’ CD Glow: “…the notes seem to float into existence with the gracefulness of falling leaves.” Phillip Johnston’s music was recently described in Downbeat as “seminal, brilliant post-modern jazz.” With Lloyd Swanton and Daryl Pratt, they performed the score for Teinosuke Kinugasa’s Page of Madness (1927) at the 2008 Sydney Film Festival. They each take a unique approach to their respective instruments, eschewing the dazzling display of virtuosity for more thoughtful and inquiring investigation.

This will be their first performance as a duo since 2005. They have both recently written music for films about criminals.

Phillip Johnston (soprano saxophone) Chris Abrahams (piano)

HIT Organ Trio 10.00 – 11.00pm

HIT! are at the forefront of the Sydney Hammond innovation, bringing back hard bop, swinging tunes and sharp suits to the organ/tenor/drums format renowned in the 1950s and 1960s for its blues-and-R&B-based style of jazz. The organ trio format was characterized by long improvised solos and an exploration of different musical “moods”. Fresh from a studio date using classic Blue Note microphone techniques, HIT! present original music from their debut release The Dicky Donkey and Other Modern Classics.

If you like organ trio Medeski Martin and Wood, don’t miss this enchanting Sydney-based trio as they present a compelling set of soulful, groove-infused tunes. This is not just a revival – it is a musical revolution!

Stu Hunter (hammond organ) Matt Keegan (tenor sax) Evan Mannell (drums)