On Friday (23/02/01) I had the great pleasure of taking the stage with two saxophonists who have been a great inspiration to me, Sandy Evans and Eddie Bronson. The occasion was an evening of mostly free playing at the Side-On Cafe in Annandale (Sydney). This group also featured the mighty rhythm section of Steve Elphick (Bass) and Hamish Stuart (Drums). Collaborations of this nature are unfortunately few and far between so many thanks to the Sydney Improvised Music Association for their ongoing support. Word is this line up may be back at the Side-On later in the year so stay tuned! Please see our reviews section for a review of the gig.

Last week also saw a couple of rare local performances by the MARA ensemble. Firstly to launch our new CD Live In Europe reviews and also as part of the Blue Mountains annual folk festival in the Historic town of Katoomba (about 100kms west of Sydney). As we spend much of our time on the road it was quite a homecoming and the band really fired! Our new CD is an independent release so please send me an email if you are interested in a copy.

Tuesday 30/1/01

Many thanks to those of you who have purchased a copy of SUNMAN. Please feel free to send me an email and let me know what you think! For fans of James Greening's World According to James the good news is our new CD may only be a couple of months away, stay tuned for more updates.

There will be a feature/Interview about the Trio, the new album and various other matters at All About Jazz in February. It was written by well known Australian journalist Shane Nichols. Just click on the link if you would like to check it out. Last month's feature article is a fantastic interview with David Jones.

Last night I had the great pleasure of performing with pianist Barney McAll at the Starfish Club in Sydney's eastern suburbs. Barney is in Australia for a short run of gigs in Sydney and Melbourne before heading back to New York. Last nights performance was part of a double header with the Necks and was filmed by the ABC. The gig will be shown on ABC television later this year as part of a series about contemporary Australian Jazz.