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Mothership Orchestra - the mothership plays the music of Mike Nock

available from mid september via jazzgroove website or all good CD stores

Personnel: Mike Nock, Sean Wayland, David Theak, Phil Slater, James Muller, Evan Mannell, Brendan Clarke, Matt Keegan, Nick, Bowd, Jeremy Borthwick, John Hibbard, Danny Carmichael, Scott Langley, Simon Ferenci, Angus Gomm, Tim Crow

Recorded Aug 11 & 12 @ Sony BMG Studios

Compositions: Doors, Everybody wants to go to Heavan, Isospin, Nata Lagal, Hadrians Wall, One for Captain Gloom, Choose the beauty Path, Blue For... and Earthbound.

Arrangements: by David Theak, Sean Wayland, John Hibbard, Murray Jackson and Mike Nock

Press: pre release press copies available, please contact David Theak on 0410 167 157 to get one or email (contact details below)

Mothership Orchestra Concerts and Upcoming Projects

Aug 11 & 12 - recording debut CD featuring the compositions of Mike Nock
August 27- Sound Lounge (SIMA).Collaboration with Canadian Musicians Quinsin Nachoff, Darren Sigesmund & David Braid playing compositions from top Toronto Composers
April 22nd - Sound Lounge for Sydney Improvised Music Association

Mothership Orchestra Personnel



David Theak - Alto Finalist 2004 Freedman Fellowship, Finalist 2002 National Jazz Awards. Has worked with Mike Nock, theak-tet, Steve Hunter, Barbara Dennerlein (Germany), and has led 2 tours of Europe	Simon Sweeney - Trumpet Finalist 2003 National Jazz Awards, Mike Nock Big Small Band	Phil Slater - Trumpet Winner 2003 National Jazz Awards, 2002 Freedman Fellowship Winner, 2004 Australian Jazz artist of the year (Bell awards), Finalist Thelonius Monk International Trumpet Competition (US), Worked and recorded with Australian Art Orchestra, Mike Nock

Murray jackson - Alto President Jazzgroove Assocation, bandleader 1st Unit of Attack, Musical Director Dogologues	James Muller - Guitar Winner 200 National Jazz Awards, Winner 2004 Freedman Fellowship, Aria Award Winner for best album, MO Award best Australian Jazz Band.	Matt McMahon - piano Winner 1999 National Jazz Awards, Finalist Freedman Fellowship. Works with Vince Jones, Phil Slater, Steve Hunter and most of Sydney’s top jazz musicians

Roger Mannins - tenor Winner 2002 National Jazz Awards, Finalist 2002 Freedman Fellowship. Works with James Morrison	Scott Langley - tenor Top Sydney Saxophonist, leads Sydney Jazz Quartet	Matt Keegan - tenor Cameron Undy Band, Jasper Leak Band, Ends and Means, Performed at Opera House Jazz Now Festival in 2004

Jeremy Borthwick - bone Finalist 2003 National Jazz Awards. Lecturer QLD Conservatorium, Master of Music Uni of Syd 2002	Evan Mannell - drums Finalist 2004 National Jazz Awards. Artistic Director Jazzgroove association, Hot Licks, James Morrison Scholarship Winner 1999	John Hibbard - bone Composer extraordinaire, Leader Sidecar & Bossanovacaine. Bachelor of Jazz Uni of Sydney

Simon Ferenci - trumpet Finalist 2003 National Jazz Awards. New Young trumpet talent on Australian scene	Brendan Clarke - bass Winner 2001 National Jazz Awards, Sandy Evans Trio, Kristin Cornwell Quartet, Bobby Gebert Trio,	Danny Carmichael - bone Finalist 2003 National jazz Awards

Nick Bowd - Bari Sax Dan Barnett Big Band, released Jazzgroove CD Arrival in 2003	Colin Burrows - Bass Bone Bass Trombone Specialist. Has played and recorded with Sydney All Star Big Band, Con Artists, Malaysian Philharmonic and Adelaide Symphony Orchestra.

Mike Nock - Contributing Composer
New Zealand born pianist/composer Mike Nock is one of the acknowledged masters of jazz in Australasia. Mike's reputation rests partly on his imposing international experience which includes ...

some twenty-five years working in the USA with many of the world's top jazz musicians such as: Coleman Hawkins, Yusef Lateef, Dionne Warwick, Michael Brecker, etc...
a large catalogue of critically acclaimed, internationally released recordings
his role as leader of the 1960's seminal jazz-rock group The Fourth Way
a substantial body of original compositions in print and on recordings

His compositions have been commissioned and performed by such as the Cleveland Chamber Symphony (USA), Australian Chamber Orchestra, Synergy, Melbourne Windpower, Ensemble 24, The New Zealand String Quartet, Dunedin Civic Orchestra (NZ) and Umo Jazz Orchestra (Finland) Since returning to Australia in 1985, his groups have conducted extensive tours of Europe, Asia, USA, and Canada, as well as touring regularly throughout Australia & New Zealand. Mike Nock is recognized internationally for his abilities. His accolades include three U.S. National Endowment for the Arts fellowships and top piano/keyboard honors at the Australian Critic's Awards in 1991,'92, & '93. His quartet was voted Australian Jazz Group of the Year at the 1991 MO awards and in 1989 his CD, Beautiful Friendship, won New Zealand Jazz Recording of the Year. In 1983 he hosted his own TV series "Nock On Jazz" and in 1993 was himself the subject of a TVNZ documentary widely shown in Australasia (SBS & TVNZ). In 1999 he received a two year Australian Arts Council Fellowship and in Jan 2003 was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit, O.N.Z.M. for services to jazz. From 1996 to 2001 he was music director of Naxos/Jazz records, personally over-seeing the production of more than 70 critically acclaimed jazz CDs, from all corners of the world

Mothership Orchestra Biography and reviews

Live review - Sydney Morning Herald August 19, 2004. Reviewer - John Shand

If ever a band had a name to live up to, the Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra is it, conjuring images of some moon-sized craft, crammed with phalanxes of intergalactic jazz warriors and groove merchants, marauding the universe in search of the lost dominant seventh chord.

The reality is scarcely less imposing: a 16-piece band drawn from the ranks of Jazzgroove, the association of the younger brigade of Sydney's players, directed by David Theak. For a repertoire there is no falling back on hackneyed standards, but rather an imaginative and diverse array of purpose-built compositions, the first set coming from Mike Nock, and the second largely from within the band.

One of our foremost composers (as well as having been mentor to many of these players), Nock gave an object lesson in arranging for horns on the superb Choose the Beauty Path. Melancholy in mood, this contained a kaleidoscope of harmonic colours for the five saxophones, four trombones and four trumpets, with a carefully sculpted electric piano solo from Matt McMahon amidst it all.

McMahon also featured on the pertinently titled Earthbound (which included an explosive solo from tenor saxophonist Scott Langley), and on the absurdly happy One for Captain Gloom. Iso Spin provided an opportunity for trumpeter Phil Slater to construct an improvisation of lovely lines, interspersed with sudden starbursts of melodic fragments.

The second half included a challenging work from the trombonist John Hibbard and an arrangement of Charlie Parker's Au Privave, which had splinters of the tune cleverly flying about between the horns. Murray Jackson's Is it Christmas Every Day on Spaceships? was as innocent as a Rousseau painting, contrasting with David Theak's Watch Your Back, on which the composer unleashed the night's most scorching solo (on alto saxophone). A stinging one from trumpeter Simon Sweeney followed, beginning against the drums of Evan Mannell, then searing across the whole band. They closed with Simon Says Shuffle by Gerard Masters, a stomping finale with some bizarre fairground touches.

The most impressive aspect was that such a band could reach this level of cohesion and repertoire on a shoestring of both time and money. With more of both the outer reaches of the universe would be the limit, perhaps even with some women involved.

Mothership Orchestra Contact Details

Bandleader David Theak

ph: +61 (0)2 9331 8578 or +61 (0)410 167 157

email: elslyn@ozemail.com.au