This music has served as a basis for Jo’s more recent works blending French and Jazz music to develop the repertoire of her 5-piece ensemble – SANFONA.

Sanfona will be touring Central Victoria (Bendigo,  Castlemaine, Ruffy, Bright) in late January – all the details, including a GoFundme campaign from the Sanfona website

Hear Jo talk about her musical development and her joy of creating Sanfona, in this podcast from Bent Notes on JOY 94.9.

Jo Abbott was guest of Bent Notes on Sunday December 7, 2025
Bent Notes – 2 hours of Jazz and Improvised Music – 7 o’clock every Sunday night
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The post French & Jazz Inspired Music from Jo Abbott’s Sanfona Ensemble appeared first on Bent Notes.

In her chat with Bent Notes presenter David Moyle, Hetty talks about the skills of her chosen musicians – both as players – and as arrangers, and her intention to record each of the four albums in different cities, with Jazz musicians each time selected from those cities – Four Albums, Four Seasons, Four Cities!

The musicians on Jazz In Four Season’s Vol 1: SPRING are Jiří Levíček on piano, Libor Šmoldas on guitar, Tomáš Baroš on bass, and Tomáš Hobzek on drums, with three guest musicians: Robert Fischmann on flute, Rob Millet on cimbalom, and Jan Brádač on violin.

The album is released on Friday November 7, 2025 on Bandcamp

Hetty also spoke of her recent experiences with golf-ball sized hailstones in Brisbane, and Gongs in China!

See Hetty’s Touring schedule around Australia on her Facebook page.

In Melbourne Hetty will be launching the album at The Jazzlab on Friday and Saturday November 7 and 8 2025;

playing with her B2 Quintet on November 19, 2025 at The Count’s: and

playing with her Quartet on November 20, 2025 at the Uptown Jazz Cafe

Hetty Kate was guest of Bent Notes on Sunday November 2, 2025
Bent Notes – 2 hours of Jazz and Improvised Music – 7 o’clock every Sunday night
JOY 94.9 – Out.Loud.Proud – Your Voice – Your Radio Station

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The post Hetty’s Four Seasons kicks off with Spring appeared first on Bent Notes.

Adam discussed how our society seems to have forgotten how to feel and know the rhythm of the land, and how his work brings these rhythms to the forefront, with work recently in collaboration with groups such as the Melbourne and Sydney Symphony Orchestra’s; and in his brand new work – First Rhythms – with artists from the Australian Art Orchestra (AAO).

First Rhythms was commissioned by the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, the Australian Art Orchestra and Songlines Music Aboriginal Corporation and will be featured in this years Melbourne International Jazz Festival.  The commision is culmination of Adam’s appointment as the First Nations Artist in Residence at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival for the 2024/25 year.

In this work, Adam reimagines clapsticks — not just as instruments, but as vessels of memory, movement and deep connection to Country.  The work is described as weaving “traditional percussive language with modern instrumentation, visual art and a fluid interplay of improvisation and notation”.

Adam will be performing First Rhythms with the AAO in the Primrose Potter Salon at the Melbourne Recital Centre on Sunday October 19, 2025.  Full details from melbournejazz.com

Adam Manning was guest of Bent Notes on Sunday October 12, 2025
Bent Notes – 2 hours of Jazz and Improvised Music – 7 o’clock every Sunday night
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The post Adam’s First Rhythms appeared first on Bent Notes.

Darcy is a trans man who uses his music to explore themes of self-discovery, empowerment, trans love and the ever-present ebb and flow between pain and joy.  Darcy talks about how some of his compositions reflect his life experience at various times and how some of these compositions have made it onto his debut album.

More details about the album – Acteon – are available on Bandcamp.

Darcy will be performing at the Kew Courthouse on Friday October 11 with his Jazz trio.  More details from the City of Boorondara.

Darcy Gilkerson was guest of Bent Notes on Sunday October 5, 2025
Bent Notes – 2 hours of Jazz and Improvised Music – 7 o’clock every Sunday night
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The post Darcy’s World of Cello appeared first on Bent Notes.

Robbie talked about his writing a short story in response to a request from Zoe, but that it became somewhat bigger and more complex than he had originally thought; and the joy that he, Zoe and Richard have experienced themselves and from their audiences to date when performing the work.

The Village Square is a work that combines live music and storytelling – with a story that is set in an imaginary town.  The work presents stories of love and loss, misfortune and mirth, the graceful and grotesque.

Robbie has produced a book and an album of the work, featuring the artwork of David Frazer.

Robbie spoke about the images from the story that have been created by David Frazer in his hand made engravings on end grain wood, hand printed on an antique printing press.

Robbie, Zoe and Richard will be performing The Village Square as part of The Melbourne Fringe Festival.

For more details about Robbie, The Village Square, and to see David Frazer’s artwork for the project, head to the website of Robbie Melville.

Robbie Melville, Zoe Knighton and Richar Piper were guests of Bent Notes on Sunday September 21, 2025
Bent Notes – 2 hours of Jazz and Improvised Music – 7 o’clock every Sunday night
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The post The Village Square – Live from Studio A appeared first on Bent Notes.

Within a few short years Jason was practising hours every day and well on the way to establishing his identity in the music scene across a range of genres, where Jazz has remained his goto.

Hear Jason talk about his amazing experiences over the years in both Australia and London, and his most recent project – HAMMERHEAD – a band described as playing High Calibre, Exhilarating Contemporary Jazz, coming out of Jason’s love of Hard Bop.

Jason Bruer and Hammerhead will be performing in Melbouren at the Paris Cat Jazz Club on Friday September 12, 2025.

Jason Bruer was guest of Bent Notes on Sunday September 7, 2025
Bent Notes – 2 hours of Jazz and Improvised Music – 7 o’clock every Sunday night
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The post Jason’s Hammerhead Jazz appeared first on Bent Notes.

Serge spoke about the achievements made last year and had great joy in his voice as he spoke about the venues and artists for this year’s festival, including the opportunity thay have taken to introduce a number of international artists.

Artists this year include Emma Pask. Clayton Doley, Luca Ciarla, Marlene Cummins, Black Jesus Expoerience, Dale Barlow, Amelia Evans, Leigh Barker, Tom Olloendorf amongst others.

For the complete programme, checkout wangarattajazz.com

Hear what Serge had to say in this podcast from JOY 94.9

Serge Carnovale was guest of Bent Notes on Sunday August 3, 2025
Bent Notes – 2 hours of Jazz and Improvised Music – 7 o’clock every Sunday night
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The post Serge’s Wang Hang Advice for 2025 appeared first on Bent Notes.

Hear Hamed talk about his classical musical education in Iran before moving to Australia where he commenced fusing his Persian classical music with Western Jazz – creating his East-West fusion through his EISHAN ENSEMBLE – and how his music is founded in the Earth.  Their recent release – Northern Rhapsody – explores themes of connection, transformation and belonging – and was composed during a creative residency in regional Australia – where the earth contributed to the work.

Hamed’s ensemble – the Eisham Ensemble will be performing his “Persian Chamber Jazz” at the Hawthorn Town Hall on Saturday September 6, 2025.

Hamed Sadeghi was guest of Bent Notes on Sunday August 24, 2025
Bent Notes – 2 hours of Jazz and Improvised Music – 7 o’clock every Sunday night
JOY 94.9 – Out.Loud.Proud – Your Voice – Your Radio Station

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The post Hamed’s East-West Fusion appeared first on Bent Notes.

Paul spoke especially about his memories and experiences working with first nations people for many years and the learnings he has made about their music and history, and how that has impacted his other musical work.

Michelle spoke about her memories of a gig many years ago in Siberia, where not only was there a language barrier, but a different approach to music than had been her prior experience in the Jazz world. 

Both Paul and Michelle spoke with much enthusiasm for their new debut project together – NOIR – a collection of Sad Songs, reimagined as duets with deep meaning, meaning that comes from the lyrics, from the artist’s past experiences with the songs, and from Paul and Michelle’s and listeners memories of when they heard these songs in the past and what they may have been  experiencing at the time.

Hear Paul and Michelle in this Podcast from JOY 94.9 when they spoke with David Moyle and Chelsea Wilson in the Bent Notes studio.

And See and Hear Paul and Michelle launch the album NOIR on Saturday August 30, 2025 at the Melbourne Recital Centre.

Michelle Nicolle and Paul Grabowsky were guests of Bent Notes on Sunday August 10, 2025
Bent Notes – 2 hours of Jazz and Improvised Music – 7 o’clock every Sunday night
JOY 94.9 – Out.Loud.Proud – Your Voice – Your Radio Station

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The post Paul and Michelle’s Sad Songs appeared first on Bent Notes.

The 4-piece project was founded by Trumpeter Peter Knight, and includes Peter (Trumpet, Electronics, Live Signal Processing), his son Quinn Knight (Drums), Theo Carbo  (Guitar, Electronics) and Helen Svoboda (Double Bass, Voice).

Quinn noted that Peter set one rule only for the quartet – when introducing a new phrase it must be played at least ten times before the next change or next improvisation proceeds.

Hear Quinn talk about his starting drumming when very your and his view for his future, and the enthusiasm in his voice for his music and TL;DR.

TL;DR is released on the Earshift Music label and is being launced on tour through Mallacoota, Orbost, Bruny Island, Hobart, Thebarton (SA), Newtown (NSW), Port Kembla (NSW) and Seddon (Vic).  More information from peterknightmusic.com.

Quinn Knight was guest of Bent Notes on Sunday July 13, 2025
Bent Notes – 2 hours of Jazz and Improvised Music – 7 o’clock Sunday nights
JOY 94.9 – Out.Loud.Proud – Your Voice – Your Radio Station

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The post Quinn Knight talks about TL;DR – Too Long;Didn’t Read appeared first on Bent Notes.