Expect original compositions, poetic improvisation, and Keller’s signature contemporary jazz approach to piano.
Andrea Keller is committed to creating new music with an emphasis on improvisation and collaboration. She has released twenty-five albums as a bandleader since 2000 and has performed on many others, including recordings with the Black Arm Band Company, the Australian Art Orchestra, the Vanessa Perica Orchestra, and Eddie Perfect. She is frequently commissioned to compose works for leading artists and ensembles – most recently Across Silence (exploring the art of music, Auslan and haptics), the Monash Art Ensemble, Genevieve Lacey and Marshall McGuire and Ensemble Offspring.
Highly lauded for her music, Andrea has received numerous awards over her career. In 2022 she received the Art Music Luminary (Victoria) Award and has previously been recognised with three ARIA awards, multiple Australian Jazz Bell awards, and more. A champion of Australian creative music and a nurturer of emerging musicians, Andrea curates Monday nights at the Jazzlab, runs the educational program Gender Defying Jazz and is Head of Jazz & Improvisation at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, University of Melbourne.
Joining Andrea on bass is long-time collaborator Sam Anning, a major figure in Australian jazz who has performed with luminaries such as Barney McAll, Paul Grabowsky, Jamie Oehlers and Andrea herself. After completing a Master of Music at the prestigious Manhattan School of Music, Sam became an in-demand bassist in New York, performing at major jazz festivals around the world and sharing the stage with artists like Joe Lovano, George Garzone and Charlie Haden. Since returning to Melbourne in 2015, he has continued to shape the local jazz scene and was recognised for his award-winning release across a field as vast as one.
On drums is Dave Beck, one of the most sought-after percussionists in the country. Equally at home in a jazz club, recording studio or musical theatre pit, Dave’s extensive career has included performances with Tina Arena, Marcia Hines, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and jazz greats such as Joe Chindamo, Paul Grabowsky and Barbara Morrison. A Jazz ARIA nominee for the album Lost and Found (with Grabowsky and Oehlers), Dave brings deep musicality and dynamic range to every performance.
Together, this trio brings unparalleled musicianship and a spirit of adventurous collaboration to the stage – an unmissable night of jazz at The Count’s.
Make a meal of it! The music gets underway at 7.30pm, but arrive a bit earlier if you can. From 6.30pm, enjoy pre-show dinner and drinks at The Count’s Italian-style kitchen and bar.
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