PJS are thrilled to present 2 outstanding local musicians/composers for a Double Bill performance: Jessica Carlton and Kirsten Symczycz.

Jessica Carlton

Join Jessica Carlton and her band for this special performance that lands on her 29th Birthday!

Recently nominated for The Freedman Jazz Fellowship (2021), Bell Award-nominee for Young Australian Jazz Artist of the Year (2015), and recipient of the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music Jazz Prize (2013), Jessica Carlton is a trumpet player and composer originally from Melbourne who has made a new home for herself in WA. Carlton has formed a sextet to explore through-composed original compositions in a sextet featuring incredible Perth-based musicians Kristian Borring (guitar), Kate Pass (double bass), Alex Reid (drums), Sarah Ramsey (vocals), and Luke Minness (tenor saxophone). The inspiration for this music comes from Australian jazz artists such as Julien Wilson and Andrea Keller, ECM artists such as Jakob Bro, and the music of Paul Motian, Bill Frisell, Joe Lovano, Jim Black’s Alas No Axis, among others. Carlton recorded her debut album in 2014 in a sextet format and has since explored many different composition and improvisation avenues in a number of trios and quartets (including very recently recording an album with chordless quartet Carlton/Macpherson/Pass/Valenti) and is excited to return to the sextet format for this performance.

Photo attached by Rowan Hardy

Kirsten Symczycz

Kirsten Symczycz is a Perth-based composer and pianist, currently completing her study in jazz composition and arranging at WAAPA. In 2018 she was accepted to attend the Copenhagen Jazz Camp at Rhythmic Music Conservatory (RMC), an advanced level workshop for young jazz composers with artists in residence Jacob Anderskov, Ingrid Laubrock and Jon Balke. Kirsten has played piano in various bands and ensembles over the past decade, most recently in Artemis Orchestra and Namora Nonet, and has been active within the Perth free-improvised music scene since 2015, performing with artists including pianist and composer Keith Tippett, Taiwan-based vocalist Alice Hui-Sheng Chang and trombonist Matthias Müller.

Largely inspired by contemporary large ensemble jazz composers Maria Schneider and Kenny Wheeler, Kirsten also draws influence from a wide variety of music including Norwegian ten-piece band Jaga Jazzist, PJ Harvey and Swedish post-metal band Cult of Luna. Interweaving composition and improvisation with arrangements of orchestral colour and texture, Kirsten has composed music to be brought to life by an 11-piece ensemble of outstanding musicians in the Perth music scene.

Alto/Soprano Saxophone - Claire Keet

Tenor Saxophone - Finn Owen

Baritone Saxophone - Camryn Thomason

Trumpet - Jessica Carlton

French Horn - Brooke Prendergast

Trombone - Jonathan Brittain

Bass Trombone - Daniel Kirk

Piano - Peter Luckas

Guitar - Aiden Moroney

Bass - Kate Pass

Drums - Ben Stacy