Artist

 

 

Dave O'Higgins Jazz Quartet

Four amazingly talented men from the UK have combined their skill and finesse to bring you toe-tapping, soulful music to dance to. The Dave O'Higgins Jazz Quartet includes Robin Aspland on piano, Arnie Somogyi on double bass, Sebastiaan de Krom on drums and Dave O'Higgins himself on tenor sax.

Robin Aspland is an intuitive jazz pianist with a great command of the piano. He has played with many renowned artists including George Coleman, Steve Grossman and Bobby Watson among others.

Easily one of the most sought after bass players in Europe, Arnie Somogyi has worked with many famous musicians - Joey Calderazzo, Claire Martin, Bobby Hutcherson, Steve Grossman, James Moody, to name a few. Arnie leads his own band called Ambulance; in 2006 Ambulance was awarded the first-ever jazz residency at the prestigious Snape Maltings venue and music centre in Suffolk.

Sebastiaan de Krom is an amazing drummer who has playing in clubs since he was seventeen. His love for playing the drums grew over the years and he has played with a variety of great musicians. Sebastiaan has been playing for Herbie Hancock and Jamie Cullum's band for over six years.

Dave O'Higgins is a vigorously compelling tenor sax player who has played with the likes of Martin Taylor, Mathew Herbert and Ray Charles. He has toured in many countries and released many albums over the years.

OHZone

OHZone comprises unique individuals who have combined for one cause: to create soulful, toe-tapping music.

Andrew Oh is originally from Singapore and has travelled all over the world promoting his music and CD's. He is an international multi-instrumentalist who specialises in saxophones and flutes. His style of music embraces cool Jazz with a hint of Soul and Blues. Andrew has acquired many accomplishments over the years and has received rave reviews in Australia, America and Europe. He has worked with many international artists such as Al Jarreau, The Supremes, Thelma Houston and John Denver.

Armondo Hurley, the vocalist of OHZone, is a man of many achievements; he has numerous television and theatre appearances including the lead role in the theatre performance of Hair (Australia). Armondo has worked with many leading artists including Tina Turner, Diana Ross and B.B. King.

Emile Nelson is a Sydney session musician who is comfortable in any musical situation including jazz, country, Latin, fusion or pop. He plays the bass for OHZone but is comfortable playing a guitar and singing vocals as well. Emile has played and recorded with such diverse artists such as Boney M, Ian Moss, Julian Lennon and David Hasselhoff.

Mitch Farmer, the distinguished drummer of OHZone, was born in Brisbane Australia and has been playing the drums since the age of ten. He studied at the Harry Lebler Academy of Drums and began playing in studios for radio/television commercials. Not only a musician, Mitch is an author as well, publishing a book titled Creative Use of Rudiments. Mitch has collaborated with other artists such as Jeff Duff and the Prophets and The McClymonts.

Ara Nercessian has been a leading pianist / keyboardist in the Sydney music scene for the past 25 years. Ara has performed and toured with many well-known Australian and international artists. Ara is a regular with a few Latin bands in Sydney and has earned a reputation as a reliable and versatile pianist in Sydney.

Sunil De Silva has established a formidable reputation as Australia's premier hand percussionist during the last 25 years. He has won awards for the Best Latin Percussionist, Best Studio Player and Best Jazz Player. Sunil has worked with some of the world's most respected musicians and artists, encompassing an enviable range of musical styles. His talents can be heard in films such as “Strictly Ballroom” and “Crocodile Dundee”.

Rex Goh was born in Singapore and moved to Australia in 1972. His exemplary guitar skills have led him to record with international artists such as Air Supply, Savage Garden, Randy Crawford and Tom Jones.

Dylan Lye and his Jazz Septet

The exceptional group, Dylan Lye and his Jazz Septet, have breezed in from Honk Kong to serenade us with their music.

Dylan Lye is an esteemed jazz guitarist who has the talent of synonymous vocalizing while improvising on the guitar. He has performed in Singapore, China, Australia and Macau among other places.

Joining the talented Dylan Lye on guitar are Jennifer Palor (a gorgeous woman with a voice to match), Adonis de Jesus (captivating you on the keyboards), A Hong (adding the beat with his bass), Anthony Fernandes (rocking you to the beat of his drum), Dilip Wijesinha (pacifying you on the percussion) and Mike Inot (sensationalizing with the saxophone).

For the past decade Manila-born vocalist Jennifer Palor has taken the Asian jazz world by storm and has today emerged as one of the finest contemporary singers, thrilling audiences in jazz club and festivals from Tokyo to Tasmania. Jennifer’s fans across the world have been delighted by the release of her début CD Jenerations on Tableau Records in early 2009.

Adonis de Jesus is a highly respected pianist, arranger and composer. Having performed with reputed local and international artists, he is much sought after throughout Asia. He plans to release a début CD filled with his original tracks soon.

Adding an intoxicating beat with his bass is A Hong, a very talented and cultivated bass player.

Born in Calcutta, Anthony Fernandes moved to Hong Kong to be the 'house drummer' at the world renowned Jazz Club. He has performed with some of the world's greatest Jazz and Blues artists and has, to date, recorded on more 250 albums.

Dilip Wijesinha, more affectionately known as Bubu, is a skilled percussionist and former drummer of the popular band, Jetliners. Dilip leads his own band called DC in Hong Kong and is a familiar face in the Hong Kong jazz scene. A well respected and accomplished musician, Bubu has performed with a number of artists including The Pointer Sisters, Helen Reddy and Julio Iglesias among others. Most important of all, Bubu is passionate about the future of young musicians and provides lessons and workshops for aspiring musicians.

Mike Inot's skill with the saxophone will have you swaying to the beat in no time. This brilliant musician will have you dancing into the night.

Jean Van Heer Quintet

Local artists, the Jean Van Heer Quintet, will dazzle audiences with their smooth, soulful sounds.

Rodney Van Heer (saxophone), Jean Van Heer (vocals), Kumar De Silva (piano), Duleep Gnanakan (bass), Diren Sabaratnam and Hans Mater have combined as a group to create waves in the jazz circuit.

Blick Bassy

Blick Bassy is the new soulful voice of Cameroon and their seductive vocals captivate the hearts of those listening. Bassy says, “The soul of my music isn’t so much in the words, it’s in the way of singing. In fact, the melody is a mould for the words.” On his album Léman, the singer/ songwriter/ guitarist/ percussionist connects the music of Central and West Africa and mixes it with bossa nova, jazz and soul. Bassy’s guitar playing and intoxicating, sensual voice are enriched by the kora, calabash and a double bass resulting in a unique sound which is velvety with subtle harmonies, yet also raw with groovy rhythms.

Manu Dibango is a Cameroonian saxophonist and vibraphone player. He is best known for his 1972 afrobeat single “Soul Makossa”, often considered the first disco record. He was the first chairman of the Cameroon Music Corporation and was appointed a UNESCO Artist for Peace in 2004.

Cheikh Tidiane Seck is a keyboardist, a composer and a performer of popular and traditional Malian music. He is one of the most prolific and experienced musicians from the Manding-speaking region of West Africa. He has collaborated with a diverse range of artists including Salif Keita, Mory Kante and Carlos Santana.

Lokua Kanza is a singer, songwriter and composer from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He is known for his soulful, folksy sound, which is atypical of the dancefloor friendly soukous music that is common in the Congo.

Etienne Mbappé was born in Cameroon and grew up in Paris and no matter what his surroundings were, his guitar was always with him. An astonishing musician, guitar and bass player, Etienne is also a fabulous composer, singer and songwriter. Etienne has performed with many artists including Manu Dibango, Catherine Lara and Ray Charles.