CyberHalides Jazz » 2018 » WANG - Sirens Big Band performs [A]part - 3 Nov 2018

BIG is the operative term for this set. Jessica Dunn's Sirens Big Band was made bigger by the inclusion of guest artists Gian Slater, Andrea Keller, and Sandy Evans. Ellen Kirkwood's suite [A]part deals with big concepts - climate change, the refugee crisis, and the omnipresence of the internet. This is a complex work that traversed a rollercoaster of moods and emotions under Ellen Kirkwood's impressive direction, from the sublime to Sany Evans blowing on toy instruments. A powerful performance which I found difficult to fully grasp in just one viewing, especially with a camera in hand, and I hope to have another.
 
The Sirens Big Band (Jessica Dunn - bandleader and bassist; Ellen Kirkwood - trumpet and composer; Alon Ilsar - drums; Ben Hauptmann - guitar; Andrea Keller - piano; Gian Slater - vocals; Sandy Evans - saxophone; Paul Murchison - trumpet; Claire Hollander - trumpet; Eve McEwen - french horn; Amanda Tillett - trombone; Jessica Ling - tuba; Laura Corney - saxophone; Melissa Mony - saxophone; Harri Harding - saxophone; Phillippa Murphy-Haste - saxophone) performing "[A]part" in the WPAC Theatre at the 2018 Wangaratta Festival of Jazz