JAZZ UPSTAIRS is proud to partner with the SIMA INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S JAZZ FESTIVAL to present LEAH BERRY QUARTET + INDIGO COLLECTIVE.

Rising Jazz vocalist Leah Berry will be spotlighting the sounds of Betty Carter at SIMA’s International Women’s Jazz Festival with her quartet.

Featuring Hugh Barrett on piano, Jacob Graham on double bass, and Tim Geldens on drums, they will be presenting an array of Betty’s compositions, electric arrangements, and their own reimagined standards.

Join them on the 29th of October to celebrate the repertoire of Betty Carter, delivered through the unique and captivating voice of Leah Berry.

BIO:

Jazz Vocalist Leah Berry is quickly establishing herself as a notable emerging figure in the Sydney jazz scene. She is an impressive performer, improviser and lyricist, who captivates audiences with her storytelling, and velvety tone. Leah concluded her bachelor’s degree studying Jazz Vocal Performance at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2024 and is eager to continue her growth as a musician in Sydney and Australia.

Discovering the voice of Ella Fitzgerald in high school, Leah connected with the storytelling and improvisation that jazz offered and fell in love with the music. She continues to take huge inspiration from jazz greats such as Ella, Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughan, Betty Carter and Anita O’Day. With the support of the Sydney Conservatorium, Leah attended the Siena Jazz International Summer Workshop in 2024 where she learnt from prestigious musicians such as Melissa Aldana, Theo Bleckmann, Yumi Ito, Jen Shyu, Ethan Iverson, Joe Sanders and Lage Lund.

Leah regularly performs around Sydney as both a band leader and booked vocalist. Most recently with emerging eleven-piece band, Symphonette, led by Harry Sutherland and Yannick Koffi. Additionally, she has featured with ten-piece band, Mosaic, both singing her original lyrics over compositions by Chiara Minotto, and wordless songs.

As part of the Inner West Jazz Fest in late August, Leah will be joining forces with jazz veteran Mike Nock and presenting a set of her lyrics to his compositions, solidifying her unique voice in the Australian jazz scene as a lyricist and performer.

In 2023, Leah recorded a mix of her arrangements and originals at 2MBS Fine Music on Emergent Jazz with Keith Pettigrew, who stated the recording features “…superb scatting and vocalising by Leah… This is a voice of our jazz future.”.

Indigo Collective is a jazz trio made of vocalist, Angelina Pona, guitarist, Ruby Firmstone, and a double bassist, Sabine Tapia.

Sydney-born but with different multicultural background (French, Spanish, Filipino), Pona, Tapia and

Firmstone met during their jazz performance studies at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and began collaborating through their passion for jazz and shared drive to succeed in a male-dominated jazz scene.

Through their bond and friendship, and their mutual struggle to get ahead in that scene, they have found inspiration, strength and empowerment and created an open and welcoming space for creativity and performance.