ABOUT JEFF USHER

Jeff Usher, composer, pianist, singer/songwriter, arranger and music educator, is in many ways Australian music’s best kept secret. Yet he was once described by Australian jazz legend, Paul Grabovsky, as “one of Brisbane’s living treasures”.

Blind since birth, Jeff stands in a long line of blind pianists such as George Shearing, Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder and Julian Lee.

A jazz specialist, Jeff also excels in a wide variety of other genres, including traditional blues, folk, rock, country, and world music. He has performed in France, Indonesia, South Africa, India, Sri Lanka, and across Australia during a career spanning over forty years.

Jeff has performed with notable American jazz musicians such as Richie Cole, Tom Mason, David Murray, and Australian jazz greats including James Morrison, Bernie McGann, Andrew Firth, Bob Barnard and Dale Barlow. He has released seven albums, played a number of livestreamed concerts, and recorded more than fifty of his own compositions,.

Jeff has been a tutor with the jazz faculty at Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University since 1998, and received his PhD in music composition from University of Queensland in 2019.

Most recently, Jeff has been developing his tribute to Ray Charles, and has written a piece for QCGU Symphony Orchestra to be performed at Con Theatre on 21 April as part of a fund-raising project for the Queensland Eye Institute.

ABOUT A LOVE SUPREME BAND

Jeff Usher first formed the Love Supreme Super Band in 2005 as a seven-piece group, later increased to nine and sometimes ten members. In 2015, this band released its signature album, ‘Bird Wings: Jeff Usher and A Love Supreme Super Band Live at Brisbane Jazz Club’, featuring Jeff’s compositions written as part of his PhD in music composition at University of Queensland. Tonight the Super Band will perform tunes from the Bird Wings album, plus some of Jeff’s earlier masterpieces.

BAND:

Jeff Usher - Piano
Brad Esbensen - Trumpet/Flugelhorn
Catherine Esbensen - Bassoon
Martin Kay - Alto sax
Ashley Hutton - Tenor sax
John Nagy - Flute/Baritone sax
Ivan Cocking - Trombone
Nicholas Maskell - Bass
Dominic Machen - Drums

MORE INFO:
Doors open from 7:30PM
Music from 8pm
Look for the Big Red Doors on Exhibition St!

Can't make it in person? Why not tune into our YouTube live-stream from 8PM AEST instead!

Those who wish to watch a JMI Live performance in person will need to purchase a ticket through our Humanitix page ($20 ENTRY+BF) or on the door.

JMI Live offers a live-stream on our YouTube page, so if you are unable to attend the gig in person, you can still join the celebrations online. Join us from 8PM AEST THURSDAY to keep the music swingin' !