Two improvising ensembles that focus on vivid storytelling, lyrical melodies and expansive chamber-jazz soundscapes come together at Cross Street - one of Melbourne's most welcoming and cozy spaces for music.

LUNSEN will preview music from their upcoming debut album, releasing on ABC Jazz this November. LUNSEN is named after an enchanting forest near the town of Uppsala in Sweden. Just like its namesake, pianist/composer Pat Jaffe’s quintet aims to conjure up a combination of tranquil beauty and untamed wildness. Pat's evocative musical stories are brought to life by a band of some of Melbourne’s most exciting young improvisers (in quartet-mode for this one-off performance).

Pat was the winner of the 2020 Allan Zavod Performers’ Award, has been a finalist in the APRA AMCOS Art Music Awards and has worked as an arranger/collaborator with Nai Palm (Hiatus Kaiyote) and Academy Award winning singer-songwriter Markéta Irglová. His debut album ‘Eldorado’, was recorded in Reykjavík with the Siggi String Quartet and he has since released two albums with Brisbane-based label MADE NOW MUSIC. Pat currently co-leads a weekly residency at Old Plates Record Bar with Afrospace Interchange, featuring legendary South African drummer Brian Abrahams, which has built up a cult following over the past three years.

“The music contained both irrepressible energy and heart-melting beauty ... Jaffe has turned one of his favourite places in nature into a musical space for discovery, trust, passion and vulnerability. It’s a space I’d gladly revisit any time. ★★★★” - Jessica Nicholas, The Age

Mia Barham is a Melbourne-based saxophonist, flautist and composer whose music blends lyrical improvisation with rich, atmospheric composition. Drawing on influences from both jazz and classical traditions, her work explores sound, landscape and storytelling through improvisation.

She has released several original projects, including Earth Songs, Inwards and Where The Mountains Echo My Footsteps, which have been featured on ABC Jazz and performed at prominent Melbourne venues such as The Jazzlab and Tempo Rubato. Her music often reflects a deep connection to the natural world, using melody and texture to evoke shifting environments and emotional landscapes.

Earlier this year with the generous support of the Keith and Elisabeth Murdoch Travelling Fellow, Barham travelled to the Arctic as part of an international expeditionary residency, spending time in remote Arctic regions across Norway, Finland and Iceland. Experiences from this journey—its vast landscapes, fragile ecosystems and unique soundscapes, culminated in nine compositions which Barham recorded at the prestigious MasterKey Studios in Reykjavik, Iceland, with local Siggi String Quartet. For this Cross Street performance, Barham will be sharing some of this new music, in a new trio with Daniel Waddingham (guitar) and Oscar Lenain (bass and synths).

LUNSEN

Pat Jaffe - piano/compositions

Thien Pham - trumpet

Claire Abougelis - double bass

Marissa di Marzio - drums

Mia Barham Trio

Mia Barham - alto saxophone, flute and live electronics

Daniel Waddingham - guitar

Oscar Lenain - bass and synths

Doors at 7:30pm, music from 8:00pm.

Tickets ($25/20)

Contact the host of LUNSEN + Mia Barham Trio - Cross Street