Four of Australia's most highly respected musicians have joined forces to bring an amalgam of classical, jazz, improv and original compositions to an intimate audience in the Blue Mountains. LLOYD SWANTON [Bands: The Necks, The Catholics], GARY DALEY [Bands: The Catholics, Bungarribee], JAMES GREENING [Bands: Ten Part Invention, Greening from Ear to Ear] and Melbourne-based jazz drummer RONNY FERELLA [Bands: I Hold The Lion's Paw, Michelle Nicolle Quartet] will be performing at Pigeon Lane for the first show of 2021 - don't miss out!

SWANTON, DALEY, FERELLA & GREENING // Saturday, January 23rd, 2021 // Doors 6:00 pm // Tickets: $89.50 ea

Location: Pigeon Lane @ GalleryONE88, Katoomba. 186-188 Katoomba St, Katoomba

Ticket price includes a 2-course meal & event memorabilia // This is a seated performance // BYO alcohol // COVID-Safe Event. We recommend that you visit our good friends at Leura Cellars en route to GalleryONE88, who provide an exquisite selection of wines, beer, and spirits, including locally brewed beers from 'Mountain Culture' and ciders from 'Hillbilly'.

Please read the event information on this page very carefully, as information about COVID-19 restrictions, stage, menu, venue access, and 'Terms & Conditions', will be provided below.

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

- LLOYD SWANTON -

Described by Billboard Magazine as "an outstanding and imaginative Australian bassist and composer", Lloyd Swanton is one of the biggest names in Australian Jazz and three-time winner of Best Bassist in the Australian Jazz and Blues Awards.

Lloyd co-founded internationally renowned improv powerhouse The Necks alongside Chris Abrahams and Tony Buck in 1986, and has since toured the globe, won 4 ARIA awards and was recently recognised as one of the top 50 'Greatest Australian Artists of All Time' by Rolling Stone Magazine.

Lloyd's long-running group, The Catholics, has also released seven albums, all produced and predominantly composed by him, with three receiving ARIA Award nominations. Their album Simple was nominated for the German Deutsche Schallplattenkritik Award.

International artists with whom he has performed throughout Australia include Dewey Redman, Nat Adderly, Clifford Jordan, Vincent Herring, Sting, Jimmy Witherspoon, Margie Evans, Sheila Jordan, Billy Harper, Barney Kessel, Andrew Hill, George Coleman Jr., John Hicks & Carlos Ward, Darrell Grant, Gary Bartz, Phillip Johnston, Jim Black, Tobias Delius and Marilyn Crispell.

Lloyd appears on over ninety albums, including several ARIA Award winners, and has produced four ARIA Award winners by Bernie McGann. Over eighty of his compositions or co-compositions appear on record.

He has composed film and TV scores, including The Beat Manifesto, winner of an Australian Guild of Screen Composers Award for Best Short Film Soundtrack.

"As double bassist of long-running Australian trio The Necks, Lloyd Swanton is an expert in group improvisation."

- Andy Hamilton, The Strad.

- GARY DALEY -

Gary Daley is best known as a musician playing in some of the elite bands of Australian jazz; currently James Greening’s band Greening from Ear to Ear and the jazz-world music band The catholics. He leads the quartet Bungarribee which features his own compositions and interpretations from the classical repertoire. Gary plays acoustic and electric piano, organ and also the piano accordion. Another side to Gary is his appearances weekdays on the ABC TV children’s channel in the pre-school show Lah Lah’s Adventures.

In home town Springwood, just west of Sydney, he is the artistic director of the music concert series Live at the Village which has presented leading musicians in a variety of improvised music since late 2009.

Sanctuary is the recording of the latest album which was supported by the Australia Council. Psalm from ‘In the Palm of Your Hand’ is a five part gospel-jazz work was commissioned by the St Paul’s Grammar School, Cranebrook in 2004. Performed by Gary Daley, Steve Clisby (solo voice), Toby Hall, Jess Ciampa, Richard Maegraith, Ben Waples, Ben Daley, Voice Mail (choir of St Paul’s Grammar), Cathy Jarman.<br>

In 2002 Gary’s then band Heavy Weather recorded World View, which was sponsored by ABC Jazz Track.

Daley’s playing has been described as “exquisite”, John Shand of The Sydney Morning Herald, and his composition for large ensemble, Sanctuary, drew the following response……

“. . . music such as this can knock the wind out of my diaphragm, by simply reminding me how far the word falls short of the music.”

- John Hardaker, Australianjazz.net.

- RONNY FERELLA -

Ronny Ferella is regarded as one of Victoria's top jazz drummers having played with more than his fair share of heavy hitters, and is a well know composer and improvisor. His compositional approach is ensemble focussed and dances between the notated and the improvised; the final result of the piece is always driven by the performance over the page.

IshIsh, for which Ferella composes most of the material, has made quite an impact on the Australian scene – releasing four albums. In July 2001, IshIsh performed at the prestigious Umbria Jazz Festival in Italy, and Pori Festival (Finland).

Ferella's Spartacus Collective is a quartet of solo drumset with instrumental accompaniment. A combination of written notation and improvised material is utilised to put the drummer in the solo spotlight. Conceived by Ferella, this project flips the traditional roles of the usual instrumental hierarchy and highlights the drumset as a tonal instrument that can adapt to the requirements of the music on hand.

Ferella leads other original improvised-based bands including Peon (a 2 drummer/electronic project) and Mandala and in 2009 launched a CD label and website, Downstream Music. Ferella is also a frequent collaborator with the likes of Reuben Lewis in projects like I Hold The Lion's Paw, and is a mainstay in the Michelle Nicolle Quartet, the 1997 Bell Award Winner. In 1997 he was a finalist in National Jazz Award Drum Competition. Ronny also co-founded and directed Half Bent Festival – a musician-based organisation involved in presenting concerts and he teaches Small Ensemble Studies and Principle Study (drums) at Monash University, NMIT and for The Song Room.

Ferella's IshIsh performance at the Melbourne Jazz Fringe Festival garnered this comment . . .

"I really liked the organic feel of this group and the absence of the cycle of solos."

- Ausjazz.net.

- JAMES GREENING -

Search JAMES GREENING - TROMBONE and a plethora of projects past and present will hit the screen. James Greening has been a leading voice in the music scene in Sydney and Australia for more than thirty years. Trombones, pocket trumpet, slide trumpet, tuba, sousaphone and diddly bow bass add to James' diversity as a performer. His roots are in any music that grooves, expressed more often in jazz as a founding member of seminal Australian jazz bands such as Ten Part Invention, Wanderlust, The Catholics, The Umbrellas and The Australian Art Orchestra.

The World According to James, formed in 1992, saw James step forward as a bandleader and composer, presenting music with all the qualities of wit, creativity and exuberance that have long been associated with his work as a soloist. Three critically acclaimed CDs of original compositions include No Job Too Small, Wayback (ARIA nominated) and their third CD, Lingua Franca, winning the AIR (Australian Independent Records Labels) award for Jazz album of the year for 2010. In 2012, James Greening launched a new 7-piece project, Greening from Ear to Ear and composed a new suite of original music, Tam O’Shanter Tales. This album has received rave reviews.

A significant part of his playing has been in funk, and one of James Greening‘s major musical influences was friend and mentor, the late Jackie Orszaczky. Greening’s performing and recording credits put him in the company of some Australia’s all-time greatest contemporary musicians.

“Greening’s trombone has the delicious plumpness of a ripe mango. The Sad bits and the funny bits become jumbled, and there can be no higher praise.”

– John Shand, The Sydney Morning Herald.

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THE EXPERIENCE

Whilst some venues see COVID-19 restrictions as a challenge, Music in the Mountains and Pigeon Lane @ GalleryONE88 se this as an opportunity to create a truly VIP experience. No need to grab a meal on the way to the show - Pigeon Lane will be serving up something tasty and giving you time to savour every bite. Tickets will be sold in tables, meaning you can either have a romantic table for two, or invite a couple of friends along and make your table a par-tay (and with easing restrictions, we will even be able to offer some single tickets - yay!). And just like every VIP show - it's exclusive . . . restrictions might be easing but the room isn't getting any bigger. This will be a small intimate show offering you a one-of-a-kind experience to almost reach out and touch world-class musicians (well, not quite . . . it's still COVID 😉)

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THE STAGE & COVID-19 CONTINGENCIES

Pigeon Lane & GalleryONE88 are 'COVID-Safe' venues and contingency plans are already in place if there are changes to COVID-19 restrictions:

1) As Ronny Ferella is a Melbourne-based musician, circumstances might prevent Ronny from entering NSW or a quarantine period upon his return to Victoria might prevent Ronny from fulfilling other engagements. If Ronny is unable to make the show for any reason, the show will proceed with just SWANTON, DALEY & GREENING, as these Nationally admired artists are based in the Blue Mountains (aren't we lucky 😁).

2) The performance is scheduled to take place at Pigeon Lane, underneath GalleryONE88. Due to the intimate size of the venue however, Pigeon Lane must be subject to the '2 square metre rule', as directed by NSW Health, to seat an audience of 20-25 patrons. In this scenario, all attendees will have a direct view of the stage and every patron will be seated together in the same room

3) In the situation that the '4 square metre rule' is applied to the venue, as directed by NSW Health, the show will be moved upstairs into GalleryONE88. In this case, a stage will be setup in between the Gallery and the Cafe, and 10 patrons will be sat in the Gallery, and 10 patrons will be sat in the Cafe. Whilst this scenario isn't ideal, DALEY & GREENING have already performed under this arrangement and the acoustics of the Gallery and Cafe are superb. The only downside of this setup is that only half of the stage will be visible for all patrons. Not to worry though, an intimate performance allows each of the artists to meet and greet all patrons, and you will be surrounded by Gallery ONE88's latest art exhibition.

In short, you can book knowing that this show will go ahead unless the Blue Mountains go into complete lockdown - and in that case, you will get a full refund without needing to ask!

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THE MEAL

Victor Peralta is both a celebrated artist and an executive cook, who will be curating a dining experience like no other. Featuring two majestic and generous courses, meals will be delivered to your table by alternate drop (one option for you and the other option for your partner) between sets. Dessert, tea, and coffee will also be available to purchase on the night.

Entrees

Roast Potato and Sweet Potato Soup (Gluten-Free + Vegetarian): Served with a sprinkle of rosemary and accompanied with toasted sourdough; or

Antipasto Platter: A medley of mixed cold cuts and spicey chorizo served alongside cooked peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms and mixed vegetables

Mains

Slow-Cooked Short Cut Beef Ribs: Cooked slowly for 6 hours in red wine and tomato au jus base, served on a bed of creamy pontiac potato mash and garnished with salsa verde. Accompanied with a side of lightly sautéed cottage vegetables; or

Spinach & Ricotta Cannelloni (Vegetarian): In our version of this Italian dish, soft ricotta and rich spinach are used to fill cannelloni pasta tubes, all baked in a tomato and bechamel sauce.

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REFRESHMENTS & LICENSING

Pigeon Lane is currently BYO only, however, has a dedicated cafe during the day and has an extensive range of non-alcoholic beverages, as well as fresh espresso coffee.

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THE SCHEDULE

Dates: Saturday, 23 January 2021.

Venue: Pigeon Lane @ GalleryONE88, 186-188 Katoomba St. Katoomba

Doors Open: 6:00 pm

First Course Served: 6:30 pm

First Set: 7:00-7:45 pm

Second Course & Intermission: 7:45 - 8:15 pm

Second Set: 8:15-9:00 pm

Tickets: $89.50 per person including a 2-course meal & event memorabilia

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IN CASE OF COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS CHANGES:

In the case of restrictions easing, we may allow additional seating within the venue, however, the intimate nature of the show will remain, and the experience of the show will not be compromised.
In the case of restrictions increasing, Pigeon Lane already has a contingency plan based on the 4-square-metre rule, and the show will go ahead upstairs in GalleryONE88.
In the case of restrictions increasing beyond the 4-square-metre rule, the show would likely be cancelled and each attendee would receive a full refund. Every effort will be taken to proceed with the show, however, and each attendee will be contacted with options.

In short: there is no risk in booking event tickets with Music in the Mountains. We're in this for the long-haul and are optimistic about the future of live music!

TERMS, CONDITIONS & CANCELLATIONS:

Tickets are non-refundable unless one of the following conditions are met:
1. Government COVID-19 restrictions prevent Gallery ONE88 from undertaking this kind of activity or force the closure venue as a whole; or
2. ALL musicians are unable to perform due to feeling unwell/sick.
In the event that COVID restrictions return to the 4-square-metre rule, the event shall be moved back upstairs to Gallery ONE88 and will proceed as initially planned prior to the easing of restrictions.
Special dietary requirements must be specified at the time of booking otherwise we cannot guarantee all requirements will be catered for.
Tickets will not be refunded due to 'change of mind' or failure to read the 'event description' in full.