The Australian National Jazz Orchestra - Child's Play (54 Records, CD 5403)

Historical article recovered from a Wayback capture dated 2018-02-24.

The Australian Jazz Orchestra made its debut performance at the inaugural Sydney Conservatorium International Jazz Festival Music Workshop. Their final concert performance was recorded live and is now released on the non-profit, peer-reviewed music label 54 Records, launched in 2017 by musician /educator David Theak. It features a dazzling line-up of Australian jazz talent with cameos from Mat Jodrell on trumpet, Dave Panichi on lead trombone, James Muller on guitar, Roger Manins on tenor saxophone and Hugh Barrett on piano. Five of the six tracks are new works by the Melbourne based composer Nick Mulder, who also conducts, and the sixth is the alluring Duke Ellington composition Prelude To A Kiss. The ensemble of cutting-edge musicians is exemplary, the album’s running time and recording quality more than acceptable capturing perfectly the magic of that performance which I had the enjoyment of attending. If one track was to stand out perhaps it would be A Blue Interlude with the stunning featured trumpet playing of Mat Jodrell along with the hearty tenor saxophone of Roger Manins. The title track, Child’s Play, is Muller’s turn to shine and what a star guitarist he is. All sparkle and polished technique of a world-class standard. Awesome stuff indeed! But this recording is not all about flashy solos, but more about the way that they help to shape the music, together with an extraordinary ensemble of talented players that is truly a fusion of contemporary big band music, jazz orchestra, and modern jazz

Barry O’Sullivan