Creative Vibes Recordings

ranges
jazzgroove

CAMERON UNDY | 20th Century Dog - 'Mad Stream'

CAMERON UNDY | Numerology - 'Telepathy'

In the words of Cameron Undy:

THE ALBUMS - 'Mad Stream' & 'Telepathy'

The album 'Mad Stream' has been a long time coming for me. I wrote the title track in 1995 living in a loft in Amsterdam above a Moroccan 'coffee' shop. I had released two albums of my music before leaving Australia ('Side of Clues' with the band Nude and 'Temple' a duets album with Mike Nock) and I was keen to dive deeper into composing for improvising musicians. I¹ve recorded several times in the last ten years but the album' kept eluding me. It wasn't until 2002 when I was firmly back on Australian soil that I found the right elements to completing the first 20th Century Dog LP - band chemistry, the right recording studio with the right engineer and the right compositions in order to make a statement that I felt was worthwhile.

The music I had written was not in the mainstream so the right band was imperative. Carl Dewhurst (guitar) and I have been playing for over 19 years and he understood my vision but it wasn't until I played the music with Simon Barker (drums) that everything started to fall into place. Most of the material is written in odd time meters and I wanted those rhythms to appear simple and seamless, so the listener was not challenged but uplifted. Carl and Simon have this unique ability. Next was the wonderful discovery of Matt Keegan (tenor sax) and Gerard Masters (keys). I had recorded albums for both these young writers and built a solid working and creative relationship with them. Once they were put in the picture the puzzle was almost complete and the music was reaching fruition. The final piece was finding Richard Belkner, a gifted young engineer and producer from Tasmania now residing in Sydney. With Richie I knew it was time to head into the studio. And the studio? Paradise, Billy Fields famous all analog studio where aussie greats Midnight Oil, Cold Chisel and INXS recorded some of there hit albums back in the day.

I spent several months honing my vision for 'Mad Stream', sitting for hours in solitude every day until I felt I had the right 'picture' of how it would sound. In the process I realised that there were two albums worth of music that warranted recording (ten years is a lot of writing). So in the same step as making 'Mad Stream' I decided to record a companion album with Carl and Simon who represent the trio Numerology. This album 'Telepathy' was recorded during the same session and is to be released simultaneously with 20th Century Dog.

'Mad Stream' is an album focused on a journey through acoustic and electric sounds in jazz, funk, rock, afro-beat, bossa-nova and ambient moods. 'Telepathy' is a more open, acoustic, improvisor¹s album allowing the listener into a world of synergetic interplay. I realised after the recording that it would have been almost impossible for me to have made one without the other. They each represent the realisation of an aspect me as an artist, the composer and improvisor.

THE PLAYERS - Dog and Numerology

These are some of the finest musicians this country has to offer and all of us have heard them with icons of the Australian music world including; Delta Goodrem, Katie Noonan, Deni Hines, Ed Kuepper, James Morrison, Vince Jones, The Sydney Symphony Orchestra, The Australian Art Orchestra, Don Burrows, Inga Liljestrom, Bertie Blackman, Ends and Means, Archie Roach, Jacki Orzaczky, DIG, Eon to name a few.

The synergy I feel in the company of these players has been nurtured through the opportunities provided by Jazzgroove as an organization. In the last two years I have recorded and performed as a bassist with all these players in there own groups and other projects.

Kidzen- 'Superpeople' 12 inch single (Future Classic)
'Mu, Ha' album to be released (Future Classic)
Matt Keegan Trio- 'Moving Sea Between', 'Roadscape' (Jazzgroove)
Carl Dewhurst Quartet - 'Live', (Jazzgroove)
Gerard Masters Trio - 'Island Life'. (Jazzgroove)
Fiona Johnson and Cameron Undy- 'Beads of Light' (Dancing Laughing)

Carl Dewhurst has been my longest time collaborator. We have been playing each others music since we were in high school in 1986. The kind of empathy we feel is irreplaceable. He has a great career and is an unusually gifted and diverse musician. When he performed with master musicians from India they called him 'the prince'. Enough said. Carl and Simon Barker have an amazing connection which started around ten years ago and they recently released there first duo LP 'Showa44'. Simon is one of the most exceptional drummers you're likely to hear anywhere in the world and my conviction is backed by most who have heard or played with him. Including the great American jazz saxophonist Joe Lovano, whom he played with last year.

Matt Keegan has made a huge impression since returning from touring America with the number one college band 'Pseudopod'. He is a prolific composer and works as hard as anyone on his craft. Keegan is a virtuoso of melodic form and plays a quarter of the notes of most players with at minimum the same impact. He is releasing his second trio album this year ('Roadscape') on the Jazzgroove label.

My experience of playing with Gerard Masters equals that of any of the great pianists I have played with. A generally understated player he has a terrific magnetism in his music that crosses boundaries of genre. His trio albums 'Island Life' and 'Palindrome', (Jazzgroove) are both worth checking out and his recent explorations in dance floor music are soon to be released. The strength of musicianship and the friendship I have with these people has been invaluable in me achieving my musical ideals in these recordings.

Carl Dewhurst
International: Terumasa Hino, Bobby Previte, Mose Allison, Bobby Shew, Andy Bey
Local: Paul Grabowsky's Australian Art Orchestra, James Morrison, Dale Barlow, Mike Nock, Vince Jones. Phil Slater (Strobe Coma Virgo), Scott Tinkler (Drub), Susan Gai Dowling, Bernie Mc Gann, Phil Treloar, Lily Dior, Jackie Orzaczsky, Paul Capsis, Michelle Nicolle and EON

Simon Barker
International artists: Joe lovano, Ed Schuller, Claire Martin, Sheila Jordan, Gary Smulyan, John Hicks and Carlos Ward.
Workshops: Universities throughout East Asia including the Beijing Central Music Academy, Mahidol University (Thailand), All That Jazz series (Hong Kong), Hanoi Jazz co-op (Vietnam), Seoul Jazz Academy (Korea) and the Christchurch Polytech (NZ)
Local: Paul Grabowsky, Archie Roach, Ruby Hunter and The Australian Art Orchestra,Katie Noonan, Red Fish Blue, Band of Five Names and Showa 44, Vince Jones, Scott Tinkler Trio, Phil Slater Quartet, Matt McMahon trio
Albums: Mark Simmonds (Fire), Paul Grabowsky, Scott Tinkler (Dance of Delulian, Sofa King, Shrike Like), Phil Slater (Strobe Coma Virgo), Australian Art Orchestra (Ruby), James Muller (Thrum), Sandy Evans (Testimony) and Judy Bailey (sundial).

Matt Keegan
International: Opened for bands in USA: Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews, Angelique Kidjo, The Dixie Dregs.
Performed onstage with: Maroon 5, Marc Broussard, OAR, Blues Traveller
Local: Ends and Means, Jackie Orszaczky, The Resurrectors, Jazzgroove Mothership Orchestra, Tigramuna. "...playing a rootsy raunch or avante jazz solo Keegan creates huge excitement and passion in lyrical and impressionist mode he is a weaver of spells." John Clare (SIMA)

Gerard Masters
Tambalane, Wicked Beat Sound System, Lily Dior, Emma Pask, Kidzen, Eon Beats Project, Virna Sanzone and Willow Neilson.

Richard Belkner
What has been missing greatly in the Sydney jazz scene since I arrived in 1988 has been the presence of a truly empathetic audio specialist in the field of recording, mixing and mastering the music represented by the Jazzgroove community. There are great audio engineers around but none who I have felt a deeper sense of understanding than Richard Belkner. Richie B arrived on the Sydney scene from Tasmania via Melbourne and Adelaide in 2002. He has since recorded and mixed countless records including almost all of the recent Jazzgroove titles (with more in the can). He has also been Jazzgroove¹s live engineer for the last three years. I can't emphasize enough the importance of people like Richard in our community and I feel he is responsible in no small way for the success of the Jazzgroove record label and its weekly presentations.

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