Jacqueline Gawler - Voice

A longstanding singer/composer with internationally award-winning original vocal quintet Coco’s Lunch, Jacqueline Gawler is one of Australia’s most spontaneous and original jazz singers. Her voice and musical interpretations are disarmingly beautiful, feisty and sensuous - her aesthetic combining influences as diverse as Ricki Lee Jones, Sarah Vaughan, Björk, Cassandra Wilson and Rossa Passos.

Jacqueline is a first-class honours graduate from the University of Melbourne, where she completed a double major in languages in 2000. She was awarded 2 Melbourne University Language Scholarships to study in both Japan and Italy, and in 2003 her Italian Honours thesis was published in the form of several articles (co-authored by Dr. Stephen Kolsky) for various Italian literary journals. Trained classically on piano and voice since an early age, Jacqueline commenced her singing career in 1994 with Jackie Gaudion’s Angels of Soul, who recorded for Jim McLeod’s Jazztrack on ABC Classic FM. In 1998 she studied at the Berklee Jazz Clinics in Italy and has since worked as a freelance singer with many ensembles here and overseas, performing at festivals and venues around Australia, Asia & Brazil.

Since 1996 Jacqueline has been a full-time singer/composer/percussionist with award-winning Australian vocal quintet Coco’s Lunch, who have toured throughout Australia, Asia, Canada, New Zealand & Europe. The group’s 5 albums have been nominated for CARA, ARIA, APRA and Australian World Music Awards. In 2003 Coco’s Lunch won Best Folk/World Song and Runner Up Best Folk/Word Album at the USA Contemporary A Cappella Recording Awards and in 2007 they received a double ARIA Nomination for Best World Album (Blueprint) and Best Children’s Album (Rat Trap Snap!).

In 2007 Jacqueline traveled to Senegal, West Africa to study West African percussion intensively with Master Drummer Aladgie Malo Sonko and now performs traditional West African rhythms with AFö and Drummergirl. Jacqueline was a composer for the hugely successful Australian/Canadian children’s television series Saddle Club and in 2005 was the recipient of the Montsalvat Trust Encouragement Award for Original Composition for her song On My Skin. In 2006 she also recorded with Alies Christina Sluiter’s Picture Box Orchestra on their Australia Council funded EP.

In 2008 Jacqueline was awarded an Arts Victoria grant to record her debut Jazz Rock album with the Jacqueline Gawler Band, to be released in 2010. In 2009 she also traveled to Brazil to record a pop album with many of Rio de Janeiro’s finest musicians including Armando Marcal, Sergio Brandão, Renato Fonseca and Jorge Vercilo. The album will be released in Australia, Asia & Brazil in 2010.

Tamara Murphy - Double Bass

Tamara completed the improvisation course at the Victorian College of the Arts in 1999 with a Bachelor of Music Performance. She has studied with Gary Costello, Lloyd Swanton, Ben Robertson, Andrew Moon (M.S.O.) and Ed Schuller (US), Mark Helias (US) and Larry Grenadier (US). She recently completed the Masters course (research) at VCA in 2008.

Tamara Murphy regularly performs with many outstanding musicians around Australia. She has shared the stage with many musicians, including: Kenny Kirkland, Bob Sedegreen, Tim Stevens, Barney McAll, Mark Fitzgibbon, Gil Askey, Andrew Gander, Geoff Hughes, Allan Browne, Brigitte Allen, Nichaud Fitzgibbon, David Rex, Julien Wilson, Stephen Magnussen, Andrea Keller, Sandy Evans, Jamie Oehlers, Nina Ferro, George Coleman Junior, Dale Barlow, the Sophie Brous band, the Christophe Genoux quartet, the Luke Howard trio, the Cam McAllister quintet, the Fran Swinn Trio, Kate Cebrano, Carl Risely, The Choir of Hard Knocks and Bernie McGann along with many others. She has also performed with outstanding musicians in New York, the UK, Europe and Asia.

Tamara has performed at many music festivals, including the Wangaratta Jazz Festival, Apollo Bay Music festival, the Women’s International Jazz Festival and the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. She has also toured with the Cologne New Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra (Germany) throughout the UK and Australia and toured through Asia, Europe and America with many ensembles.

In 2003, Tamara studied with bassist/composer Mark Helias in New York City (funded by an Australia Arts Council Development grant). In 2004, Tamara Murphy’s quintet “Murphy’s Law” released their debut CD “Telling Tales” (Newmarket), featuring the talents of Julien Wilson and Jordan Murray (funded through a Vic Arts grant). In 2006, she studied at the Banff Centre (Canada) as part of the Banff International Workshop in Jazz and Creative Music, run by Dave Douglas (funded by the Australian Arts Council). In 2008, Murphy’s Law released two albums through Soundvault records: Tanuki’s Revenge and Street Art (funded by Vic Rocks – an Arts Victoria initiative), featuring string quartet and turntables.

Currently, Tamara is leading, writing and arranging for groups ”Murphy’s Law”, the co-led trio “Keller-Murphy-Browne” with Andrea Keller and Allan Browne and the “Fran Swinn Trio”, in addition to performing regularly all over Melbourne with some of Australia’s leading contemporary jazz musicians. She has been running her own ensemble for over 7 years as well as composing and arranging for many professional and school ensembles.

Stephen Magnusson - Guitar

Stephen Magnusson is one of the most accomplished, versatile and distinctive musicians in Australia. His incredible technique and astoundingly beautiful tone on his instrument have made him an indispensable part of many bands and film scores. His astute and thorough knowledge of music have also made him an in-demand teacher and lecturer at Monash University, NMIT & VCA.

For most of the ’90’s Stephen lived in Switzerland performing with his bands SNAG and Facelifter at major festivals and clubs throughout Europe. During this time in Europe, Stephen was awarded the Swiss Diagonal Arts Grant and the Pop Kredit award with the band SNAG and also received rave reviews for his performances. Stephen spent time studying with Mick Goodrick and Jerry Bergonzi at the New England Conservatory.

Stephen returned to Australia in 2000 to perform and record with his trio at the Wangaratta Jazz Festival where he was co-winner of the National Jazz Award. Since then he has been nominated twice for the Freedman Fellowship, produced Martin Breeze’s album, Blackbird, released Boundaries, Healing Songs, assumptions2 & departures by assumptions on Newmarket Records, and recorded “For Elvin” with the Ted Vining Trio. He has also released his new album MAG and in the process of releasing a new solo album. He has performed recently with Elixar, Paul Kelly and james Morrison. He has also been involved in playing & co-producing albums for Alison Wedding, Lisa Young & Christine Sullivan, worked on movie soundtracks with Paul Grabowsky, produced soundtracks for film and worked with Ruby Hunter, Archie Roach & the Australian Art Orchestra on Ruby’s Story.