An Australian jazz double bill featuring two extraordinary projects direct from the Melbourne International Jazz Festival. Cross-cultural collaboration is a vital part of the Australian jazz landscape and both of these works highlight the fertile space that exists between folk traditions around the world and contemporary jazz practice.

Mindy Meng Wang 王萌 & Paul Grabowsky 

In a performance that crosses cultural and musical boundaries, Chinese-Australian award-winning composer, performer and pioneer of modern guzheng music Mindy Meng Wang will join with distinguished jazz artist and multi-award-winning Australian composer and pianist Paul Grabowsky AO for a truly unique musical exploration. Considered one of the world’s leading guzheng instrumentalists, Wang produces evocative, experimental arrangements which meld beautifully with the astute piano work of her artistic partner—eight-time ARIA winner and two-time Helpmann Award recipient, Grabowsky. In this exclusive performance, the pair will take audiences on a poignant musical journey into the fertile space that exists between Chinese folk music and contemporary jazz practice.

Eishan Ensemble

Led by acclaimed Persian-Australian tar (Iranian lute) virtuoso and composer, Hamed Sadeghi, the award-winning Eishan Ensemble draws on contemporary and classical music traditions of both East and West. From Womad to the Rome Jazz Festival to the Sydney Opera House, Eishan Ensemble has performed at some of the most renowned venues and festivals around the world since it was formed in 2016 in Sydney Australia.

Eishan’s repertoire consists predominantly of Sadeghi’s original compositions with diverse improvisatory idioms featured powerfully. Variously described as ‘Persian chamber jazz’ and ‘eastern jazz fusion’, Eishan defies neat labels.

Sadeghi’s psychedelic virtuosity is joined by the individual talents of Michael Avgenicos on saxophone, Adem Yilmaz on percussion and Maximillian Alduca on double bass to create the layered and sophisticated soundscapes of Eishan.

This event will last approximately 2 hour, including an interval.