Above: Spectra Jazz Orchestra’s director Ellen Kirkwood… Photo credit Noni Carroll
Consistent with previous programming at The Lounge in Chatswood, the July 16, 2026 concert, featuring two student ensembles, presented once again a program packed with interest. Two sets were played, the first featuring the Spectra Jazz Orchestra, a big band usually of orthodox size (but 15 musicians on this occasion) directed by the award-winning trumpeter, composer, bandleader and teacher Ellen Kirkwood. According to its website this orchestra “(formerly known as The Young Women’s Jazz Orchestra) is a dynamic large ensemble for talented young women and gender diverse musicians aged 15-23 interested in pursuing jazz, honing their improvisation skills and looking for experience playing in a large ensemble.”
Certainly, given the still-existent gender disparity in Australian jazz, despite great strides which have been achieved in this space over say the last 30 years, an all-female jazz orchestra is a project one can warm to. (With the exception here of a male saxophonist Aidan Welch, who was deputising for an absent baritone saxophonist).
Spectra’s ensemble sound was warm and rich, and this was confirmed by the videos I was able to hear in advance of the concert. The improvisations we heard from these young women were overwhelmingly very musical, pointing towards a positive future for most of them as they develop their instrumental expertise.
The members of Spectra were not, in my view, given an easy task. They were, after all, playing a repertoire which was somewhat challenging and relatively modern – no simple tunes from the swing era here. This was consistent with Kirkwood’s standing in the local jazz scene as a leading modernist. While I’m no musicologist, my strong feeling was that the harmonic changes over which these improvisations were being played by the Spectra personnel, would have challenged even the most accomplished jazz musicians.
The tunes played in their set were interesting indeed, but at the same time somewhat formidable in my opinion, as I’ve already mentioned. Five works from leading female composers were played: And Then There Was One (composed by Jenna Cave); Just Cruisin’ (Judy Bailey); Change of Weather (Chiara Minotto); The Trudge (Ellen Kirkwood); and Scorpio Moon (Katie Bombardieri).
The musicians in Spectra playing on the night in The Lounge were: Nisan Erdonmez & Elise Nordon (alto saxophones); Isabella Drake & Jasmine Chi (tenor saxophones); Aidan Welch (baritone saxophone); Elizabeth Lien, Olivia Diamant, Astrid Durrant, Kate Richards (trumpets); Olivia Bryant, Rafiya Macpherson (trombones); Hazel Alexander (piano); Jean Fitzgibbons (guitar), Kali Springford (electric bass); and Sophia Stanton (drums).
A number of positive elements caught my attention throughout the set: the excellent sound in the orchestra’s section playing, as I mentioned above; good time-feels laid down by drummer Stanton; a couple of excellent solos from Welch on baritone; and some spirited comping from pianist Alexander in The Trudge, plus a very musical solo from her in the last tune Scorpio Moon, which also featured once again the group’s eminently presentable orchestral sound.
The second set of the night featured the Sydney Youth Jazz Orchestra (SYJO), directed by (Dr) Saul Richardson. According to its website, this band is “simply, one of the best and friendliest big bands for school-aged musicians in Australia. SYJO is a non–profit organisation run by the Sydney Youth Jazz Orchestra Association Inc. They hold weekly rehearsals in our big band rehearsal room. They perform at corporate, charity, and community events as well as jazz festivals around Sydney as well as regional tours. The SYJO Big Band program is for the most keen and motivated young students, providing them with the opportunity to extend themselves in a group of like-minded peers. Entry to the Sydney Youth Jazz Orchestra ensembles is by audition and/or invitation only for school-aged musicians.”
The SYJO program consisted of a somewhat older repertoire than that presented by Spectra, and included many well-known tunes from the swing era, or standard big band fare. It was played with absolute confidence by a group of musicians who gave off the aura of an exceedingly happy and competent band. The players’ commitment to the music shone through clearly. As an indication of the keenness that exemplifies this band consider that one musician, the saxophonist Noah Lane for example, travels from Newcastle down to Sydney every Wednesday night to attend rehearsals.
The SYJO personnel was as follows: Braden Clarke, Wren Costello, Louis Withford-Cave, Art Simpson-Smith, Daisy Burt (trumpets); Miles Street, Iori Tani, Arlo Holbert, Finn Cupitt, (trombones); Sebastian Kameron (bass trombone); Hugh Cattle, Noah Lane (tenor saxophones); Dominik Keil, Nic Weatherall (alto saxophones); Jackson Packer (baritone saxophone); Elton Audsley (piano); Noah Taylor (bass), Nathanael Dunn (guitar); Josh Weatherall (drums). Also Liz Hardy is listed as being on the SYJO/Parent Committee.
The SYJO program consisted of the following compositions; note the years in which they were composed or recorded, which gives a clue to the middle-of-the-road nature of the program:
Lester Leaps In (a Lester Young composition recorded originally in 1939, arr Rich Sigler);
Lullaby of the Leaves (a 1932 song, arr Francy Boland);
Have You Heard (a 1992 Pat Metheny composition, arr Bob Curnow);
Crystal Silence (a 1972 Chick Corea composition, arr Mike Tomaro);
Struttin’ with Some Barbecue (a Lil Hardin composition, first recorded in 1927, arr Mike Tomaro);
Eleanor Rigby (a 1966 Paul McCartney composition, arr Eric Richards);
Blue Skies (composed Irving Berlin in 1926);
From The Heart (a 2006 composition, by Hilario Duran); and
Gospel John (a gospel-rock jazz composition popularized in the 1970s by legendary trumpeter Maynard Ferguson).
One of the highlights of the set was the sole vocal of the night, Blue Skies, sung by Wren Costello, a female musician in the trumpet section who came to the front of the stage to give this well-known standard a solid workout. She seemed highly at ease under the spotlight, suggesting that she has that X factor which might suggest a future successful career in jazz. Perhaps her talents should be exploited by the powers-that-be behind the SYJO, in order to maximise the band’s appeal; in today’s world the importance of a good female vocalist should not be underestimated, particularly one who sings as well as Costello.
It’s obvious that the band’s director Richardson, who compered this set with inordinate self-deprecation, has something important happening here with the SYJO. The band already has a highly professional sound, considering it’s a band of high school aged students. The section work was sharp, with excellent phrasing, and the improvisations from the featured musicians were uniformly impressive. My feeling is that this band is vastly promising with a very bright future if they can perform regularly. We all know that the lifeblood of jazz development is performing before a live audience.
I have no doubt that, as this performance went on, the appreciation showed by the generous audience in The Lounge, brought out the best in the featured soloists. Those solos increased in energy and impact as the night wore on. I feel the SYJO is the sort of band which would go ahead in leaps and bounds if it‘s able to play regularly.
The Jazz At The Lounge series at The Concourse is presented by Willoughby City Council as part of Culture Bites, its program of arts and culture. This concert took place on July 16, 2026, and featured two ensembles: the Spectra Jazz Orchestra directed by Ellen Kirkwood, and the Sydney Youth Jazz Orchestra, directed by Dr Saul Richardson.
