by Mike Nock
New Zealand born pianist/composer Mike Nock is one of the acknowledged masters of Jazz in Australasia. His imposing international experience includes: twenty-five years working in the USA with world’s top jazz musicians such as: Coleman Hawkins, Yusef Lateef, Dionne Warwick, Michael Brecker, a large catalogue of critically acclaimed, internationally released recordings, his role as leader of the 1970’s seminal jazz-rock group The Fourth Way, and a substantial body of compositions, recordings and performances in Jazz and Classical leading to induction into the Bell Awards Hall of Fame
This latest recording, “Hear and Know” (Released February 17th)features the addition of Karl Laskowski’s tenor sax and the trumpet of Ken Allars (20-year-old winner of 2011 James Morrison scholarship), plus longstanding trio members, Ben and James Waples, on double bass and drums respectively
“Ben, James and I have been making music together since we met at Sydney Conservatorium’s jazz studies program some ten years ago. A couple of years ago we began playing quartet gigs with Karl and in January this year we invited Ken to join us. With the trio touring Japan in mid September and Ken winning the James Morrison’s Generations in Jazz Scholarship in August we decided it was time to go into the studio. It’s been a real pleasure making music with this awesomely talented group of young musicians and I hope you’ll get a sense of that while listening to the album “Hear and Know!”
- Mike Nock, Sydney November, 2011
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