MWIJF- The MWIJF Big Band + The Zela Margossian Quintet (Sydney) Album launch

Presented in conjunction with the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, Melbourne Jazz Cop-op and SIMA

The MWIJF Big Band

Featuring Tertiary students from Monash University and the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music playing the music of Australian composers as well as classic big band arrangements from the swing era and beyond.
Directed by leading saxophonist, band leader and composer Angela Davis

Angela Davis is an ARIA-nominated Australian saxophonist, composer and educator based in Melbourne. Described by The Age as having “an instinctively melodic approach”, she is known for her lyrical improvisation and deep commitment to melody. Davis holds a Master of Music from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and has performed and recorded extensively throughout Australia and internationally. Her releases as a leader include The Art of the Melody, Lady Luck, Suite for Max and Little Did They Know, the latter earning nominations for both ARIA and AIR Awards. Her work has received critical acclaim from publications including All About Jazz, The New York City Jazz Record and The Australian. Davis has collaborated with leading artists including Linda Oh, Andrea Keller, Paul Grabowsky, Dan Tepfer, Richie Barshay, Tony Gould and Sam Anning. Alongside her performing career, she is a passionate educator and holds the position of Associate Lecturer in Jazz at the University of Melbourne.

The Zela Margossian Quintet (Sydney) Album launch

“This is freshly minted contemporary jazz bursting with panache”- All About Jazz

Featuring a diverse line-up of some of Sydney’s finest musicians, the ARIA-nominated Zela Margossian Quintet are riding high on the back of their critically acclaimed releases, The Road (2022) and Remedy (May 2026) (Ropeadope, USA). Margossian has garnered international attention in recent years for her kaleidoscopic original works and arrangements carrying influences from Armenian traditional music, melded with jazz and classical roots.
“…the result is this exemplary album that is simultaneously heartfelt, authentic, and wholly absorbing. This is music that can be returned to again and again, each time revealing a little more of itself with its abundance of inner detail” – JazzWise

With the recent release of their third album, Zela Margossian Quintet will have an eclectic mix of tunes to showcase drawn from their extensive repertoire weaved over the years.

Zela Margossian- piano

Stuart Vandegraaff- saxophones and clarinet

Alexander Inman-Hislop- drum kit

Adem Yilmaz- percussion

Jacques Emery- double bass