Adrian plays trumpet, as you might expect the Musical Director of the Metro Big Band would do!
But, he was once into blues guitar as a teenager – just jammin’ though. He eventually found his way back to the trumpet after he heard the soundtrack to the 1996 buddy-movie “Swingers” – in particular Tony Bennett’s rendition of “With plenty of money and you” (and, coincidentally perhaps, Dean Martin’s “Ain’t that a kick in the head” – a Metro staple!). Adrian said it was an “awesome movie soundtrack – for a 90’s movie”, and he’s been swinging big-band tunes ever since.
Not one to hide his light under a bushel, Adrian also had one of his big-band charts (“Minor Altercation”) included on the 2005 WAPPA big band CD “Random Musings” and was a finalist in the West Australian Music Industry Awards (WAMI) the following year.
Is there nothing he can’t do? Well, he can’t think of the name of the Italian sausage-based Pasta dish which is his favourite food – but he certainly DOES know that his tipple of choice is Canadian Club.
Alex loves socks. He says he finds them very useful. Other than that, Alex has been playing trombone for about 12 years because he “loves the big fat big-band sound” it makes, and picked the instrument up in the first place because it was, well, big!
Adrian (Metro’s Music Director) asked Alex and twin brother Sam (on drums) to join Metro – but the band had to insist Alex cut his hair so the players wouldn’t call Alex “Sam” and, er, Sam “Alex”! So anyway, the short-haired ‘bone player loves the show-band stuff in particular as it gives him the chance to play big fat trombone chords. As Alex says “nothing tops it”, except maybe a good lasagne (Alex’s fave food) with a nice long full-of-sugar fake Orange Juice thank you! Oh, and if Greg (vocalist) ever mucks up the song “Save the last dance for me”, he will, allegedly, be hunted down.
Alex has a nice black Labrador who wakes him up (well, someone has to) and has been awarded honours for music by playing with younger bands (Alex, not the Labrador) – and he’s only 21 – ain’t that nice?
Annelise is Metro’s piano/keyboard player. She was born in Switzerland, near Geneva, where she spent all of her childhood skiing and eating chocolate (now that’s a good childhood!). After completing a Masters in Economic Sciences, Annelise pursued an advertising & marketing career, working in London, Perth and Geneva. Since moving to Australia in 1999, her passion for piano and Jazz gradually took over and she left aside her business career – which was a good thing for Metro!
With a strong classical piano background, Annelise started to go over to “the dark side” of the keyboard (Jazz) about 4 years ago, taking lessons at WAAPA with Graham Wood, her music mentor.
Not content to just eat chocolate, ski and play with Metro, Annelise is also working on compositions for a piano Jazz trio. And she has a dream – to set up a jazz piano competition in Australia, linked to the Montreux Jazz Festival piano competition in Switzerland (heavily sponsored, no doubt, by Lindt).
Annelise likes the following things, but not all at the same time (expect the chocolate and the skiing):
Brad Mehldau, Bill Evans, snow skiing, the Ellington Jazz Club, travelling, Herbie Hancock, The Montreux Jazz Festival, tennis, board games and Sudoku, Diana Krall, Keith Jarrett, the Perth jazz community, Swiss chocolate (yum), golf, honesty, truthfulness and kindness.
And Annelise loves these: her family and her dog “Flickie”, her Limited Edition Steinway Grand Piano, Jazz – oh, and did we mention chocolate and skiing?
Dave is the band’s most experienced (oh alright, senior) player! Dave plays the trumpet and was bitten by the jazz-bug during his school days – in late 50’s, early 60’s (told you we wouldn’t mention your age didn’t we Dave!).
He heard the classic Dutch Swing College Band – and then went off and spent 33 years farming (no idea why!). However, along the way, he bought a trumpet when he was a nipper (20 something), had some lessons early on, went bush, and then gave up every few years or so (apart from the odd lesson and sporadic attempt to swing down on the farm – the cows were not amused).
In 2003, Dave sold the farm, and his wife (bless her!) said “drag out the trumpet”. He was invited to play in a big band and started learning all over again – a 40 odd year journey! Dave is pretty much self-taught. Many times he just thinks “oh God what am I doing” and then we remind him he’s a great guy and trumpet player and he’s alright again!
Oh, and he has a superb “78” Jazz record collection.
Belgium born Frank left the tiny European country 40 years ago for the shores of Perth and is the band’s rookie – he’s been playing tenor sax for just 5 years!
As a great blues song once said, he literally “woke up one morning”, thought he’d like to play the saxophone, went out and bought one for $500 and started taking lessons. A while later, he bought his 2nd (and slightly better) sax, took lessons, and the rest is Metro history.
When he was 12, however, Frank was playing trumpet and
clarinet in community bands, so there was a method to his madness – kind of!
In between a myriad of other things in Frank’s life, he’s flown and jumped out of aeroplanes several hundred times, but, oddly enough, he finds playing the sax more exhilarating. Stanley Turrentine is one of his heroes and he loves to blow big-band swing – Sinatra, Buble, Connick, Ella, Etta et al.
His drink is red wine and beer (not mixed together) – in moderation. He’s into power walking and used to be gym-junkie – but now has found the good life and rounded tummy which goes with it!
Gayl is one of two fantastic female vocalists with the Metro Big Band. Gayl had her vocal debut at the age of 6 in the school Eisteddfod in her home town Bulawayo, Zimbabwe (how multicultural we are!). Her Mum was a singer too, and she encouraged little Gayl to get out there and perform and receive professional training. But, like many adolescents, the young Gayl lost interest until, in her 20’s, she decided to tread the boards of the musical theatre.
Reaching almost entrepreneurial heights, she formed and joined various duos and trios in Africa. Then, Gayl decided to re-locate to Perth with her family about 5 years ago. Here, she teamed up with a few ex-Bulawayo friends for various parties & soirees, joined a big-band whilst simultaneously forming a funky jazz quintet called “Suede” before finally arriving “home” with Metro.
Gayl loves the big tunes, especially torch songs and some of the more laid back jazz-blues numbers.
The Metro Italian food theme which runs through most of the band continues with Gayl as she likes the pasta too – but washed down with champagne! She says of herself that basically her singing “saves this Zimbabwean lady from jumping out of a plane without a parachute!”. Perhaps she shouldn’t be such a coffee junkie (allegedly, she makes the best in town).
Greg is Metro’s male vocalist, was born in the UK in the late 50’s and has sung everything from Cab Calloway to Led Zeppelin (fortunately not next to each other) in various bands since way back in 1977.
He had, however, been brought up as a kid around the old sound system residing at his Great Aunt’s place in the UK (his parents didn’t have a record-player – ah those were the days!) listening to the likes of Sinatra, Darin, Nat King Cole, Dean Martin and other jazz/swing greats.
In 1970, Greg migrated to Perth (he didn’t have much say in the matter at the time), and then, in 1992, Greg left Perth to go live back in the UK for 13 years. Whilst there, he formed a cool jazz quintet (leaving the world of pop behind for a while) and crooned his way around the country for around 7 years singing some great arrangements of songs by his jazz heroes.
On returning to Perth in 2006, he formed yet another “covers” band – but realised that rock and roll was no longer coursing through his veins as much as the desire to sing the classic jazz/swing tunes of the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s (and besides, his hair had turned just the right shade of grey!).
So he stumbled upon the Metro Big Band, realised one of his life-long ambitions of singing “I’ve got you under my skin” with a 20 piece ensemble – and the rest is recent jazz history!
Metro’s other fabulous female vocalist Honi grew up right here in Perth vying for attention by trying to out-sing her two big sisters. But seriously, her siblings encouraged the young songbird with all those wonderful 80’s tunes and fashions to the extent that she began putting on shows for friends and family – and this was before she’d even hit her teens!
When she had finally passed the age of 12, Honi began taking professional lessons with a music teacher who went on to become her best friend and mentor (yes, it does sound like something out of a Hollywood movie – but it’s all true!).
Honi only started performing in bands a few years ago, but has sung in many – “Ambient Groove”, “Foundation” and “The WORX” to name a few – but now we’re oh so happy to have her sing with us in Metro.
Jo – is another of Metro’s wonderful trumpet players – but actually started playing flute at age 9! However, when she finished school, Jo went to live in an anonymous small country town in NSW.
Now the only band in that town was a brass band populated by a bunch of old codgers – who taught Jo to play the trumpet whether she wanted to or not (although we’d love to hear the occasional flute solo!). She’s been in Perth 9 years, has played for the City of Perth Concert Band, in theatre productions, in pit orchestras – and, what a dark horse, Jo also plays guitar from time to time!
She is, as you may have guessed, from a musical family, and is a huge “Blues Brothers” fan (hence “Mustang Sally” in Metro’s repertoire!). Bonus – she also loves soul music, and her Dad was a muso playing and growing up in Widnes, Liverpool UK, grooving to the Motown sounds and the likes of Spencer Davis and Sam and Dave.
Jo also likes pasta (this really must be a big-band thing) drinks beer and has a pet – her husband!
Trombone dabbling Matt is actually Metro’s lead trumpet player – and he’s been leading brass-wise for about 20 years. His Grandfather played cornet in various brass bands way back when.
Matt’s musical tastes range from his main loves of swing and jazz through to rock. From Adelaide originally, Matt’s been in Perth a fair few years and is a petroleum engineer by trade. His job takes him to far flung places across the plant, his favourite haunts being in and around Western Canada.
It is, perhaps, no wonder that he has a hankering for a good steak now and then accompanied, when at home, by a nice homebrewed beer.
We thought of naming one of his brews “Matt’s Metro Special” – but fortunately, we actually got to taste one of them first…
Nigel – the latest addition to the Metro saxes (alto) has been influenced by some of the greats – Stan Getz, Ben Webster, Johnny Dankworth and Carl Mackay to name but a few. He’s also influenced by beer – about as much of it as he can get – warm or cold.
When not blowing in the front brass-line of the Metro big band, Nigel swears by (or at) computers and believes them to be the greatest invention since sliced bread, probably because he comes from a northerly part of the UK (having played with many a musical ensemble there as well as right here in Perth) where they love to dunk dough in just about anything sitting on the dinner table.
Luckily, he’s usually washed his hands by the time they’re gently clasping the alto, which is just as well ‘cause there’s nothing worse than a slippery sax player.
Nigel’s mantra goes like this “music is one of the best ways to bring people together not involving the use of a ball”.
Sam is Alex the trombonist’s twin brother, and has been playing drums for 10 years – freely admitting that drumming is his madness! He really likes funk, but can’t escape that swing-thing and says “it’s popular stuff” (although he likes the “technical-jazz-stuff” sometimes too).
The spookiest thing Sam’s ever done at a gig was to mess up the classic blues tune “Louie Louie” – and then find his way back whilst snatching a wayward stick he’d thrown out of the air which resulted in the “song most saved by a drummer” accolade! He has since spent the rest of his drumming career trying to replicate this. A little like his sibling, Sam likes Italian food – spaghetti in particular, whilst his drink of choice is Vanilla Coke. Yes, drummers are indeed strange creatures.
Sam’s also played in the backing band for “J.C. Superstar” at school – “awesome” – and has toured Queensland with a jazz and a concert band.
Yasasya is known to Metronians as the lovely Yazz – plays trombone and has done so for 10 years in total. She began playing the tenor ‘bone for 6 years and then thought “no I’ll play the big one (bass trombone)” – so she now plays an instrument taller than her.
Yazz loves music, loves people dancing and enjoying themselves, and has been in a number of school bands before arriving at Metro. Her musical highlights include touring the U.K., Austria, Italy and playing at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. 2009 also marks her 4th year playing with WAYJO (W.A. Youth Jazz Orchestra).
For such a tiny person (5 foot 2 in her socks), Yazz loves the jazz swing thing as well as soul and Motown. Her faves include the “call-and-answer” numbers “Minnie the Moocher” and “Mr. Zoot Suit” because, as she puts it, she “loves to shout”!
Yazz says she’s “happy being me”!
It was Alex who dragged Yazz and her bass trombone along to Metro.
That boy has a lot to answer for.
And his twin.
Matthew was drawn to the bass when he saw Oliver Hardy playing the song “In the Good Old Summer Time” in a snowstorm in the movie short “Below Zero” (1930). This crystallized his love of music and old, old films.
Born in South Australia (like Judith Anderson in “Star Trek III : The Search for Spock” 1984), Matthew began his musical career playing cello and singing in choirs (Julie Andrews “Sound of Music” 1968), then switched to bass, playing in folk and blues bands before deciding to “Go West” (Marx Bros. 1940) in 1987.
Graduating from WAAPA, he has taught and played bass (electric and double) around the town, but not as a transvestite like Jack Lemon in “Some Like it Hot” 1959. Not yet anyway. Bands included Douce Ambiance, Five Guys Named Mo and OTT Chicago Swing. He also performed comedy in the early 90’s with “Not of this Earth” and “Cabaret Suaving-On” where he worked with METRO’s vocalist Greg Marston (“When Harry met Sally” 1989). He has also appeared on TV as a contestant on “The Einstein Factor” (“Quiz Show” 1994).
He now fills his days being a tour guide at Fremantle Prison (“The Green Mile” 1999) before going to a gig or home to his wife and three cats (“Three on a Couch” 1966).
He enjoys Italian food and will eat anything that’s put in front of him (“La Grande Bouffe” 1973).
He also enjoys quoting movie titles (no, really).
Kel lived down south of Perth city in the seaside town of Busselton until he moved up to Murdoch involving himself in Asian studies and counter terrorism. No, that’s not a course in how to terrorise people – although sometimes when he’s blowing that trombone…
He first picked up the shiny brass thing with the long slidey thing and strange valve things at the tender age of 11 and he’s played overseas in California and New Zealand as well at in W.A. State competitions and the WAYJO Big Band.
Kel loves all sorts of music from Jazz to Industrial Rock – but we ask him to leave his industrial tools at home.
He’s a fan of action movies and stupid comedies and enjoys a laugh at anything – maybe that’s why he joined Metro?
And he’s the youngest member of the Metro Big Band – although his favourite drink isn’t milk – unless it’s liberally laced with Vodka!
Natasha is the youngest of 4 children from a very smart musical family who all play instruments. She began playing the pieces she heard her siblings practicing on the piano by ear.
Then, when she started taking proper lessons from the age of 5, she realised she had to play the piano with her hands, and this is when her musical career really started to take off.
She decided to pick up her Dad’s cornet at the age of 9 and progressed to trumpet, playing it for over 22 years – and as if that wasn’t enough, she’s recently taken to playing the electric bass (with lessons from Matthew, Metro’s Bass Player – the Moonlighters!).
Classically trained Natasha grew up in a very classical house – but then along came her now husband and she flipped to the other end of the musical spectrum, influenced by the rock styles of her drumming and electric guitar playing other half.
Natasha and her rock hubby have two dogs – Malcolm (named after AC/DC’s rhythm guitarist) and Chloe (not named after anyone, apparently) – she enjoys relaxing with a nice Semillon Sauvignon Blanc (after a hard Metro rehearsal or show) whilst listening to her vinyl LP collection which she’s only recently started.
And if you thought that was strange, Natasha began playing UNO at the age of two which led to her love of board games – and she now has quite a large collection.
So if you’re every looking for that missing board game from your childhood…
Owen is the band’s “fit guy” (well, there’s always one!), cycling around 300 km’s a week and playing squash – that’s when he’s not blowing the trombone, which he started doing around 13 years ago in a country school.
He’s still trying to figure out just how he ended up in Metro playing the swing-thing as he was initially classically trained and has played everything from Rimsky-Korsakov to Edward Gregson – but not one bar of Sinatra escaped the bell until Owen took an interest in jazz, having played with the Perth Concert Band and now, the Metro Big Band.
Mr. Fit has also toured Canberra and Sydney (playing, prestigiously, at the Opera House) for the International Music Festival, and did one year with the WAYSB (West Australian Youth Symphonic Band).
So if you hear the odd riff from the “Ride of the Valkyries” or similar during some of the “trombone moments” at a Metro performance, look for this man!
Mike is Metro’s big bass saxophonist – oh alright, he plays the Baritone Sax!
But he didn’t start on the largest of all saxes, indeed, as a result of an offhand remark from his jazz-loving dad that ‘Benny Goodman could almost make the clarinet talk’, Mike got into the “reed thing” at the age of 9 and around that time, a country town music teacher obligingly started learning clarinet at the same time as Mike so he could teach him – how serendipitous!
Mike needed a pick-me-up (or in his words, an antidote) to help him through an engineering degree, so he started playing in jazz bands as a student, picked up a tenor sax with earnings from playing the clarinet, and later on collected the baritone courtesy of a stint in the Middle East (man, he’s been everywhere!).
What does Metro’s bottom-end-sax-playing-guy do for a “living” when he’s not hitting those lowest of low notes at a Metro rehearsal or gig you might ask? Well, he writes industrial and mining software, which is good fun but gets in the way of playing jazz (dammit!).
Mr. Mike is married and living and loving suburbia, although he’s somewhat bewildered by the ever-increasing number of dogs in the house (well Mike, perhaps you should run a refuge for canines?).
Having two young daughters affords him an excuse for building cubbies and, thankfully for Metro, he still possesses a full complement of fingers and various limbs despite numerous near-misses with the power tools.
Erin plays 3 out of the 4 most common members of the saxophone family – soprano, alto and the one she faithfully brings along to every Metro rehearsal and performance, her instrument of choice, the tenor on which she takes most of Metro’s tenor-sax-solos.
Metro is fortunate to have Erin and her sax skills on board, given that she’s currently in her final year of a classical music degree at WAAPA and when she finishes it, she’ll be off to study in the UK with an ambition of becoming a saxophone technician!
Whilst all this is going on, Little Miss Sax, er, Erin, hopes to take her fantastic sax quartet “Just Sax” to dizzy heights with CD recordings and performances all over the world – not bad for a girl who grew up in Busselton (some 200 kilometres south of Perth) and only discovered music in 2003!
Having used up the exclamation-mark quota for Erin’s bio already (!), the young lady also enjoys recreational pursuits such as softball and basketball, is in the process of collecting all of Walt Disney’s movies, loves Pokemon and is particularly inspired by Buzz Lightyear, concurring with his motto “to infinity – and beyond” – probably whilst playing the saxophone.
Most of all, Erin would like to tell any musicians reading this that “yes, classical people can play jazz”!