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THE COUNT’S
announce the return of their stellar
2021 PROGRAM
with a huge list of new shows

Performances from Mama Alto, Kee’Ahn, Paul Grabowsky, Barney McAll, The Meltdown + more.

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South-East’s new home for contemporary music and expressive culture, The Count’s, will welcome some of the most captivating soul, jazz, R’n’B, French chanson and Ethio-jazz artists of the moment.

Including performances from jazz-cabaret artiste Mama Alto, Hammond Organ Trio Cookin’ on 3 Burners, French-inspired ensemble La Nuit Blanche, beloved Punjabi-Australian vocalist Parvyn Singh, world-class southern-soul band, The Meltdown, Notorious jazz gangster Monique diMattina, musical-comedy sensation Jude Perl and renowned international star Meow Meow.

Wednesday nights throughout July will see the playful, joyful, and deep sounds of Torrio! Comprising of acclaimed musicians Paul Grabowsky (piano), Mirko Guerrini (saxes) and Niko Schauble (drums), alongside an incredible list of special guests.

Thursday’s in July will host performances from Noongar vocalist and songwriter Bumpy, much-loved rising star, Kee’Ah, Ethio-jazz artist Solomon Sisay and Zimbabwean songstress Thando.

Throughout August. ARIA-Winning jazz pianist and composer Barney McAll will curate and perform original compositions. And closing Wednesdays in September is the homecoming celebration for Monash Alumni and stalwart of Melbourne’s jazz/soul scene, Audrey Powne.

Housed in the Ian Potter Centre for Performing Arts at Monash University, The Count’s is your new home for live music in Melbourne’s South-East.

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Rita-Satch

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THE COUNT’S PROGRAM

TORRIO!: JULY ARTIST IN RESIDENCE
featuring Guerrini, Grabowsky & Schäuble with special guests
WEDNESDAY 7, 14, 21, 28 JULY

Playful, joyful, and deep, Torrio! comprising Paul Grabowsky (piano), Mirko Guerrini (saxes) and Niko Schauble (drums) is a trio that brings together a wealth of experience gathered over three decades of shared musical adventures. Special guests from different genres and backgrounds will join with them each week to create music without frontiers.

Special guests:

July 7:  Illaria Crociani.  Acclaimed Italian/Australian singer/songwriter and saxophonist
July 14: Mindy Men Wang. Chinese/Australian composer/guzheng player
July 21: Jessica Paige: Singer/songwriter creating new compositions inspired by Alice in Wonderland with Torrio!
July 28 Chelsea Wilson: Vocalist and songwriter, “A goddamn soul/jazz powerhouse” – Beat Magazine

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TORRIO

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Bumpy – Thursday 8 July

A proud Noongar woman from regional Victoria, soulful vocalist and songwriter Bumpy presents an introspective view into her truths as a First Nations artist whilst delving into a world where vulnerability is power.

Kee’Ahn – Thursday 15 July

Winner of the Archie Roach Award at the 2020 National Indigenous Music Awards, and best-emerging talent at The 2020 Music Victoria Awards, soulful vocalist/ songwriter Kee’Ahn makes her debut performance at The Counts.

Solomon Sisay – Thursday 22 July

Internationally acclaimed saxophonist Solomon Sisay makes his debut at The Count’s, presenting his take on Ethio-jazz with his five-piece band.

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Kee’Ahn

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Meow Meow: In Conversation – Tuesday 27th July

Meow Meow’s unique brand of subversive and sublime entertainment has hypnotized, inspired and terrified audiences worldwide from London’s West End to Lincoln Centre New York, to the Hollywood Bowl, to the Sydney Opera House. Don’t miss this opportunity for an intimate encounter with the Diva, in conversation with legendary pianist, composer and thinker, Paul Grabowsky. These long-standing colleagues will explore Meow Meow’s international career across opera, cabaret, theatre and contemporary music.

Thando – Thursday 29 July

Zimbabwean songstress Thando returns to The Count’s, accompanied by Mike Pensini. Sharing her repertoire of original music, Thando will take you on a journey of love and heartbreak.

BARNEY McALL: August artist in Residence
Wednesday 4, 11, 18, 25 

ARIA-Winning Barney McAll came up through the downtown 90s New York scene. He’s played piano with jazz heavyweights Gary Bartz, Roy Ayers, Dewey Redman, and Billy Harper and unadulterated funk with the likes of Maceo Parker, Fred Wesley, Clyde Stubblefield and The Groove Collective which earned him a Grammy nomination.

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Thando

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PARVYN – Thursday August 5
with guest artist STAV

With influences from Bjork to Anoushka Shankar, beloved Punjabi-Australian vocalist Parvyn Singh blends electronica and jazz with Sikh devotional music and classical Indian music and dance. Best known for her work in cult psychedelic band The Bombay Royale, Parvyn has also been performing globally since childhood with her father Dya Singh.

MAMA ALTO – Thursday August 19

Fierce, femme and fabulous, Mama Alto is a jazz singer, cabaret artiste & gender transcendent diva best known for her velvet vocals and spellbinding storytelling through song. She is a transgender & queer person of colour who works with the radical potential of storytelling, strength in softness and power in vulnerability.

COOKIN’ ON 3 BURNERS present: Music Of The Meters  – Thursday August 26
with guest artist Emilia

Cookin’ on 3 Burners, Australia’s hardest hitting Hammond Organ Trio, take on the repertoire of The Meters performing their own versions of tracks such as “Cissy Strut” and “Look-Ka Py Py” with special guest Jamie Stroud (Fulton Street) on bass.  Don’t miss this excursion through the deep archives of funk. Opening the show is Melbourne’s very own old-School Soul and Jazz powerhouse Ms Emilia.

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Barney McAll

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JUDE PERL – Friday 27 August

In her award-winning musical comedy special, I Have A Face, Jude Perl embarks on a hilarious and brutally honest, deep-dive into the personal and relatable mental health struggles of being an adult. With stream-of-consciousness style lyrics, set to undeniably catchy and well-crafted songs, that will make you want to sing along, cry and laugh all at the same time.

Audrey Powne Quarte:  September artist in Residence
with special guests
Wednesday 1, 8, 15, 22, 29

A Monash University School of Music Jazz Alumni, this special residency is a homecoming celebration for composer/vocalist and trumpet player Audrey Powne. Performing with a special guest each week, Audrey will premier new material and music from her critically acclaimed solo debut “Bed I Made” Audrey will soothe, captivate and inspire.

LA NUIT BLANCHE  – Thursday 2 September

Featuring the gypsy sounds of accordion and guitar, and the sexy jazz brawn of saxophone and double bass, French-inspired ensemble La Nuit Blanche brings you the songs of Eartha Kitt, Charles Trenet, Camille, Vanessa Paradis, the Amelie soundtrack, Django Reinhardt and more…Oh la la, c’est si bon!

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MEOW MEOW

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THE MELTDOWN – Thursday September 9
with guest artist Carla Troiano (Mayfield)

The Meltdown will bring their distinctive blend of Stax and Motown with a healthy dose of the Nashville songwriting tradition to The Count’s. The soaring voice of Simon Burke with the rhythm section and horns will move your heart and your feet as echoes of Memphis soul resonate.

MONIQUE & THE DOPAMINE: Gangtsa Jazz / Rhapsody in Blue – Thursday September 30

Notorious jazz gangster Monique diMattina and her band The Dopamine come to The Count’s with their infectious blend of original music alongside 1920s stomps and songs from Jelly Roll Morton, Fats Waller to George Gershwin’s epic and iconic Rhapsody in Blue.  “An astonishing player, songwriter and singer” – Music Roots & Style

TICKETS AND EVENT INFO HERE

All shows $25, students $10.
Located at The Ian Potter Centre for Performing Arts, 48 Exhibition Walk, Clayton 3800.

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THE MELTDOWN

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Follow THE COUNTS
Website 

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AMNPLIFY – DB