THE SWINGING COOKIES

Mon 4 Jan 2010 @ 8:00pm

Admission Members $10 Student members $5 Non-members $15

ENJYO A TASTE of European Jazz in a cool night of music with the Swinging Cookies.

Very special guest Mya Audrey (vocals and piano) from Switzerland is backed by the dynamic and versatile local trio of Benn Hodgkin (trumpet), Aaron Spiers (bass) and Joe Whittle (drums).

Benn Hodgkin
In 1999 Benn completed a Bachelor of Jazz, winning the fifth WAYJO scholarship. He has performed with leading Perth outfits such as Hip-Mo-Toast Big Band, Perth Jazz Orchestra, WA Symphony Orchestra, Thrust, Sabroson, Salamander and appeared with interstate and overseas artists such as Daryl Somers, Marcia Hines and Jerry Lewis.

Mya Audrey
The Myriam Nydegger Trio began in 2001 and morphed into Mya N. Under this name Mya Audrey has released two CDs – Little Mary on Brambus Records, and Break Away with All Star Production/BMG Ariola Switzerland. But her latest self-produced work will be released early in 2010 as Mya Audrey. She has made national and international appearances, including the Olympic Games in Bejing 2008, the Lindy Hop Festival (Herräng, Sweden 2004 and 2005) and Grenada (Caribbean, 2009).
Pianist and singer Mya has written her own material since she was 17, displaying great passion to tell stories of life with moving honesty. Jazz harmonies are her base, melded with pop melodies, and her gentle but powerful voice imbues them with a very personal style.
For more - go to www.mya-audrey.com

Aaron Spiers
AARON started his musical career as a big-band trumpeter and swapped to electric bass at Uni, completing his Bachelor of Music (jazz) with Honours on that instrument in 2007.
Since then Aaron has performed with Ben Lee and WASO, Kate Ceberano, and David Campbell; presented a tribute to fusion band Weather Report with his own quintet; and supported Leo Sayer, Jenny Morris, Vanessa Amerosi, Old Man River and Rick Price.
Based in Perth, Aaron appears with numerous jazz, funk, latin, rock groups and big bands - among them the Western Australian Symphony Orchestra, WAYJO, the One For All Big Band, The Will Udal Band, local cover band Slim Jim and the Phatts, The Biancha Jade Group, Graham Wood Trio, The P Family Funk Allstars, and jam band The Fix.

Joe Whittle
You may know him as a Velvet Playboy, but since his professional career began, drummer Joe Whittle has been steadily making a name for himself as one of the most versatile and dynamic stick-slingers in the West. A very open mind and acute attention to stylistic detail are key to his chameleon-like abilities, and have thrust Joe into the driver’s seat of a wildly diverse array of acclaimed local acts. They range from the big bands - swing (the Oz Big Band, WAYJO, Hip ‘Mo Toast) – through to mainstream – (Backlash Jazz Quintet, the Bronwynn Way Quintet). You will see Joe doing a little of everything as he provides the swinging, breathing, sometimes elegant and sometimes downright DIRTY rhythmic foundation which launches the Swinging Cookies!