Barney Mcall at Bird's Basement Jazz Club

Barney McAll is a grammy nominated musician who has played on over 100 recordings and has released 13 highly acclaimed solo albums. Join the critically acclaimed Monash Art Ensemble as they perform Barney McAll's six-part suite, Zephyrix.

"I was commissioned by the Monash Art Ensemble to compose this piece during my residency at the Peggy Glanville-Hicks composer house in 2015. Whilst there, I had flashes of an image... half man, half bird with one large wing on its right side, dressed in business attire.

Following the abstract advice of this image I decided to fuse the Greek God Zephyr with the mythical Phoenix to create a new beast; the Zephyrix. It’s a hybrid creature which, for me, symbolizes the bridging of tensions that occur between our mundane struggles and the evils of life, and the liberating creative expression of our true selves....

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Barney McAll is a grammy nominated musician who has played on over 100 recordings and has released 13 highly acclaimed solo albums. Join the critically acclaimed Monash Art Ensemble as they perform Barney McAll's six-part suite, Zephyrix.

"I was commissioned by the Monash Art Ensemble to compose this piece during my residency at the Peggy Glanville-Hicks composer house in 2015. Whilst there, I had flashes of an image... half man, half bird with one large wing on its right side, dressed in business attire.

Following the abstract advice of this image I decided to fuse the Greek God Zephyr with the mythical Phoenix to create a new beast; the Zephyrix. It’s a hybrid creature which, for me, symbolizes the bridging of tensions that occur between our mundane struggles and the evils of life, and the liberating creative expression of our true selves.

Zephyrix is the musical embodiment of that tension, encapsulating both the strain and release of this dichotomy. It seeks to explore the dialectic between struggle and serenity, and illuminate the myriad of unseen colors, tones and potentials that are held within a new and ever-emerging mind (Metanoia).

The five birds of Alchemy and transformation have been invoked to summon the Zephyrix: Black Crow, White Swan, Peacock, Pelican and Phoenix. They are the sign posts that guide us on our journey toward true serenity and real happiness.

This is an anthem to the vision, virtue and irony that is the eternal nature of change" - Barney McAll

The Monash Art Ensemble acts to support the development of excellence in young Australian musicians, foster a culture of innovation amongst established Australian musicians and encourage community engagement with Australian musicians and music.

The Ensemble, founded by Paul Grabowsky in 2012, has successfully embraced this concept and offers a pathway for talented students to interact with and build this basis for a strong and uniquely Australian 21st century musician. The ensemble has commissioned eleven new Australian works (including three award winning works), collaborated with international artists such as the Carla Bley Trio, Mark Helias, George Lewis, Dave Douglas, Django Bates and Tomasz Stanko, secured ongoing support from the Melbourne International Jazz Festival and attracted broad recognition through the release of six acclaimed CDs.

The Ensemble is proudly supported by the Robert Salzer Foundation, the Monash Academy of Performing Arts and the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music at Monash University.

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