The Valentina Macias Quintet + More

Just Above Water as presented by The Valentina Macias Quintet is an original jazz project that marks Valentina’s debut as a bandleader, proudly showcasing her original music alongside two of Perth’s leading female jazz musicians and their featured acts; The Gemma Farrell Quintet and The Holli Scott Rush Hour Circus. This is not a night to miss! Come on down to witness the energy of each of these stellar female jazz musicians, and expect to be on the very edge of your seat!

Valentina Macias Quintet

Valentina Macias is a jazz pianist and composer studying at the highly established Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. Now in her fourth year of studies, Valentina is determined to immerse herself in the local Australian jazz scene and is eager to share her stories through her compositions. Having had the opportunity to perform with the Western Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra (WAYJO) for the past two years, helped to establish Valentina’s professional career following in the footsteps of her hero, WAYJO alumni and Grammy-Award winning jazz musician Linda May Han Oh. Her debut as a bandleader, is an exciting and promising start to the many creative projects Valentina wishes to pursue as an independent artist. 

Zoe Boyd – trumpet
Chris Kazuki Jones – guitar
Lucy Browning – bass
Kevin Huang – drums
Valentina Macias – piano, vocals

Holli Scott Rush Hour Circus

Inspired by the flickers of magic hidden in everyday life, Holli Scott & the Rush Hour Circus spin the dark, the soulful, and the magically eclectic into a captivating performance of original music and arranged jazz standards. The music finds its roots firmly in the jazz genre, drawing inspiration from a wide range of artists – from Nina Simone and Billie Holiday to Nick Cave and Tom Waits. Together with some of Australia’s finest musicians, Scott’s rich vocals, vivid lyrics, and emotive delivery bring a captivating presence to the stage.
Ben Vanderwal – drums
Jamie Oehlers – saxophone
Brodie Stewart – piano
Karl Florisson – bass
Holli Scott – vocals

Gemma Farrell Quintet

The Gemma Farrell Quintet (GFQ) is Gemma Farrell’s original jazz project. Their debut performance was for the Perth Jazz Society (PJS) at the Perth International Jazz Festival (PIJF) in 2015. They continued performing around Perth, playing at the Ellington, the Laneway Lounge, the Moon & Four5Nine, before launching their debut album in June 2018, “Organised Chaos.” The album was featured on RTRFM and ABC Jazz as the local feature album for a week. GFQ has performed at the 2018 WAM awards, In The Pines 2019, and the 2019 King Street Corner Pocket Jazz Festival. In
November 2019, GFQ toured Australia, performing at the Sydney Women’s International Jazz Festival, Jazz Music Institute Brisbane & the Jazzlab
Melbourne. In 2020 they performed at the Duke of George & the Ellington Jazz Club before performing at the Rechabite, the Perth Festival, the Neon Picnic and the York Jazz Festival in 2021. GFQ performed at PIJF on tour in November 2021 (Busselton) and May 2022 (Margaret River and Mount Barker) before launching their second album, “The View From The Top,” at Lyrics Underground in May 2022. This album was a local feature on RTRFM the week it was launched and received a 4-star review in Dingo Australian Jazz Journal. The band has been nominated for Best Jazz Act at 2018, 2019, 2022 and 2023 WAM awards. They performed at Jazz Fremantle's Women to the Fore Jazz Festival in November 2022. In mid-2023 they recorded an album incorporating the Electric Wind Instrument (EWI), the subject of Gemma’s PhD, which is set to be released in May 2024. As well as Gemma Farrell on Saxophones, the group consists of Sam Hadlow on Trombone, Dan Garner on Guitar, Lucy Browning on Bass & Ryan Daunt on the Drums.