Elysian Fields Debut Album Launch
Event Date: 14/03/2019, 08:30 pm
Elysain Fields - What Should I say
ELYSIAN FIELDS, Australia’s only electric viola da gamba band, has released its debut album What Should I Say? – a heady blend of jazz, world, folk, and early music.
Founded in 2015, as the brainchild of Australia’s only electronic gambist, Jenny Eriksson, in partnership with leading jazz musicians, saxophonist Matt Keegan and pianist Matt McMahon, Elysian Fields is an intriguing new voice on the local music scene.
Operating as a sextet with a unique combination – voice/violin, sax, electric viola da gamba, piano, bass and drums – the band creates a sound world which defies categorisation.
The album takes its name from the central piece, a remarkable new song cycle by pianist and band member, Matt McMahon, which sets four poems by Thomas Wyatt - lyric 16th century poet at the court of King Henry VIII – and reputed lover of Queen Anne Boleyn.
Among other tracks are “Elysium” – an epic work by Matt Keegan – and “Dark Dreaming” an original work by bassist Siebe Pogson.
Together with the other members of the group – singer and multi-instrumentalist Susie Bishop and drummer Finn Ryan Elysian Fields has appeared in numerous concerts and festivals, alongside early music gurus,
The Marais Project, and on ABC Radio National’s Music Show.
They are currently Associate Artists-in-Residence at Sydney radio station Fine Music 102.5 FM.
The band is an ongoing experiment in creating new, improvised and composed repertoire for the electric viola da gamba - of which Eriksson is believed to be the only Australian exponent.
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Foundry 616 Harris Street,
Ultimo New South Wales,2010
Foundry 616 Harris Street,
Ultimo New South Wales,2010
