Expect some weird and wonderful sounds emanating from The Hotel Esplanade Basement this year, thanks to experimental new music specialists, Ossicle Duo. 

Ossicle Duo (trombonist Benjamin Anderson and percussionist Hamish Upton) are all about the exploration and extension of sound. Based in Melbourne, the Duo have been celebrated for their performances of contemporary art music, winning the Melbourne Recital Centre’s Contemporary Masters Award in July 2019.

In the series, Ossicle Duo invite local and international guest musicians to join them for an experimental improv jam in the basement of the Hotel Esplanade. Together they’ll explore radical noise production, extended playing techniques, and the strange and intimate connection between some bizarre instrument combinations.

The guests for this Espy Underground Session are James and Alistair McLean - the McLean brothers!
James McLean is a drummer based in Melbourne, Australia working at the intersections of composed and improvised music. James’ practice sees him working equally as a solo artist, a bandleader, and a sideman in numerous ensembles.  In combination, he has established himself as a leading voice in Australian jazz and improvised music, as recognised by being awarded the 2016 Freedman Jazz Fellowship - becoming the first drummer to receive the award.

James has produced two solo drumset recordings as part of his PhD: Counter Clockwork (2015), and Oscillator (2018).

Alistair McLean is a guitarist, composer and producer committed to the creation of new and inventive works. He is the founder and director of the Australian Creative Music Ensemble, an improvising ensemble dedicated to the commissioning of new work. He has released a variety of recordings, including post, Shorthand of Sensation, and A Certain Kind of Now.

Alistair’s compositional practice is focused on explorations of rhythm and timbre, and his work has been exhibited as part of Melbourne Now at the National Gallery of Victoria, featured in flagship multi-disciplinary program Swell at Melbourne Music Week, and commissioned by the Arts Centre Melbourne for their Art Music Award winning 5x5x5 series.

Ossicle Duo is really excited for this collaboration, the McLean brothers are formidable musicians, and this is a rare opportunity to see them perform together. Ossicle Duo know both the brothers well, but this will be the first time all four have shared the same stage.

What to expect in this performance?

Blisteringly fast drum solos, chilled and lyrical guitar, plus a good old dose of trombone - what’s not to love? Rhythm and groove meets experimental and ethereal sounds. This is the jazz combo reinvented.