CONNEXION BIG BAND
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ABOUT US
A stylistically unique jazz band from day one, Connexion Big Band is one of Canberra's oldest and most established big bands, known for getting audiences on their feet dancing the night away. Throughout the course of the band’s union they have won over the hearts of music lovers from all walks of life, performing at a variety of venues, making public appearances and celebrating jazz as part of our lives.
Directed by Greg Stott and featuring several of Canberra's top jazz vocalists, ConneXion recreates the powerful and famous 18-piece big horn sound, playing a diverse range of repertoire from a library of more than 600 'charts.' Our repertoire spans vintage swing from the early 1940s (think Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and Ella Fitzgerald), hits of the 1960s-1980s (think James Bond, Frank Sinatra, the Beatles and the Blues Brothers) through to contemporary jazz works (like Bob Mintzer and Stan Kenton) and even works by Australian jazz composers and arrangers. More recently we have incorporated swing dance music from the early big band era and music from the videogame genre. We're also working on a Stevie Wonder feature show.
We specialise in tailoring our music selections to suit the occasion, whether it be weddings, vintage dance events, conferences, corporate functions or festivals with music-loving audiences. We even offer a small jazz ensemble for those more intimate occasions to set the atmosphere before bringing out the big horn sound of the full big band. We also encourage our saxophone 'front line' members to 'double' on clarinet and/or flute at times in order to better capture the sound of some of the great early big bands or to promote greater colour variation in our sound palette. Many of these 'variations' to the standard big band sound and source material are the result of the influence of our past musical directors, including Jim McMullen, Sally Greenaway and Justin Buckingham.
Regularly teaming up with Canberra-based swing dancers, ConneXion is guaranteed to entertain audiences and get their feet tapping all night long. If you're organising a wedding, party, conference dinner, ball or any other celebration, we are the band for you.
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BAND MEMBERS
Music Director
Greg Stott
Greg Stott has a Masters degree in Music (Performance, Arranging & Composition) and has been a featured performer at numerous events including the 2010 New Zealand International Jazz & Blues Festival, the Sydney Olympics Festival, the Adelaide Cabaret Festival, the National Folk festival and a number of international sporting events. He has also played for Australian Prime Ministers and foreign dignitaries and performed original compositions for ABC FM, broadcast nationally. He is currently Musical Director and composer for an independent Australian film, The Competition, which is expected to be completed in 2012-13.
In addition to performing with The Greg Stott Band and the Utopia Collective, Greg has performed or recorded with a range of jazz, classical and pop artists including:
James Morrison, Dale Barlow, Andrew Gander, Tim Kain (Guitar Trek), Tim Strong (USA), Brady Blade (USA), Don Johnson, Miroslav Bukovsky, Brendan Clarke, Wayne Kelly, Craig Scott, Gery Scott, Craig Schneider, Ra Khahn, The Idea of North, John Mackey, Mike Price, Eric Ajaye, Col Hoorweg, James Greening, Dave Panichi, Ben Hauptman, Peta Gammie, Grace Knight, Jackie Love, Rhonda Birchmore, Hayley Jensen (Australian Idol), Steve and Rae Amosa and many more.
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