Perth Voice Interactive

THERE are “no more excuses” and professional ensembles should have more young people and marginalised genders, says Gemma Farrell, the new artistic director of the WA Youth Jazz Orchestra.

The talented Hamilton Hill muso – a well-respected jazz saxophonist, composer and educator – has just taken over the reins from Mace Francis, who had been artistic director at WAYJO since 2008.

A PhD candidate and lecturer in jazz studies at WAAPA, Farrell has been pushing for jazz ensembles to be more diverse for years.

In 2017 she founded The Artemis Orchestra, a big band made up of predominantly female, non-binary and transgender musicians.

“The part of the big band image that belongs in the past is big bands made up of all male members, especially in Australia where in every capital city, including Perth, there are enough people of marginalised genders who play well enough to make up at least 50 per cent of the band,” Farrell says.

“There are no more excuses for professional ensembles.

“At WAYJO, we have initiatives like the Progressions program, which helps to make jazz accessible for young people of marginalised genders, hoping that more of these young people will become band members.”

In 2014, Farrell founded Young Women in Jazz, now called Progressions, to try and address the gender imbalance – less than a quarter of all professional jazz musicians are female.

Her efforts were acknowledged when she received the Australian Women in Music Award for Humanitarian 2024.

Farrell knows all about WAYJO – she was a member of the orchestra for four years and has worked there for more than a decade.

She’ll kick off her artistic directorship with the free Sunday afternoon concert WAYJO’s 2025 Season Celebration at Hyde Park on March 23. The concert will have an entertaining mix of old classics like Duke Ellington’s Ain’t Got Nothing But The Blues and more contemporary fare by local composers including Jessica Carlton’s Yemembra Moora and Linda May Han Oh’s Ebony.

A talented jazz trumpeter and composer, Carlton was nominated for Young Australian Jazz Artist of the Year at the Bell Awards in 2015, and won the Monash Jazz Prize in her second year at university. Oh is a grammy-award winning bassist/composer who has performed and recorded with artists such as Pat Metheny, Kenny Barron and Joe Lovano.

It kicks off an exciting WAYJO season that includes a concert with vocalist Victoria Newton at The Rechabite in Northbridge, a Progressions showcase at Lyric’s Underground in Maylands, and a lively latin night in the heart of city.

Founded in 1983, WAYJO has been a great platform for talented young jazzers to cut their teeth, and its alumni includes saxophonist Troy Roberts, bassist Dane Alderson and the aforementioned bassist Linda May Han Oh.

“From our humble beginnings, the company is now a mainstay of the Western Australian cultural landscape,” Farrell says.

“Our membership now comprises 54 musicians, aged 14 to 25, who perform in three 18-piece jazz big bands.

“The company is unique in Australia, offering the only large scale annually curated big-band jazz season of increasing quality and excellence.”

Away from WAYJO, Farrell is a well-respected jazz musician who has played in a diverse range of bands.

Free and family-friendly, WAYJO’s 2025 Season Celebration is at Hyde Park in Perth on Sunday March 23 from 3pm-5pm. For more details see wayjo.com.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK