Byron’s Albums Copy Copy Copy

‘BYRON MARK SEPTET’:

Since the release of my debut album ‘AMALGAMATION’ in 2016, I have been working on compositions for a Septet, and we performed our debut concert in Nov 2019! 

I have been working on compositions scored for string quartet, piano, cajon and tabla. These works are flamenco-classical inspired instrumental music, which occasionally venture into Latin and Jazz flavours too.

DEBUT SEPTET PERFORMANCE: On Friday 15th Nov, I showcased some of my new compositions at the wonderful performance space at the ‘Annandale Creative Arts Centre’. The pieces were well received by the audience, and I am now excited to complete the remaining compositions for the project, and then hit the studio in early 2020 to track it all down!

Where to next?……once the studio recording is complete, I will be looking to perform  a special ‘Album Launch’ concert in Sydney (and potentially other regional venues too). Watch this space for more information – can’t wait to share the final project with everyone!

What else has been happening in 2019?……on top of composing, I have been performing on my unique keys/cajon setup with various singers around Sydney, including Mariah James, Jeremy Gregory, Luke Koteras, Van Sereno and Sheena Wilbow. I have also performed the ‘Latin Delights’ show with Peter Garrity’s string quartet, which has also allowed me to perform a couple of my new string quartet works too.

Regional Tour 2019: Throughout the year, I have also been touring around regional NSW  with Arrebato Ensemble as part of the ‘Musica Viva Concert Series’ events. We have travelled to Orange, Canberra, Narrabri, Dubbo, Tamworth, Grafton, & Muswellbrook. These have been great experiences and we have been able to expand the awareness of flamenco and world music across NSW. Big thanks to Musica Viva Australia for making these performances possible.

Cajon Workshops?……2019 has also been a great year for the ‘Cajon Cats’, my cajon ensemble that performs and rehearses in Sydney. This year we performed at Camelot Lounge, Red Rattler Theatre, and Lane Cove Golf Club for World Tango Day. I have also been fortunate to facilitate other Cajon workshops in Brookevale and Adelaide, and have some exciting workshops planned for 2020 too!

2018: “Arrebato Ensemble”, a contemporary flamenco quartet I am a member of, recorded, released and toured their 3rd album ‘Sofia’s Dream’ in Sydney and the east-coast of Australia.

2017: “Shanti Fire’, an ensemble I am in that fuses Indian Classical with Jazz, Funk and Pop, recorded and released a self-titled debut album.

‘AMALGAMATION‘ Project (2016):

After spending the first 14 years of my professional music career collaborating on other projects and writing together with different bands, I finally decided to create some music of my own!

My vision for AMALGAMATION was to finish writing and recording songs that I had started over the years, featuring many of the amazing musicians I had worked with along the way. I selected specific musicians and instruments that take each piece of music on the journey it needs to sound complete.

I decided to call the album ‘Amalgamation’ because the music you will hear is pretty much a big melting pot of genres and instruments.

It was an extremely fun process recording these songs and bringing them to life – as they have existed only as phone (and cassette!) recordings for so many years!

‘AMALGAMATION’ Releases:

In December 2015, I released the debut single ‘Piano Dance‘ from ‘Amalgamation‘, together with a music video for the piece. In 2016, the ‘Piano Dance’ film clip received TOP 10 in the ‘UK SONGWRITING COMPETITION’ (out of thousands of entries!)

On October 6 2016, I officially launched ‘Amalgamation’ at Venue 505 in Surry Hills Sydney. The evening featured 32 musicians and dancers performing the repertoire on the album to a SOLD OUT audience! It was a very special night!

My second single from the album, ‘Fuego Nocturno’ also scored a top 5 ranking in the INSTRUMENTAL section of the the 2016 Independent Music Awards (MusicOz). This song was a co-write together with life long friend and musical colleague, Luke Koteras. We were stoked with this result!

On June 24 2017, I produced ‘Amalgamation RE-VAMP’ appearing again at 505. This time, I performed some re-arrangements from Amalgamation to keep it fresh for audiences, and once again, it was a successful SOLD OUT event!

Following the success of my Amalgamation shows, I will continue to host these exciting festive evenings, performing and collaborating with many amazing musicians around Australia!