Freyja Garbett

Garbett’s heady compositions draws influence from a vast range of styles and musicians. A graduate of the Berklee College of Music, she lists pianists and composers such as Fred Hersch, Gerald Clayton and Maria Schneider as critical influences to her music, along with the likes of Flying Lotus, J Dilla and Snarky Puppy.

“The pieces from my debut album are an exploration of an electro-acoustic approach to jazz composition and improvisation,” begins Garbett. “These compositions are springboards for improvisation and creativity. An added element to my approach is that all of the musicians can manipulate their instrument’s sound drastically – the arrangements of the pieces can be expanded on, therefore creating ambient textures of the studio produced music that I listen to. On stage, we have the facility to offer audiences a fiery multi-dimensional performance.”

Single two from Garbett’s stellar debut is the titular track, Maya. Maya introduces itself with soft pianos that gently rise to crescendo, allowing subtle harmonies to form around it at the end of each bar. Improvisational segments cut and change, inspiring a sense of engagement in the listener. Key changes, upbeat horn sections and an air of optimism tickle at every note, while small branches of improvisation colour the rest of the song’s rich canvas. Finally, the song dives into a swampy finale – guided by low bass and clicking guitars before rolling to its end.

Previously sharing both performances and recordings with artists in the New York and Boston scenes – including Dave Fiuczynski’s Planet MicroJam, Garbett’s recent accolades include a commission by SIMA and APRA AMCOS to compose and perform with the Sydney Women’s Jazz Collective at the 2017 Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival. Her compositions are rich, mature and immersive – serving as a foreword to a long and promising career – and have already opened up exciting opportunities for Garbett come 2020.