Hiroko’s Selection: Zela Margossian and her Quintet in Oh! Jazz
Zela Margossian Quintet | Photo via zelamargossian.com
In today's world jazz scene, there are many organizations that actively back up fresh talent. There are large national organizations as well as women-led organizations, and, of course, many local events are held to introduce a wide variety of artists from various countries. Sydney Improvisation Music Association (SIMA) is one of those much-appreciated organizations, and at Oh! Jazz you can enjoy live performances curated by them.
As many of you probably know, SIMA is a non-profit organization, established in 1984, dedicated to showcasing the diverse and unique Australian jazz scene through an ample range of promotional activities, being the Sydney’s Int’l Women's Jazz Festival (SIWJF) is one of SIMA's most recognized events that promises to the assistants the opportunity to experience magical and diverse music experiences with global artists.
Women's jazz festivals have historically been held in places like the United States or Scandinavia, but the fact that the SIWJF is being hosted by Australia's leading organizations indicates that there is an increasing interest and awareness about gender equality in the Australian jazz scene.
Many relevant artists have performed at this festival, and their projects and musical offers are diverse and unique. They also devote part of their program and stages to featuring young composers.
One of the interesting artists that we’ve had the pleasure to see at the SIWJF was Zela Margossian, she has performed in the years 2017, 2019, 2020, and 2021. Her Quintet debuted in 2018 and they are based in Sydney. In 2021, she signed a contract with the famous American label Ropeadope and her outstanding performance and skill have been attracting worldwide attention in the following years.
Zela Margossian’s jazz arrangements with traditional music are sophisticated and modern
Margossian is a pianist with roots in Armenia, and her jazz arrangements with traditional music are sophisticated and modern. In the live performance of the Quintet at Sydney's Foundry 616 produced by Oh! Jazz and available on the platform, and you will be able to witness the flow of their organic music with the addition of multi-layered rhythms of percussion and drums mixed with the pureness that you can feel in the elements of classical music.
Moreover, in this performance, I was able to feel the life-size figure of Margossian as a leader and appreciate up close her inciting power and relaxed expression during her performance, I could even feel her music and the charm of her personality.
Zela Margossian and her Quintet enrich Australia as a place where musicians with various roots are active and where jazz is constantly being created and reinvented, rooted in diversity and in this unique fertile soil that is open to all kinds. I was glad to be reminded of that again. I hope this Oh! Jazz performance will be as inspiring to you as well.
- Hiroko Otsuka is a music journalist, DJ and producer.