ARIA-nominated Queensland instrumental trio East of West is on Australia-wide tour of their fourth album, Velella.
Over the eight years of their collaboration, East of West have developed an intuitive musical relationship, flourishing through their dynamic interplays, virtuosic unison melodies and expressive soloing. Gajić’s compositions explore gentle melodic motifs nested in uptempo passages set to Balkan-influenced rhythms, interspersed with moments of mesmerising musical sparseness.
Recorded live in Brisbane by the extraordinary Melbourne-based sound engineer Siiri Metsar, this album further extends the band’s unique sound and style, inviting listeners to immerse themselves in its finely-crafted soundscapes and improvisations.
“The splendid interactions between the musicians here suggest an affinity with the best traditions of European jazz.”
THE AUSTRALIAN (Eric Myers) ★★★★
“Influences from the Balkans and Mediterranean meet jazz and contemporary classical.”
SONGLINES (Christina M. Bauer) ★★★★
“Fans of world fusion will certainly resonate with East of West’s musical intuition and ethnic sophistication…”
JAZZTRAIL, New York (Filipe Freitas)
“A true listening experience with impressive exotic sounds.”
BERLIN ON AIR
“Some collaborations aren’t simply a matter of adding talents: they create a shared language.”
IGGY MAGAZINE, Paris
“Replete with storytelling and imagery”
SYDNEY MORNING HERALD (Eugene Ulman)
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