User:Jaglassc/sandbox/Cameron Undy

Cameron Undy is an Australian composer, producer, and bassist, known for his work in jazz, broken beat, nu jazz and funk and soul.

From 505 website Undy carved out a formidable career as a bassist in the 90's in Australia playing with 'all' the luminaries and prodigies of the day from Mike Nock to James Morrison. He spent the early part of the 10's travelling and performing throughout Europe with the "Nu Jazz" wave of dance floor artists. Returning to co-found 505 in 2004. Over the next 6 years under his co-direction 505 grew from a one night a week venue to a full time professional performance space now presenting 6 nights per week of local, interstate and international acts, and added a second venue the Old 505 Theatre in 2011. 505 now presents over 320 productions/events a year.

Early Years
Undy was born in Canberra, Australia in 1969 and developed an interest in music from his parents and elder sister who inspired his transition from learning rock guitar to playing jazz. Undy graduated from Melrose High School, Canberra in 1985 and got his first double bass in 1987. He was accepted to study at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 1988, at which time he moved from Canberra to Sydney and almost immediately began playing professionally due to a shortage of bass players. Undy graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music jazz program in 1989, specialising in double and electric bass.

Undy was the founding member and inaugural president (1997-2000) of the Jazzgroove Association (REF) that presents over 100 concerts a year. His career covers many genres as a live performer and studio session musician on both electric and upright basses. He is the co-director of the landmark Venue 505 that went from underground fame, to become one of Sydney’s leading (legitimate) live music spaces.

http://www.songsummit.com.au/program/speakers-artists/cameron-undy/ http://australianjazzrealbook.com/artists/cameron-undy/ http://www.extempore.com.au/2010/05/cameron-undy-of-505-in-conversation-with-miriam-zolin/

http://www.fcproductions.com.au/talent/cameron.html TU: There is a lot of very good jazz talent in Sydney but a lot of the people I have spoken to have complained about the lack of venues and exposure, do you think this is the case? There are not a whole lot of venues, it’s not an easy road and you have to be really self motivated. You can put together a great repertoire of music and a really great band and still find that you don’t get a gig. I’ve got friends who can play really well and they have good bands and they can’t get a gig mainly because they haven’t got a known guy in the band. I’m lucky enough to have played with Mike Nock who is probably one of the best known jazz musicians in Australia for the last ten years and so as I’m becoming older I’m becoming considered a ‘name’ so maybe if people get me in their band that means that they might get a gig! Which is fortunate for me and the groups that I run but it doesn’t necessarily reflect on how good a musician you are. I know that there are good players out there who have tried hustling gigs and have met with a brick wall. So it’s not just good enough to be a good player you have to have to have some kind of a lucky break or something because there are so few venues and the venues that are there are so conservative as well. They are only that way because of financial reasons, they have to stay afloat, so in a way I don’t blame them for having a conservative attitude.

TU: Tell us a bit about playing with Mike Nock It’s been a really big learning curve playing with him because he’s come from living twenty five years in New York and touring all over the place and playing with some of the best musicians of the last thirty years of jazz. He tries to push the people around him to the level to which he’s accustomed. I would say that being in his band for the last ten years has been the biggest learning experience in terms of band work and playing original music that I could have had. Playing with Mike has been fantastic.

TU: Do you think things would have been different if you hadn’t linked up with a big ‘name’ like that? Definitely, but not everybody responds to that sort of demanding band leader. I’ve seen a lot of people come through the band and go out the other side, they don’t respond to that sort of pressure that he puts on, so I guess, even though I was given that sort of opportunity I was able to respond to the sort of pressure that he does exert.

TU: To a reader who has never heard of you before how would you describe your style of playing? I would say fairly free, but I also spend a lot of time practising and working on an intellectual level. I have a lot of self discipline but listening back to myself I understand that the times when my playing is at it’s best is when I let go and go into the unconscious because I tend to be very analytical naturally but I think that my playing is at it’s best when I free up and go into the freer forms of jazz but I still like form to be around it, so I like in my music for there to be form and also free form happening at the same time - heavy structure and then chaos through it!

TU: Where do you see yourself going in the future with your music? Just keep developing my writing style and really expand that into other formats aside from jazz. I also want to spend a lot of time getting up my performance strength and my technical ability to be able to express myself live. I’d like to take that around this country to regional areas. That would be a real dream of mine because this is such an incredible place. A lot of the time you need financial funding to do that because there aren’t huge audiences out there and you’re not looking at people who have a lot of money. Also I’d love to keep travelling overseas - learning and experiencing and performing. I would also love to see the expansion of my family record label - Dancing Laughing records as well. The only thing I have out at the moment on that label is the album Temple (His piano and bass album with Mike Nock which is available from specialist jazz stores in all the major cities in Sydney) but I’m looking to record more music and utilise that label.

Association with other musicians
Undy has performed with James Morrison ETC Emma Pask Mike Nock

Performs with his own group 20th Century Dog.

Edouard Bronson Quartet, Gerard Masters Trio, Mike Nock Quartet, Mike Nock Quintet, 20th Century Dog, Kidzen, Jazzgroove

Numerology (Cameron Undy - Double and Electric Bass, Carl Dewhurst - Guitar, Simon Barker - Drums)

Roger Frampton, Ten Part Invention, Dale Barlow, Paul Grabowsky and Bernie McGann. He has also worked with overseas artists Don Pullen, Sam Rivers, Eddie Aklaff and Vincent Herring

Inga Liljeström

The landmark album "Temple" was produced in YEAR after Undy, then a young bassist, plucked the courage to invite his mentor Mike Nock to record some of his own music. This album was awarded the number one album of the year by Craig Pearce of 'Drum Media' (1995). The musical collaboration between the two musicians ran over a decade from 1989 until Undy formed his own group, 20th Century Dog (members) and recorded under the name of Kidzen.

Split across 2 discs (album + remixes) the album Kidzen features a formidable cast of musicians including Carl Dewhurst, Gerard Masters, Felix Bloxsom, Ian Mussington from Soul Asyslum, Phil Slater, Matt Keegan, his sister Fiona Johnson, together with vocal contributions by Inga Liljestrom, Pat Powell and Kye http://www.birdland.com.au/catalogue/category634/p46106

Awards and honours

 * (2013) DownBeat magazine listed Venue 505 as one of the top 150 Jazz Clubs in the world.
 * (2013) Venue 505 was featured as a "must visit spot" in the 2013 Lonely Planet guide to Sydney
 * (2012) Venue 505 was awarded a highly commended at Time Out Magazine's Bar Awards for Best Entertainment Venue.
 * (2001) Included in the Sydney Morning Herald Sydney Magazine's annual list of the 100 Most Influential and Inspiring People in 2011, along with his wife and business partner for their contribution to music and theater in Sydney.
 * (2006) Nominated for the Australian Jazz Artist of the Year award

Discography
http://www.discogs.com/artist/Cameron+Undy#v=sm&t=Credits_All http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/artist/Cameron+Undy/a/albums.htm

Numerology - Telepathy, Jazzgroove 20th Century Dog, Mad Stream, Jazzgroove Kidzen, Kidzen, http://www.birdland.com.au/catalogue/category634/p46106

Letter To An Old Dog Lira and 1 more… Blind Girl Stripper Return To Paradise (Mark De Clive-Lowe Remix) May I?