Sassafras Trio plus Emily Gelineau & Jayden Blockley

Formed in late 2015, Sassafras has now established a reputation as one of Perth’s premier gypsy jazz groups. The band performs in a range of different formats with all of them having one thing in common, the core string trio of Lachlan Gear, Aaron Deacon and Pete Jeavons.

In their own right, Sassafras Trio have performed at numerous venues around WA and also at festivals including The Bonjour French Festival (2016), Jazz By The Bay (2017), The King Street Corner Pocket Festival (2018), the WA Guitar Festival (2021) and the York Festival (2021 & 2022). Additionally the Trio has performed many shows as a part of the larger Sassafras groups at venues such as The Ellington Jazz Club and The Duke of George and festivals including Perth International Jazz Festival (2017), The Oz Manouche Festival (Brisbane, 2018) and The Perth Festival (2021).

For this special event Sassafras Trio will be joined by not one but two special guests, the first being violinist Emily Gelineau. Classically trained on Piano and Violin from the age of 3, Emily is a creative modern musician who is known for playing and interpreting many styles of music from jazz to pop, rock, world styles, and the classical western-art tradition. Emily’s nimble violin and versatile musicianship fits neatly with Sassafras, and she has already featured in the band on numerous occasions.

The second special guest is saxophonist Jayden Blockley. Jayden was the winner of the prestigious James Morrison Scholarship in 2018 and he completed his undergraduate studies at the prestigious James Morrison Academy in Mount Gambier. Upon graduating, he was awarded the medal of Academic Excellence amongst his competitive cohort. Jayden has also toured Australia alongside with the James Morrison Academy Big Band and in 2019, he recorded his debut album as bandleader, “I Wrote A Song For Her, For Me” which was released on the ABC Jazz label in March 2020. In 2021 Jayden completed his graduate studies at WAAPA with first class honours and he was awarded the recitalist performance prize upon graduation. Since moving back to Perth, Jayden has become a sought-after performer on the local scene but also continues to develop his national profile, having been selected as one of the members of the Australian National Jazz Youth Orchestra (ANJO) in 2022.

Expect repertoire from Django Reinhardt, George Benson, Richard Galliano, Cedar Walton, Jimmy Bryant and many more. There’ll be toe-tapping swing, high-octane gypsy classics, bebop and a whole bunch more in between. Throw in a few original compositions from the band and some South American flavours as well, and you have all the ingredients for a great night of engaging and eclectic music that is guaranteed to please.

REVIEWS

“The infectious swing and gypsy jazz of Perth’s superb Sassafras provides an upbeat and enjoyable program of variety and consummate musicianship…” - Garry Lee, Seesaw, March 19th 2023

“Despite their small acoustic make up the three-piece provided a driving rhythm section, intricate solo work and sweetly lyrical melodies… the room was crowded with an enthusiastic audience and no one wanted it to end.” - Rosalind Appleby, Noted, July 6th 2018

“The Sassafras instrumentalists excelled throughout the evening, with virtuosic solos and seamless transitions. The acoustic guitar playing from Lachlan Gear and Aaron Deacon was perfect and lovely… Pete Jeavons reliable double bass playing shows his great experience.” - Mariyon Slany, Artshub, Feb 1st 2016