JULIEN WILSON
Tenor, alto & soprano saxophone
Julien is a founding member of Festa, Snag & Ishish and also runs a chordless quintet with two trombones called the Outfit. He plays tenor, alto & soprano saxophone and has recorded many of his compositions with these groups. He has been a member of Paul Grabowsky's Australian Art Orchestra since 1997, received the Australian Jazz Award at Wangaratta Jazz Festival in 1994, and holds music degrees from Melbourne University & New England Conservatory (USA).
Julien has recorded CDs with artists as diverse as Nichaud
Fitzgibbon, David Tolley, The Big One, Mooving & Grooving Orchestra,
Belinda Moody Sextet, Chris Tanner's Virus & Julie O'Hara, and has
performed with international artists and Australian musicians including
Barney McAll, Scott Tinkler Trio, Odeon Pope, Andy Cowan, Lily Dior, The
Hoodangers, The Band Who Knew Too Much, Richard Frankland, Bob Valentine,
The Pearly Shells & Paul Williamson's Hammond Combo. He has performed
at music festivals throughout Australia and in North America, England,
Scotland, Switzerland, Italy, Finland, Denmark & Germany.
During 2001 both Ishish & Snag received international attention and
rave reviews for their performances at festivals in Europe and Australia
and Snag's first performance of four at Wangaratta Jazz Festival was the
first one to ever be broadcast live to air on Radio National. Both bands
are working on new albums that were recorded by the ABC for Jim McLeods
Jazztrack.
In 1999 Julien received study grants from the Australia
Council For the Arts and the Ian Potter Foundation to pursue graduate
studies in the USA under a scholarship from New England Conservatory.
He spent the majority of 2000 & 2001 living in Boston and New York
where he toured with the Artie Shaw Orchestra, performed with Bob Moses
Quartet and George Russell's Living Time Orchestra and studied performance
and composition extensively with Jerry Bergonzi, Paul Bley, George Garzone,
George Russell, Cecil McBee & John McNeil as well as participating
in workshops with Steve Lacy, Dave Leibman, Rashied Ali, Chico O'Farrill,
Benny Golson, Jack DeJohnette & Joey Baron.
He returned to Melbourne late last year and has been working
on different trio projects playing neglected songs from the vast jazz
repertoire.