The Project

My name is Nick Abbey, I'm a jazz bassist from Perth, Western Australia. I'm really excited to announce my upcoming album, 'Phantoms'. I've been desperately wanting to create some new music and now the opportunity has arrived! It's a bit nerve-wracking, but I'm also excited to be putting together a release of all my own music, it's material that I'm really proud of that's developed as a response to five months of European travel and some incredible discussions I had with Australian jazz bassists here and overseas. 

I'm extremely fortunate to be recording with my long-time collaborators Chris Foster (piano) and Daniel Susnjar (drums). They're amazing musicians and friends who really bring the material to life. We hit Crank Studio July 31-August 3 with Kieran Kenderessy engineering and mixing. The music will be mastered at the world-class Nilento AB (Sweden), and it's looking like we're likely to have a distribution deal with a Melbourne-based record label, which is a fantastic development and opportunity. Along the way we'll produce a few new live videos and launch in November at the Perth International Jazz Festival.

Pre-ordering: Why We Need You!

Making a jazz record as an independent artist is no easy feat. For a piano trio project like this we really need access to a studio with a great instrument, and that comes at a cost. We've received creative development funding for the majority of the expense through WA's Department of Local Government, Sports, and Cultural Industries (DLGSC, formerly the DCA), which is an enormous help, but it doesn't cover the full cost. We'll be pitching in, too, but we'd love your help in getting us over the line!

At the end of the day, recording an album like this is motivated by creating something that you believe in and sharing it 

with people. So, if you're interested in the music, it would be incredibly helpful if you could preorder the album to help it get made. The CD sales on a jazz album like this will never match the cost of production, but that's okay! Your help would really soften the blow and be invaluable in supporting the project!  

The Band

National Jazz Awards Finalist and three-time WA Music Industry (WAM) Jazz Song of the Year Winner Nick Abbey is well known for his work in the trios Abbey|Foster|Falle and TRISK. Nick has regularly collaborated with Troy Roberts, Paul Grabowsky, Jamie Oehlers, and Tom O’Halloran, and has performed with international luminaries Peter Bernstein, Vivian Sessoms, George Garzone, John Scofield, Paul Bollenback, Alex Norris, Jim Pugh, and Howard Levy. Nick has previously appeared on TRISK 'Speedrun' (2015), Abbey|FosterlFalle 'Brotherhood' (2013), Fiona-Lawe Davies 'Imaginary Grace' (2016), Ryan Daunt 'Fragile Information' (2016), Ecila 'Ecila' (2012), Det Nopsus 'Det Nopsus' (2009), Glyn MacDonald Group 'Live' (2011), ­_motion 'Presence' (2009), ATM15 'Big Band Reborn' (2010) and Johannes Luebbers Dectet 'The Exquisite Corpse of Beethoven' (2010) and 'Make Some Noise' (2008). Nick is lecturer at the WA Academy of Performing Arts, and is in the final stages of his PhD.

www.nickabbeymusic.com

Specializing in Afro-Peruvian jazz, Daniel Susnjar is one of Australia’s leading voices in drumming, and has performed and recorded with music legends including Chick Corea, Terence Blanchard, Bobby McFerrin, Dave Grusin, and Steve Miller, to name a few. He has received several Bell Awards with his Daniel Susnjar Afro-Peruvian Jazz Group (2015 Best Australian Modern Jazz Album & Australian Jazz Song of the Year) and Speedball (2018 Jazz Song of the Year) as well as a swag of WAM awards, including Best Jazz Act (2016 and 2017), Best Drummer (2016) and Jazz Song of the Year (2015). Daniel holds a Doctoral degree from the University of Miami and is a lecturer at WAAPA.

www.danielsusnjar.com

Chris Foster is one of Perth’s most in-demand pianists. He has performed with internationally acclaimed artists including Terrell Stafford, Ronald Carter, Frank Foster, Ed Partyka, Ernest Ranglan, Ian Hendrickson-Smith and Dave Guy (Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings), and James Morrison. Chris balances performing and teaching commitments with writing and recording for his original bands, which range from acoustic jazz to hip-hop, where he is a significant contributor to WA legends Downsyde and Optamus, as well as Drapht and Coin Banks.

https://www.facebook.com/musician.chris.foster/

EXPENSES

Main recording costs (Studio & Engineer hire, piano tuning, mixing and editing) = $7982

Mastering = $1600

Manufacture = $1540

Photoshoot  = $500

Album artwork = $1500

Videography = $1715

Freight = $115

Recording fees = $3000

TOTAL = $17,952

INCOME

We've received about $13,000 of DLGSC (the new DCA) funding

Nick Abbey initial contribution = $2500

Pozible = $2000 (after Pozible admin fees)

The biggest potential challenge for this recording would have been not getting the DLGSC grant... but we got it!! 

However, this Pozible campaign is part of our budget, so we still need your help in reaching the target, and anything that you guys can help raise here beyond the basic target will be a huge bonus, allowing us to develop more promo videos, book interstate gigs, and up-spec the recording as much as possible! 

Please, if you're at all interested in the music consider pre-ordering through here. I know we'll never make money back on the outlay—it's jazz, after all!—I just want your help getting the thing made so I can share my music with you and build new performance opportunities for the trio!