Peter Knight

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Born: March 12, 1965 Primary Instrument: Trumpet

Peter Knight (b. 1965)

Australian trumpeter-composer Peter Knight is a multidisciplinary musician who has gained wide acclaim for his eclectic approach, which integrates jazz, world music, and experimental traditions. He leads several projects of his own and appears as a soloist in a range of settings, he also composes for theatre and film, and has created sound installations.

Peter appears internationally, with recent highlights including high profile performances with his group Way Out West at Montreal Jazz Festival, Vancouver Jazz Festival, and Veneto Jazz Festival. In 2009 Way Out West also toured Korea and Japan including concerts at Takatsuki Jazz Festival. Recent solo (trumpet and laptop) performances include the Banff Centre of the Arts (Canada) and KuLe for Labor Sonor (Berlin); in 2009/2010 he also appeared with Erik Griswold and his Wide Alley project at the Auckland Festival, Sydney Opera House, and Vancouver and Ottawa jazz festivals.

Peter is the recipient of numerous grants and awards. In 2009 he won (with Way Out West) the Bell Award for ‘Australian Jazz Ensemble of the Year.’ In 2008 he was nominated for the APRA Awards, ‘Jazz Composition of the Year.’ In 2007 he was awarded the Rolston Music Fellowship by the Banff Centre for the Arts, which enabled him to take up a composer’s residency in October 2007. Peter’s work has also been supported by grants from The Ian Potter Trust, Australia Council for the Arts, Arts Victoria, Alan C. Rose Trust, Australia/Korea Foundation, Australian International Cultural Council, and The Myer Foundation. He was the 2005 recipient of the Keith and Elizabeth Murdoch Travelling Fellowship (VCA).

Peter has released six albums of his compositions in the last eight years with ensembles including Way Out West, his eponymously titled quartet, and the 5+2 Brass Ensemble. His releases have received international acclaim: “Honest, inventive and original.” Hour Magazine Montreal. “Combines different styles seamlessly, [and] succeeds where so many other world music fusion groups fail.” Vancouver Sun. “An unusual and beguiling sound.” Cadence Review (New York). “Quietly forceful.” The Age.

In addition to the projects he leads, Peter has performed and recorded with a diverse range of local and international artists including: Adam Simmons, Adrian Sherriff’s ‘Oynsemble’, Hugh Fraser Quintet (Canada), Quinsin Nachoff (Canada), Kate Neal’s ‘Dead Horse Wind and String Ensemble’ (composition commission), Misinterprotato, Grand Union Orchestra (UK), Allan Browne, Ren Walters’ ‘This Ensemble’, Giorgio Magnanensi (Italy), Christian Pruvost (France), Erik Griswold’s ‘Wide Alley’ and ‘Ecstatic Music’ projects, Scott Tinkler, Stephen Magnusson, The Violent Femmes (USA), Spiderbait, You Am I, The Saints, and reggae star Horace Andy (Jamaica/UK).

Peter holds a Masters of Music Performance (VCA) and is currently completing a doctorate at Queensland Conservatorium where he is on full scholarship. He lectures part-time at NMIT and VCA. www.peterknightmusic.com www.myspace.com/peterknightquartet

Awards:

Bell Award 2009 'Australian Jazz Ensemble of the Year' (with Way Out West) APRA nomination 2008 'Australian Jazz Work of the Year'

Last Updated: July 8, 2010

The Bulletin September 2006 “Melbourne trumpeter Peter Knight belongs to the “less is more” school of jazz trumpet; in the tradition of players like Kenny Wheeler and Tomasz Stanko, he doesn’t produce effusive streams of notes, but the notes he plays carry more weight by virtue of the space that surrounds them, and the expressive weight invested in them.”

The Weekend Australian June 2010 Rating: * * * * 1/2 “Pushing the Asian/Australian jazz concept even further... Much of this successful exploration is due to leader/trumpeter Peter Knight’s multi-faceted compositions and the stunning versatility of Dung Nguyen’s contributions on various Vietnamese instruments and modified guitar.”

Jazz Times review of Vancouver Jazz Festival performance June ‘08 “The afternoon's international revelation was Way Out West, an extraordinary sextet from Australia.”

Voir Magazine Montreal July ‘08 Rating * * * * “An authentic jewel of world-jazz.”

Vancouver Sun June 30th 2008 “Truly one of the highlights of the day, the Melbourne-based group managed to combine different styles seamlessly, succeeding where so many other world music fusion groups fail.”

Hour Magazine Montreal July ‘08 “This ain't no worldbeat novelty stunt - the instruments are worked in artfully, and beyond them, there's a melodic sense to the whole band… honest, inventive and original.”

Adelaide Advertiser March 3rd 2008, live review Adelaide Fringe Rating * * * * * “Every member is a master musician interpreting the works wonderfully, with standout solos from everyone.”

ABC Limelight Magazine October 2007 Rating * * * * * “A mixed marriage of unprecedented success! While the thought of fusing African and Vietnamese music may appear unusual, the result is one of the most compelling releases of 2007.”

The Australian November 2007 Rating * * * * 1/2 “Vietnamese, African and a dash of the Middle East, all melded into Knight's original grooves.”

As a Leader Between Two Moments Newmarket 2001 Peter Knight trumpet Colin Hopkins piano Belinda Moody bass Tony Floyd drums Footscray Station - Way Out West Newmarket 2003 Peter Knight trumpet Paul Williamson sax Martin Breeze vocal Dung Nguyen guitar/dan tranh/dan bau Ray Pereira percussion Howard Cairns double bass Scott Lambie drums Invisible Cities and Other Works - 5+2 Brass Ensemble Rufus 2005 Peter Knight trumpet Gianni Marinucci trumpet/flugel Geoff Collinson French horn Kynan Robinson trombone Adrian Sheriff bass trombone Anita Hustas double bass Rajiv Jayaweera drums/percussion All the Gravitation of Silence Jazzhead 2006 Peter Knight trumpet Stephen Magnusson guitar Colin Hopkins piano Frank Di Sario double bass Tony Floyd drums Old Grooves for New Streets - Way Out West Jazzhead 2007 Peter Knight trumpet Paul Williamson sax Dung Nguyen guitar/dan tranh/dan bau Ray Pereira percussion Howard Cairns double bass Dave Beck drums The Effects of Weather - Way Out West Jazzhead 2010 Peter Knight trumpet Paul Williamson sax Dung Nguyen guitar/dan tranh/dan bau Ray Pereira percussion Howard Cairns double bass Rajiv Jayaweera drums

Disclaimer: All About Jazz is not responsible for the accuracy of the discographical data at the website(s) provided. If a link is no longer valid, please contact discography@allaboutjazz.com. Thank you.

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