Gai Bryant
Resume
Gai is a saxophonist/composer currently living in Sydney. She has worked locally with Jeremy Sawkins, Mark Simmonds, Paul McNamara, Roger Frampton, Sandy Evans, Jackie Orzaczky, Jann Rutherford, Lloyd Swanton, Janet Seidel, Warwick Alder, Paul Derricott, Alister Spence, Brendan Clarke and Danny Carmichael among others.
In 1996/7 she studied with soprano saxophonist and composer, Jane Ira Bloom in New York. Upon her return to Sydney she formed the Gai Bryant Quartet. From 1997-2000 the Quartet toured throughout Australia, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan performing concerts and conducting workshops.
Gai studied Taegum at the National Korean Performing Arts Centre in Seoul in 2000 with WON Hyang-Juan, master of traditional Korean music. In September the Quartet toured Korea with WON Hyang-Juan’s ensemble performing at the Korean Performing Arts Centre, Seoul. The combined ensemble toured Australia performing and giving workshops at the Brisbane Festival, Sydney’s Carnivale, the Opera House Studio plus recording for the University of Western Sydney contemporary music program.
In October/November 2002 Gai’s large ensemble performed with Jim McNeely at the Sydney Opera House Studio and Wangaratta Festival playing Jim’s compositions and arrangements for tentet. During 2003 she sought out Jim McNeely and Mike Gibbs to delve further into composition and arranging.
In 2005 she composed and recorded a soundtrack for previously unseen Frank Hurley footage of the SS Aurora 1911-13 expedition to the Antarctic, which screened at Longest Night Film Festival. She performed with Arkadiy Figlin Trio at the Pori Jazz Festival, Finland and mentored the Sisters in Jazz ensemble through her original compositions/arrangements for the International Jazz Educators
Association.
In 2007 she worked with the Tiwi Women’s Choir culminating in performances for Darwin International Festival. In 2008 Gai worked as “musician-in-residence” in Armidale teaching and directing ensembles for five schools and two regional conservatoriums. In October 2008 she toured with Jim McNeely for the second time performing his music for big band.
In 2011 and 2012 she took part in presenting works by Mike Gibbs for Kinetic Jazz. She continues to perform original material with her own ensemble, collaborate with poet Miles Merrill developing jazz and spoken word repertoire and perform as a guest in Australia and overseas.
Currently she is undertaking doctorate studies in folkloric Cuban music styles at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. She visited Cuba in 2012 and 2013 performing at Cuba Disco Festival with Joachin Betancourt and acclaimed rumbero Justo Pelladito. Her own big band, Palacio de la Rumba, performed with Justo Pelladito in Sydney 2014 for the Sydney International Women’s Festival.