MEET THE BAND
Michael Walder
Double bass
Michael is a musician, bandleader and educator with over twenty years experience on the acoustic and electric bass. During his study at the prestigious Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Michael had the opportunity to study under leading jazz musicians Craig Scott and Steve Brien, and has since become an active member in the Sydney jazz community.
Michael has toured and recorded with numerous bands and artists in the Australian music scene. Some of these highlights include performing with Australian icon Tom Burlinson at the 2019 Susu Mamas Charity Fundraising Ball in Papua New Guinea, headlining the 2013 Limund-Oz music festival with renowned American gospel singer Joshua Nelson, performing at the 2015 Woodford Folk Festival with acclaimed Sydney French duo Baby et Lulu, and running his own jazz band. Michael released his debut album ‘Blues For Ray’ in 2020 and has also performed extensively with other musicians and artists at prominent music venues in Sydney, including The Basement, Oxford Art Factory, The Vanguard, Venue 505 and the Camelot Lounge, as well as countless corporate events and private functions.
Aaron Blakey
Piano
Aaron Blakey is a New Zealand-born jazz pianist and composer based in Sydney, Australia. Aaron has been performing professionally since 2006 and commenced his formal studies at Auckland University before moving to Japan, where he studied from Yuki Arimasa, a former Berklee College of Music Professor. He later completed a Diploma of Music in Jazz Performance from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
Aaron relocated to Sydney in 2011 after a four year stint playing in Japan as an active pianist on the Tokyo jazz scene, including a stint at the internationally renowned 'New York Bar and Grill' at the Shinjuku Park Hyatt Hotel, as featured in the 2003 blockbuster "Lost in Translation".
Aaron currently runs and writes music for his own quintet and performs regularly at leading Sydney jazz clubs including Venue 505, Foundry 616, Low 302, Lazybones, Butchers Brew and various other music venues.
Alex Hirlian
Drums
Alex Hirlian is a drummer currently living in Sydney, Australia. He graduated from the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2016 with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance. He studied under both Simon Barker and Andrew Dickeson during his time at the Sydney Conservatorium and has also received training in orchestral percussion, studying with Daryl Pratt and Richard Miller.
Alex plays regularly around Sydney and has performed in groups led by prominent Australian jazz figures such as James Muller, Sean Wayland, Mike Nock, Judy Bailey, Mike Rivett and Carl Morgan, just to name a few.
In 2014, Alex was selected as a finalist for the Generations in Jazz competition in Mount Gambier, South Australia, run by James Morrison. He also recently won the prestigious 'National Jazz Awards' competition in 2018 held in Wangaratta, Victoria, being the youngest of the competitors under the age of 35.