Casey Golden's High 5

Historical article recovered from a Wayback capture dated 2018-02-24.

High 5

Casey Golden is a Sydney-based piano player and composer. He was born into a musical family, and at the age of 17 (2005), won a BBM Jazz Award which allowed him to go to London and get involved in the jazz scene there. In 2011, Casey was a finalist for Young Australian Jazz Artist of the Year in the Australian Jazz ‘Bell’ Awards.

He released his debut album ‘Clarity’ on Scrampion Records/Planet/MGM in 2010, which was favourably received by critics and audiences alike.

He has a Bachelor of Music majoring in jazz piano, and has studied with many notable jazz musicians including Alister Spence and Matt McMahon. He has also studied overseas with many internationally acclaimed musicians, including Aaron Goldberg, Barney McAll, Lage Lund, Aaron Parks and Shai Maestro.

Casey is working on a project with Australian jazz legend Bob Barnard, with recordings and gigs planned for the coming months. He’s also featured on upcoming releases from The Hannah James Group and Edband (Ed Rodrigues).

‘A very promising young contemporary jazz acoustic piano trio from Sydney that are in the rhapsodic EST mould, but with a clear personal vision in their mix of trancey melodies and live musical jump cuts.’

• Jazzwise (UK)

‘The young Sydneysider generates driving rhythms and improvises effervescent melodies on his own compositions … a commendable debut.’

• Sydney Morning Herald

1. AARON GOLDBERG TRIO (w/ Reuben Rogers and Greg Hutchinson) – The Sound Lounge, Sydney, June 2008

This was the gig that really opened me up to what was possible in a piano trio. I was already a fan of all three musicians, but this was my first time seeing them live. They were playing material that I was mostly familiar with, but with an energy and presence that I’d never experienced before. The way they could open up on standards, how they could play really quiet, but still make it feel great. So heavy. I went both nights. This was the first gig I remember coming home from and immediately writing out a list of stuff I need to work on.

2. LAGE LUND QUARTET (w/ Will Vinson, Matt Penman and Rodney Green) – Smalls NYC, January 2009

This was a mad gig; an awesome rhythm section and two of my favourite musicians in the front line. This was the first time I’d seen Lage or Will play and since then I’ve seen them both as much as possible. They played originals from every band member, plus a few standards. Lage’s my favourite guitar player. His voicings and general harmonic concept are really unique and I’ve tried to use a lot of his concepts in my own playing. Will Vinson is unbelievable. I’ll never forget his solo on one of Matt Penman’s tunes. I’ve never seen someone cut changes so hard while sight-reading a tune.

3. ‘BROOKLYN BABYLON’ feat DARCY JAMES ARGUE’S SECRET SOCIETY – Brooklyn Academy of Music, November 2011

Generally speaking, I’ve never been much into big band music but this gig was unbelievable. The music is hard to describe because I’ve never heard anything else like it. It’s some of the most complex music I’ve ever heard, but really listenable. And it feels like something new. It was all new material written for these shows that paired the music with projections and live painting. This was the gig that everyone in New York seemed to be talking about at the time. I knew it was going to be something different, but going in, the thing I was most excited about was hearing John Ellis and Ted Poor play. As great as they were, the writing and orchestration was just on another level. Amazing.

4. GERALD CLAYTON TRIO (w/ Joe Sanders and Justin Brown) – Village Vanguard NYC, November 2011

I’d already checked out Gerald a lot on heaps of records before seeing his trio play, but these gigs still managed to be constantly surprising. This is a serious working band. No tunes were called and most of each set was segued. They’ve got an amazing rapport. I saw them three times during their week at the Vanguard and every set was completely different. They work really hard on getting new stuff out of each other on every gig, but it never sounds forced. Gerald’s intros and segues were particularly inspiring; always different and always going for something. They’re an awesome band. Everyone should check them out.

5. ALISTER SPENCE TRIO (w/ Lloyd Swanton and Toby Hall) – Various gigs around Sydney 2005-2012

Alister’s trio is the band that I’ve found to be the most consistently engaging and inspiring in Sydney over the last few years. I’ve been checking them out since I was in my final years of high school and they’re constantly presenting their music in new and interesting ways. Alister, Lloyd and Toby are three of the best musicians in town in my opinion, but what I like most about them is they’re always pushing themselves. Their music and general vibe has changed a lot over the last 6-7 years, but through these changes, they’ve always sounded fully committed to what they’re doing and the material is always really well thought out. All of this along with the rapport they’ve developed over years of playing together gives the music a weightiness that I really admire.