1.Growing Up
The eldest of four kids, I grew up in Auckland. My father, who once played flute and sax with Manfred Mann in London, immersed us in music from an early age, nurturing our growth by providing unique opportunities such as inviting touring musicians to stay and teach. Furthermore, our grandmothers were also accomplished musicians, with one touring as Liberace’s harpist in Australia.
2.Inspirations
From an early age I listened to my dad’s jazz records and as such many of my favourite musicians are saxophonists: I love John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon and Gene Ammons. However, by high school I was taking inspiration from a wider world of music, listening to mixtapes of Jamaican music my brother Mark made me and attending local world music workshops. Much later – and thanks again to my brother’s mix tapes – I was introduced to Ethiopian music which has formed a major influence on the tunes I make with Mister Ott.
3.Your Band
In Mister Ott, we have Ellen Kirkwood on trumpet, Daniel Pliner on keys, my brother Eden on bass and Ben Panucci on guitar, while drumming duties are shared by former Deep Sea Arcade drummer Carlos Adura and kiwi drummer Daniel Kennedy. All these creative musicians also perform in other great Sydney-based bands such as Dereb The Ambassador, The Strides, the New Venusians and Fat Yahoozah.
4.The Music You Make
We draw from East African, South American, hip hop and modern electronic music styles. Whilst we might draw you in with familiar sounds, our aim is to take you on a journey with unknown rhythms and melodies that will get you dancing. We have a new album coming out in December and the music is a mixture of Ethiopian jazz, new soul and afrobeat. Mixing the album will be Damien Charles (The Red Eyes) who has mixed for the likes of Hiatus Kaiyote.
5.Music, Right Here, Right Now
I’ll let our trumpet player Ellen answer this one: “There’s so much amazing music in Sydney and Australia. Lots of people are doing creative, imaginative things. Unfortunately, it seems that Australian culture doesn’t appreciate the arts as much as other cultures – people are more likely to go out and watch sport than go and see live music. I think it’s important for people to experience art that challenges their normal ways of thinking. It makes us more aware of ourselves and the world around us.”
Mister Ott play at Venue 505, as part of Sydney Fringe Festival 2016, Saturday September 3.
