Latest release:
Flicker & Polar Bird
Flicker & Polar Bird is a double album that mixes newKellercreations with re-imaginings of older works. The music celebrates the connections Andrea madeastheANU H.C. Coombs Creative ArtsFellow in 2022, which enabled her to work with a host of wonderful musicians, deepening existing collaborations, and creating new ones.
Featuring Miroslav Bukovsky (trumpet), John Mackey (saxophone), Rachael Thoms (voice), Liam Budge(voice), Véronique Serret (violin), and string sections in Sydney and Canberra, the compositions on this double release date from 2010 to 2022 and include many previously unreleased tracks.
Band Leader Projects:
Wave Riders - Systems Over-Ride
Wave Riders is Andrea’s new musical venture where the somewhat disparate things she’s so fond of come together: free jazz, doom metal, fractured harmonies, inconspicuous melodies…
Continuing themes of brutality and beauty run thick throughout - boldly interacting in a musically compelling conglomerate that evokes a soaring soundtrack rich in emotion and connection.
The music of Wave Riders, which features new compositions by Andrea including the extended suite Systems Over-Ride, was recorded on their debut album at Head Gap Studio in Preston, June 29 and 30, 2021.
PATSy - Andrea Keller Curates Monday Nights at the Jazzlab Volume. 3
The music of PATSy (named for Piano, Accordion, Trombone and Saxophone OR Piano, Alto, Trombone, Squeezebox) is all about sweet, tender beauty…
The drummer-less and bass-less ensemble features established musicians at the core, with the innovation of rising stars interweaving and colouring the music from fresh perspectives. PATSy performs compositions by Andrea that celebrate simplicity, subtlety, and spontaneity.
The group recorded their debut album live at the Jazzlab on July 12 (between lockdowns 4 and 5) and August 2 (between lockdowns 5 and 6) 2021.
Five Below - Life is Brut(if)al
Devised in 2017 and led by Andrea Keller, Five Below reimagines almost two decades of Andrea’s compositions - throwing her music into a new light through an intense process of deconstruction, exploration, and musical innovation. The result is exquisitely balanced and blissfully hypnotic.
Melding acoustic sounds with electronics, pedals and effects, the music of Five Below draws from an eclectic array of styles including doom, western art music, minimalism and contemporary jazz. Essentially an over-sized rhythm section, the quintet of two basses, piano, guitar and drums have released two albums.
Andrea Keller - Life is Brut(if)al nominated for the Music Victoria Award, Best Jazz Album 2020
Five Below - Five Below Live
Five Below Live was recorded live at the Jazzlab in Melbourne in December 2017 and cemented the band’s reputation for producing a unique and arresting voice in Australian jazz.
Andrea Keller’s Five Below - Winner of the Australian Jazz ‘Bell’ Award for Best Australian Jazz Ensemble 2019
Andrea Keller Transients - Volume 2
Having performed in trios with her late mentor Allan Browne for 16 years, Andrea established Transients in 2016, inspired by his musical philosophy and spirit.
Dedicated to a collective approach to music making, the series of trios feature both emerging and established Melbourne musicians, interpreting the jazz tradition with an uninhibited, and somewhat unconventional, Australian accent.
Andrea Keller Transients - Volume 1
Andrea Keller - Transients Volume 1 - Winner of the Music Victoria Award for Best Jazz Album 2019
Nominated for the ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album 2019
Nominated for the Australian Music Prize 2019
Andrea Keller - Journey Home
Andrea’s solo piano work Journey Home is a 50-minute solo piano soundtrack accompanying an evocative film created by Hayley Miro Browne. Released in 2020, the film features a selection of some 3,000 photographic slides taken by Andrea’s father Erik Keller, only discovered in storage almost 20-years after his death.
Journey Home not only pays tribute to him, but also to Hayley Miro Browne’s father Allan Browne, who was a crucial mentor to Andrea. The soundtrack draws from a musical aesthetic inspired by Arvo Pärt, and the recording features three exquisite Australian made Stuart & Sons pianos.
Andrea Keller - Family Portraits
Andrea’s second solo piano release Family Portraits is a collection of solo pieces using prepared piano and live looping techniques recorded at the Melbourne Recital Centre Salon.
Composed in dedication to her ancestors and loved ones, it is an aural family tree, created from a desire to preserve the little that is known for her future generations. The pieces capture the love, humour and sadness of a small and geographically disparate family.
Andrea Keller - Family Portraits nominated for both ARIA and Music Victoria Awards in 2013
Andrea Keller - Footprints - The Wayne Shorter Project
Released by ABC Jazz in 2008, Andrea’s debut solo album features her re-imaginings and arrangements of 12 Wayne Shorter compositions for solo piano, and overdubbed piano and Nord electro.
Andrea Keller - Footprints – the Wayne Shorter Project Winner of the ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album, 2008
Andrea Keller Curates Monday Nights at the Jazzlab Volume. 2 - Meditations for 2 to 3 Players
The Solo/Duo/Trio project explores new collaborations in various instrumental groupings, featuring original compositions and spontaneous music making.
The unexpected delights from a cross-section of these evenings can be heard on this live recording album. The album features musicians in duos and trios with Andrea, showcasing compositions by her and her colleagues.
Andrea Keller Curates Monday Nights at the Jazzlab Volume. 1 - The Composers’ Circle
Andrea’s Composers’ Circle brings together leading Melbourne-based jazz improvisers and composers. The sextet performs regularly at the Jazzlab, presenting world premieres and re-imaginings of its member’s compositions.
The inaugural iteration of the group and a selection of their varied repertoire has been captured on the first in a series of live recording album releases.
Andrea Keller - Still Night: Music in Poetry
Incorporating poetry that spans centuries & the globe, Andrea’s work features Australian jazz vocalists Vince Jones & Gian Slater. The 60-minute song cycle engages the listener in a sensitive – and ultimately consoling – conversation on this delicate topic. Premiering in 2016, Still Night: Music in Poetry has been performed at the Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Melbourne Women’s International Jazz Festival, Port Fairy Spring Music Festival, and the Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival.
Andrea Keller - Still Night: Music in Poetry - Winner of the Australian Jazz ‘Bell’ Award for Best Australian Jazz Vocal Album in 2018
Andrea Keller Quartet - Greatest Hits
The Andrea Keller Quartet had a celebrated 17-year journey until 2016. With its beginnings in 1999 as a quintet, the long-time collaborators released 6 albums, touring nationally and internationally.
Significantly lauded with an ARIA and 3 Australian Jazz ‘Bell’ Awards (including for Jazz ensemble of the Year, 2012), as well as multiple nominations, the Andrea Keller Quartet was Andrea’s main compositional and creative output for many years.
Andrea Keller Quartet - Wave Rider
Andrea Keller Quartet - Wave Rider - Winner of the Australian Jazz ‘Bell’ Award for Best Australian Modern Jazz Album 2014
also nominated for:
ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album 2014
the Age Music Victoria Genre Award for Best Jazz Album 2014
AIR Award for Best Independent Jazz Album 2014
Andrea Keller Quartet - Galumphing ‘Round the Nation – The Collaborations Project
Released in 2010, Galumphing ‘Round the Nation features special guests:
Miroslav Bukovsky - trumpet
Bernie McGann - alto saxophone
Jamie Oehlers - tenor saxophone
Phil Slater - trumpet
Stephen Magnusson - guitar
John Rodgers - violin
Andrea Keller Quartet - Little Claps
Andrea Keller Quartet - Little Claps - Winner of the Australian Jazz ‘Bell’ Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album 2008
Nominated for the ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album 2007
Andrea Keller Quartet - Little Claps Extra Tracks
6 additional tracks recorded on the Little Claps session (Melbourne, 2007)
Andrea Keller Quartet - Angels and Rascals
Andrea Keller Quartet - Angels and Rascals - Nominated for the ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album 2005
Andrea Keller Quartet - Thirteen Sketches
Andrea Keller Quartet - Thirteen Sketches - Winner of the ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album 2002
Three Lanes - Three Lanes
Andrea formed Three Lanes as an opportunity to step out of her usual musical comfort zone and collaborate with much admired recorder virtuoso Genevieve Lacey and improviser/electronic artist/drummer Joe Talia.
The resulting combination of acoustic, electronic, prepared, improvised and composed elements allow the unique and distinctive contribution of each of these three celebrated Australian musicians to be given voice and to establish a new, shared language
Three Lanes - Boy
Boy is the digital only release of Andrea’s extended work for the Three Lanes trio and string quartet.
Andrea Keller - Mikrokosmos - The Bartok Project
Andrea composed, arranged and performed on her album Mikrokosmos - The Bartok Project, recorded and released in 2002.
Andrea's Bartok Project is a re-working of Bela Bartok's compositions. The Project formed in 2002, debuting live at the Melbourne Jazz Co-operative. Andrea then recorded a selection of seventeen Mikrokosmos by Bartok, which she arranged for Jim McLeod's Jazz Track at the ABC.
Winner of the ARIA Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Album 2003
Winner of the Australian Jazz ‘Bell’ Award for Best Australian Contemporary Jazz Album 2003
Collaborator Projects:
Barnett/Anning/Keller - Between Panic & Peace
Long-time collaborators Shannon Barnett (trombone), Sam Anning (double bass) & Andrea Keller (piano) release their debut album as a trio Between Panic & Peace. The track list features compositions and improvisations by all three musicians.
With Barnett living and working in Cologne, Germany, and Anning and Keller based in Melbourne, Australia, opportunities for performance, collaboration and recording for the trio have been sparse over the years.
Each a celebrated bandleader, composer and performer in their own right, their mutual respect, admiration and friendship breathes joy and a sense of playfulness into their collective music.
Tim Wilson/Andrea Keller Duo - Outside In
Tim Wilson & Andrea Keller began playing together as undergraduate students in the 1990’s in Melbourne.
They formed a duo in 2007 and have since released 3 live albums of their original music, most recently in 2021, ‘Outside In’ with guest performer James Macaulay on trombone.
Tim Wilson/Andrea Keller Duo - Consider This
Tim Wilson/Andrea Keller Duo - Consider This - Winner of the Australian Jazz ‘Bell’ Award for Best Australian Instrumental Jazz Album 2017
Tim Wilson/Andrea Keller Duo - Life That Lingers (Live)
Life That Lingers was recorded live at Bennetts Lane Jazz Club in August 2008, and features 9 original compositions by Tim and Andrea.
Sandy Evans/Andrea Keller Duo - Monash Sessions
Andrea’s ongoing collaboration with her mentor Sandy Evans was most recently celebrated with the release of the Monash Sessions recording.
The album also features Monash University jazz students who had the privilege and opportunity to rehearse, perform and record Sandy and Andreas’ compositions with them.
Mirko Guerrini/Andrea Keller Duo - Genius Loci
In addition to his ‘Horizontal Quartet’, Melbourne-based Italian saxophonist Mirko Guerrini formed a duo with Andrea in 2019, which saw them perform together in Switzerland, and Italy.
One of the highlights of this tour was a performance at the Genius Loci cultural festival in Florence, Italy. Situated in the historic Santa Croce complex, the concert was recorded live and released in 2021.
Keller/Murphy/Browne - Travellers
The Keller/Murphy/Browne trio performed together from 2003 until Allan’s passing in June 2015.
Their performances featured their original compositions, along with standards and free improvisations to Al’s poetry readings. With a focus on achieving a collective consciousness on stage by pushing the boundaries of their musical dialogue, the trio’s combination was a precious one.
Keller/Murphy/Browne - Carried by the Sun
Recorded in 2006.
Andrea Keller & Miroslav Bukovsky - The Komeda Project
The Komeda Project, jointly led by Andrea and trumpeter Miroslav Bukovsky, preserves and expands the legacy of Krzysztof Komeda - the Polish jazz pianist and composer who, in his brief life penned the scores for more than 40 films.
The re-imagining of a selection of Komeda’s material by Andrea and Miroslav was orchestrated for an octet of leading improvisers based in Canberra, Melbourne, and Sydney. The project was recorded by ABC Melbourne for broadcast on Gerry Koster’s ‘Jazz Up Late’ on ABC Jazz in 2014.
Bennetts Lane Big Band Compilation - The Snip
Comprised of some of Australia's most celebrated improvisers and composers, the Bennetts Lane Big Band was conceived as a vehicle for the performance of new works traversing the fields of improvised and composed music, sometimes exploring facets abstract and conceptual, sometimes reflecting the more familiar jazz canon. Andrea was one of the founding members of the Bennetts Lane Big Band and composed the album track Dreaming the Glorified Bass Player.
Side Person Projects:
The Eye is the First Circle
Vanessa Perica’s second studio album brings to life original compositions by one of the country’s most innovative jazz talents. The album features an 18-piece ensemble consisting of Australia’s finest jazz musicians hailing from Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth.
Hemispheres
A collection of Barry Deister’s works recorded by Barry Deister (USA), Paul Mazzio (USA), Julien Wilson, Andrea Keller, Sam Anning and Sam Bates in February 2023.
Australian Art Orchestra - Crossed and Recrossed
Andrea was first commissioned by the AAO in 2002 and toured with the Orchestra to Japan in 2006.
Andrea has been performing and touring regularly with the AAO since 2016, including two large commissions in 2018, and the album releases Sometimes Home Can Grow Stranger Than Space (2020) and Crossed and Recrossed (2021).
Australian Art Orchestra - Sometimes Home Can Grow Stranger Than Space
Commissioned by the Australian Art Orchestra, Andrea composed the Bent Heart suite of 4 tracks: Lonely Vigil, Treasured Angels, Broken Doll and Cry Heart but Never Break.
The album presents an elegy to the victims of WW1. Andrea’s Bent Heart works reflects four stories of women whose lives were inexorably impacted by World War I, either through their service, or the service of those they loved.
Andrea also performed on the recording.
Sam Anning Septet - Oaatchapai
Andrea is a member of bassist Sam Anning’s Sextet/Septet. Their new album Oaatchapai is being premiered at Melbourne’s International Jazz Festival 2021. Featuring an extraordinary ensemble, it is intricately constructed, wild in interpretation, firmly rooted in tradition but constantly striving towards future modes of expression.
Sam Anning Sextet - Across a Field as Vast as One
Andrea also features on the award-winning 2018 release from band leader Sam Anning.
Vanessa Perica Orchestra - Love is a Temporary Madness
Andrea is a member of Vanessa Perica’s 17-piece ensemble.
Vanessa Perica Orchestra - Love is a Temporary Madness - Winner of the Australian Jazz ‘Bell’ Award for Best Jazz Album 2021
Winner of the Best Jazz Album at the Music Victoria Awards 2020
Winner APRA Art Music Award for Work of the Year: Jazz - ‘Spaccanapoli’ 2021
Nominated for the Australian Music Prize 2020
Johannes Luebbers Dectet - Divide and Conquer
Composer, arranger and musician Johannes Luebbers leads his award-winning Dectet, a jazz ensemble that explores collaboration within composition and the intersection and signification of genre in contemporary jazz.
Johannes Luebbers Dectet - Other Worlds
Andrea also features on 10x10x10 /Volume 1 - Other Worlds
Mirko Guerrini’s Horizontal Quartet
In the word’s of saxophonist and composer Mirko, the Horizontal Quartet “is everything about melody. Horizontality as the main musical approach. You will hear all original music, mostly written exclusively for this band, where the four players are treated like single voices, part of a polyphonic ensemble.”
ATM15 Big Band - Composers Plus Volume 1, Live at the Jazzlab
ATM15 perform original compositions and arrangements by award winning composer and band leader Andrew Murray.
Ellen Kirkwood + Sirens Big Band - [A]part
13-piece powerhouse Sirens Big Band, Plus featured soloists including Andrea in a presentation of Ellen Kirkwood’s epic 56-minute, four-part suite. The magnum opus is Ellen’s emotive and captivating response to growing issues in a rapidly changing world.
Elly Hoyt - The Composers’ Voice: Celebrating Australian Women Composers
The Composers’ Voice presents a diverse set of compositions from celebrated Australian composers including Andrea, who composed the album track If Death Is Kind, as well as playing in the all-star band.
Paul Williamson Quintet - Finding the Balance
Australian jazz trumpeter and composer Paul Williamson has a reputation of producing distinctive recordings featuring outstanding ensemble performances.
Paul Williamson Quintet - Connect Four
Connect Four features a series of duets with iconic Australian jazz pianists, Tony Gould, Paul Grabowsky, Andrea Keller and Marc Hannaford, all of whom Williamson cites an ongoing musical and personal connection with.
The Black Arm Band Company - Dirtsong
The Black Arm Band’s restoration project for Indigenous dialects, features an array of indigenous singers and songwriters performing in 11 different languages.
Paul Williamson Sextet - On the Surface in the Core
Paul Williamson’s original music draws on various genres and eras. It’s organised beautifully, yet with plenty of room for improvisation and interaction.
Gian Slater - In My Head
Prodigious vocalist and composer Gian Slater is known for her superb musicianship, pioneering vision for vocal music, and powerful artistic integrity.
Kynan Robinson’s EnRusk - 1000 Wide
Formed in 2000 En Rusk included some of Australia’s most exciting improvisers performing the music of Kynan Robinson.
Paul Williamson Quartet - Mutations
Mutations is a post-fusion contemporary music album recording by the Paul Williamson Quartet.
The Black Arm Band Company - Murundak Songs of Freedom
DVD release: A documentary following the Black Arm Band, a gathering of Australia’s finest Aboriginal musicians, as they take to the road with their songs of struggle, resistance and freedom.
Eddie Perfect - Misanthropology Live from the Famous Spiegeltent
DVD release: A darkly satirical musical work from Eddie Perfect; a kind of twisted social autopsy, examining the stranger cultural rituals we find ourselves performing.