Annaliesa Rose

A Bit About Me

My name is Annaliesa Rose and I have been singing and performing on stage for almost as long as I've been alive. Singing, Music, Acting, Performing is my life.

I started getting into jazz music in 1997 after starting to learn alto saxophone but I didn't really play jazz on the saxophone that much but I started singing jazz. I used to sing for free with many local bands including the Belmore Basin Jazz Band and EROS Big Band.

In 1999 I was accepted into the Millennium Marching Band (the NSW section of the band used for the Sydney 2000 Olympics Opening Ceremony and Closing Ceremony amongst many other concerts) which was an amazing experience and achievement to be a part of.

When I was starting year 12 of High School doing 3 unit music (1 unit extension) my tutor said you somehow have to learn from Kerrie Biddell. Well fate brought Kerrie into my life as I did a course at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music and there was someone who learnt from Kerrie and she gave me her phone number and I started having lessons. It took awhile to learn all the theory behind singing jazz but I was a dedicated pupil for her and I practised and practised until I mastered it then I would practise some more. I learnt from her for 3 years and she was truly inspirational.

I was working fairly regularly after finishing high school as I wasn't studying music or acting at an institution just continuing with my private lessons and exams. I was working approximately 2 gigs per week on average.

I then achieved a spot in the Bachelor of Music course offered at The Australian National University in the Jazz degree (which no longer exists - I will talk about this later).

This course had amazing musicians teaching us including Miroslav Bukovsky who is featured throughout this album, James Luke who I knew went to the school before me and who kindly played for me at the school for concerts at times for no payment other than the knowing he was helping out. James and I did a couple of gigs together around that time. Leisa Keen, Mark Levers and Mark Sutton who also have ties to the ANU School of Music but who I have only met recently.

While I was completing this Bachelor of Music I was constantly singing with many bands and duos and trios at many jazz festivals and venues from Merimbula, Moruya, Canberra, Wangaratta, Manly, Batemans Bay, Wollongong, Sydney and Kiama.

I then did a Post Graduate Diploma of Education (through the University of New England, Armidale) to be able to teach then a few years later commenced and finally completed a Masters of Arts Management (equivalent to an MBA in the arts - through The Australian Institute of Music).

Why an Album? Why Now? Why is it important for me to record this?

Why Not? As I mentioned earlier I have been performing my whole life, on stage from 1985 when I was not quite 3 years old and loving it. Over the last 21 years of professionally performing, I have been performing in venues large and small and have often been asked by many people over the years where they can buy any of my music, a CD, and up until now I haven't had anything to give them which meant a lot of lost potential income and opportunity.

"The great achievement in art is to be true to yourself.

It's a journey of discovery."

- Miroslav Bukovsky.

This album, along with my chosen career path in the arts and music, is truly a journey of self discovery, of who I really am and in order to be true to myself I have chosen the following compositions for this jazz album. There are some vocalese (which is where someone puts lyrics to something pre-existing like a melody or more often than not a solo, started by Eddie Jefferson), jazz standards (which are songs that have become iconic within the jazz world), two songs that are newer jazz songs that my old singing teacher and someone I truly admire Kerrie Biddell sang; Is That Jazz written by our very own Tony King and 52nd Street written by D. Lamont. And some I have written words to and some of my own compositions including a collaboration or two.

What I am wanting to achieve by recording this selection of music is to show a broad range of styles within jazz with the vision of inspiring the listeners and creating an album that will leave a lasting and meaningful impression with people.

It is expensive to create an album especially if you want to pay the musicians a fair rate of pay. Even though they are all generous individuals with their time and abilities I want to pay them for their time as best as I can. This inherently means that anyone supporting this crowdfunding campaign is essentially supporting and contributing to an ethical album which supports music, Australian music, Australian musicians, Jazz Music, the Canberra music scene, the Canberra jazz music scene and Canberra musicians and sound engineers.

Why record it in Canberra? 

As I mentioned earlier, I studied in Canberra at the Australian National University (ANU) School of Music, in the Jazz School (2004-2007), achieving my Bachelor of Music (BMus Jazz), which in my opinion and the opinion of a lot of my colleagues was the best music course for jazz with some of the best teachers (all real working musicians) in the country.

As many of you will know, however many may not, this course was cancelled along with a range of other music courses being offered at ANU and all the lecturers were no longer needed if on a casual wage and therefore not paid their proper redundancy dues and the fulltime staff made redundant from their current positions. Since then the ANU have made a new music program that is no where near the standard of the old set of courses and doesn't have the same specialties and focus of jazz.

Also, after they already made cuts to their budget with the Bachelor of Music Jazz course they are now cancelling a course that is for really talented year 11 and 12 students here in Canberra and replacing it with something else.

Jazz brings soul to Canberra and we need their to still be jazz to in Canberra, both the musicians and the venues.

Why You Supporting This Financially Is Beneficial For All Involved? 

Did you know musicians do not generally make a lot of money? That they are therefore drawn to it more for the intrinsic rewards and the giving back to society? This being said, musicians and those in the arts in general should be able to get paid properly for their time and expertise.

All these musicians playing on this album and involved with this album are always kind and generous with their time and give so much more than they get back in financial gains. Paying musicians a fair rate is something that I am eager to do simply because I believe that these world class musicians should be able to achieve financial rewards as well as intrinsic ones for their musical abilities.

Therefore when you see the budget it still isn't including a lot of time (collaborating, arranging, rehearsing) I should be paying for, so bear that in mind. It would be great to achieve higher than this original budget in order to give the overflow to the band. Also bear in mind I am working FOR FREE, I have not put running costs into this campaign in order for me to make any money for it what so ever.

Who is featured on this album? 

The musicians I am using and the sound engineer who is also a musician are all colleagues of mine and all have a link to the Canberra jazz and ANU scene including my friend and lecturer when I did my Bachelor of Music, Miroslav Bukovsky who is one of Australia's best trumpeters, flugelhorn player and composer, James Luke an amazing bass player and teacher, Leisa Keen who is an amazingly gifted singer in her own right however I will be utilising her piano and arranging abilities (as the arrangements of the songs will be a collaboration by me, Leisa Keen and Miroslav Bukovsky), Mark Sutton who is also a drummer and percussionist however I will be utilising him for his sound engineering, and finally the youthful and talented Mark Levers who will be playing drums on the album so that Mark Sutton can focus on the recording side of things.

Miroslav Bukovsky is an amazing trumpeter, flugelhorn player, composer, arranger, bandleader, teacher and very modest when it comes to his achievements. Born in Czechoslovakia he fled his homeland and came to Australia in 1968 as a refugee from Russian invasion. He has achieved a lot of success in his career over the years both in Australia and abroad that he attributes to his musical friends and everyone who has responded to his musical imagination, vision and instinct, including quite literally his audiences. His vision has always been "inspiring students and listeners to beauty and truth," therefore producing music that is "lasting and meaningful." He continues to record, compose, perform and teach and is a true asset to the Australian music industry and the jazz industry as a whole.

James Luke has over 20 years experience as a professional musician and music educator. He is highly sought after due to his diverse range of styles on the bass having backed many Australian and international acts touring the country.

Leisa Keen has been working in the Australian music industry as a singer, pianist and musical director for over 25 years, in both jazz and musical theatre/cabaret. Leisa performs around Canberra, Sydney and the Gold Coast as a piano vocalist in various venues, as well as the different jazz festivals around the country, with several of her jazz combos, including “The Leisa Keen Trio” “John Mackey and Leisa Keen Jazz Duo”, “The Blamey Street Big Band”, “O Christmas Trio” and “The Annaliesa & Leisa Duo” amongst many other groups. In 2013, Leisa was awarded a Canberra Critics Circle Award for her services to music in Canberra, as well as a CAT Award as “Best Musical Director” for Freerain Theatre Company’s production of “Cats”. Leisa continues to record, perform, musical direct and teach both piano and singing.

Mark Sutton has played with many Australian Jazz Greats on drums and percussion including touring artists. In this capacity however I am utilising his recording skills. Mark has one of the largest studio floors in the region, with 4 separate spaces for excellent isolation. Being a fulltime musician as well as engineer means that he can give the care needed for recording an album.

Mark Levers has been working nationally and internationally as a drummer since 2007. Including working with Plan B Australia, Moochers Inc., Canberra Symphony Orchestra, Smiths Alternative House Band and many more. He learnt Jazz Drumming at the ANU School of Music in the Jazz School.

Deadline for this Pozible Campaign!

I like to live on the edge, so the timeline for the crowdfunding of this project finishes on the 21st of January and then I will be able to pay everyone involved with your help when I start record it on the Monday the 28th of January onwards.

Studio Hire $500 per day x 4      = $2,000

Piano Tuning $300

Musicians $500 per day               = $3,500

- $500 Trumpet/Flugal Horn

- $500x2 Piano

- $500x2 Bass

- $500x2 Drums

Producing, Arranging, Rehearsals &

Collaborations                                  = ???

Mixing                                                 = $999

Mastering $75 x12                          = $900

Artwork by an artist friend             = $500

Photography                                     = $500

Booklet Design & Printing              = $400

CD Pressing for 500 batch            = $1,353

($2.35x500 + GST$55)

Total Budget not including Producing, Arranging, Rehearsals, Collaborations or My Own Time writing up charts, composing music and lyrics, singing, organising the album and this crowdfunding comes to: 

 TOTAL =  $10,152 

However I am starting with raising the $8,800 and will probably put the rest in myself.