The Eye is the First Circle

 
 

OUT NOW!

After much anticipation, the second studio album by the Vanessa Perica Orchestra has now been released. It has just been nominated for an ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album!

CD’s and digital version available here on Bandcamp. Streaming also available.

Check out the trailer video here!

"Perica's new album exceeds expectations, once more signalling her exceptional talent." - Des Cowley, Rhythms Magazine

“Vanessa Perica deserves all the adulation that she will receive when the jazz world hears the contents of this album.”  - Loudmouth Magazine

"...again, she has shown that she deserves to be in the front ranks among contemporary big-band composers. While it certainly helps to have an orchestra as proficient as this one, Perica makes the most of their talents with charts that test every section's alertness and ability to adapt no matter what the mood or tempo. In that respect, she is firmly aligned with the great big-band masters on whose shoulders she stands: Ellington, Strayhorn, Holman, Nestico, Mulligan, Wilkins, Rugolo, Brookmeyer, Paich, Oliver Nelson, Shorty Rogers and so many others—without sounding a great deal like any of them." - All About Jazz

TRACKS

1. The Eye is the First Circle 07:01
feat. Carl Mackey (soprano saxophone), Ben Vanderwal (drums)

2. What a Time To Be Alive 07:34
feat. Mat Jodrell (trumpet), Andrea Keller (piano)

3. Hill of Grace 06:14
feat. Jamie Oehlers (tenor saxophone)

4. Meet Me At Phoenix Street 07:29
feat. Julien Wilson (tenor saxophone)

5. Song for Cleo 06:56
feat. Tessie Overmyer (alto saxophone), Thomas Voss (trombone)

6. Still We Rise 09:47
feat. Jordan Murray (trombone)

7. Love and War 04:58
feat. Paul Williamson (trumpet)

All compositions and arrangements by Vanessa Perica

VANESSA PERICA ORCHESTRA Personnel

Woodwinds: Carl Mackey, Tessie Overmyer, Julien Wilson, Jamie Oehlers, Tim Stocker, Wendy Clarke (track 6)

Trumpets: Mat Jodrell, Daniel Beasy, Paddy McMullin, Paul Williamson

Trombones: Jordan Murray, Nick Mulder, Thomas Voss, Joe O’Callaghan

Rhythm Section: Andrea Keller (piano), Theo Carbo (guitar), Sam Anning (bass), Ben Vanderwal (drums)

Vanessa Perica - composer and conductor

Credits:

Producer / Mixing Engineer: Grant Windsor

Executive Producers: Carl Mackey, Vanessa Perica

Mastered by Lachlan Carrick at Moose Mastering

Recording Engineer: Guus Hoevenaars

Assisted by Michael Tudorowski and Josh Walton

Cover photo: Pia Johnson

Recorded at Sing, Sing East Studios in Melbourne, Australia on 20 & 21 July 2023.

"...they've got better than ever with their second album." - Andrew Ford, ABC Radio National

Reviews from the album performance launch at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival:

With no embedded storyline apart from the sheer joy of creating fine music, conductor Vanessa Perica wowed the audience with the premiere performance of compositions from her second album, The Eye is the First Circle. With verve and energy, Perica led her 18-strong orchestra of leading Australian artists in an absolutely exhilarating concert.” - Roger Mitchell, ausjazz.net

“Emotionally charged, densely crafted, and lyrically woven, Perica’s performance was testimony to her exceptional artistry.” - Des Cowley, Australian Book Review

“A spirit of celebration infused Vanessa Perica’s entrancing concert at the Recital Centre, as the composer and her 18 piece orchestra premiered music from her new album in exhilarating fashion.” - Jessica Nicholas, The Age