BY STEPHANIE ESLAKE
Was Andrea Keller a child prodigy? Perhaps the pianist would fall under that category; she did start composing when she was just 10 years old, and achieved her AMusA with distinction as an early teen.
Andrea (now fully grown, of course) looks back on her childhood self as a “magnet” absorbing all the musical influences that came her way.
With this upbringing, she then went on to become one of Australia’s biggest names in jazz and improvisation — releasing tens of albums, receiving a bunch of awards from ARIAs to Jazz Bell Awards, and earning a PhD for her knowledge and expertise.
In this interview, we chat with Andrea about where she’s come from, and where she is today — preparing to make music with her Andrea Keller Trio and a string sextet for SIMA’s Sydney International Women’s Jazz Festival event.
Andrea, it’s lovely to chat! When I was reading about you, I was surprised to learn you started composing music at 10. Why do you feel music has been such a natural language for you?
I’m not sure why, but I was drawn to music from a very young age, and I always felt very deeply that I wanted to spend my life immersed in it — listening to it, making it.
I had been learning piano for a few years when I started composing at 10, mainly because my older brother had been composing and he always seemed to know the right or best things to do!
I have remained completely fascinated and enthralled by the language of music throughout my life. I’m continually learning new things about it, and I love that there is no limit to it, or to the sense of discovery that it incites.
It sounds like you really clicked with this language — you were 14 when you went on to receive your AMusA, then started to discover jazz and improvisation. I hesitate to use the term “prodigy” because it brings to mind the conflict between being talent being inherent versus achieved. So what I’d like to ask is — how did you approach your music growing up?
I was like a magnet to anything to do with music. I was always listening to a lot of it, playing it, making it, trying to figure it out.
I was keen to attend whatever educational and collaborative or performance experiences were on offer. I learnt multiple instruments, and got a real buzz from making music with others. I sought out musical experiences, so in that way I would say I was a self-motivator. But I was also incredibly fortunate to meet a lot of amazing musicians and teachers who mentored and guided me through various stages of my life.
Aside from the music itself, definitely a large aspect of me being drawn to jazz was the people. I found the people to be so beautifully real and generous. Their sense of sharing — and enthusiasm for music making and teaching — had, and continues to have, a really powerful impact on me.
When and how did you start to build confidence in your own voice as a serious jazz composer and improviser?
I think my voice is ever-evolving in many ways, although there are characteristics and perhaps an underlying aesthetic that have been there right from the start.
I’m continually inspired by the musicians around me, things that I hear, and I haven’t settled on one way of doing things. So in that way, I’m open to letting things evolve according to my leanings as I grow and become clearer on who I am and what I find meaningful.
A really important part of the process of growth and finding confidence in my voice has definitely been the role of other musicians and people in the scene, and the encouragement and affirmations I received in response to my creative musical attempts. Having the opportunity to work with much more experienced players — and having those band-room conversations about philosophies towards playing jazz, what the word means, what the music means, and how we might find a place in it — these things were enormous in building assuredness to what I contribute.
So what do you look for in other musicians — and how do you know when a collaboration feels right?
I’m looking for collaborators that are open to new things, have a sound, and know how to work in a group. They need to understand a group dynamic, and be willing to negotiate what can be complex territory, without a need to always put themselves first.
You know it’s right when it feels good and you want to do more of it! It’s good if there’s an element of challenge present to push you further, but also a sense of ease, and one of being supported.
What do you feel is the function of collaboration in your music career?
Collaboration functions as a catalyst for growth for me in an artistic sense, but also in the way of personal growth through expanding and strengthening community. Both of those things are really important to me.
What do you love about making music with John and Miroslav — your collaboration partners in your upcoming SIMA event?
John and Miroslav are incredibly rich and experienced musicians and improvisers, but they’re also both totally humble and into trying new things.
They’ve also played together a lot over many years, so the musical and personal rapport they have with one another is really special to be around. It affects the music — there’s a respect and a knowing they bring to the music that can only come from that depth of friendship and deep care.
What are the stories or themes behind this new music you’re sharing together?
We’ll be playing a new series of works under the title Flicker. These pieces draw on flickers of memories from childhood and adulthood. They’re intended as small fragments of ideas, strung together and interwoven with improvisation.
We’ll also be playing a few older works, previously unreleased — one written for my daughter that is built upon a ‘theme’ her then-toddler-hand played on repetition on the toy piano; and another was written as a compassionate response to the story of David Reimer and his family. So perhaps the main themes could be said to encapsulate identity, reflection, and memory.
Hear the Andrea Keller Trio with Strings at 7.30pm November 3, Pier 2/3, Australian Chamber Orchestra (The Neilson). This event is hosted by SIMA.
Images supplied. Featured image by Natasha Blankfield.
