Jonathan Zwartz
Jonathan Peter Zwartz is a New Zealand-born Australian jazz musician. In the 2018 ARIA Music Awards, he won the Best Jazz Album category for his third album, Animarum, released in 2018.
Early life
Zwartz was born in New Zealand.Career
1980s
Jonathan Zwartz joined New Zealand pop band, the Crocodiles, on bass guitar, alongside Tony Backhouse on piano, Jenny Morris on lead vocals, Rick Morris on guitar, and Barton Price on drums. The group were based in Auckland and performed at Sweetwaters 1981 in January before they relocated to Sydney in the following month. In July of that year Morris left to start her solo career, the remaining members had recorded a single, "Hello Girl", with vocals by Rick but they disbanded soon after.Late in 1981 Zwartz and Backhouse formed the Vulgar Beatmen with Peter Boyd and Mike Gubb. He became a session musician. Zwartz and Backhouse also joined ex-the Crocodiles member, Fane Flaws' project I Am Joe's Music, which issued a self-titled album in 1983. Other former members of the Crocodiles with contributions were Jenny Morris, Arthur Baysting and Peter Dasent. A single, "Life in Asia", was issued by the group in August, which Woronis reviewer described, "Life on Coota beach perhaps. Complete with self styled poseuring, hip singing and New Zealand brand of paranoia. Basic and forgettable shit."
1990s
In 1991 Zwartz, on bass guitar, joined the Bernie McGann Trio, a Sydney-based jazz group, with McGann on saxophone and John Pochee on drums. McGann eschewed piano and explained, "You tend to think that because there's no piano in the group, you're restricted to just playing some songs. But I think you can play anything at all, and it's a very open sort of group which when it works, works extremely well indeed."In 1992, Zwartz was a member of Bobby Gebert's trio, alongside Gebert on piano and Andrew Dickson on drums, which backed visiting English saxophonist, Ronnie Scott, in a performance in Canberra. Michael Foster of The Canberra Times wrote, "Wherever Scott went were right with him, seemingly not needing the charts which Scott supplied. Their confidence was impressive, and justified."
Zwartz played double bass as a member of the Umbrellas, a Sydney jazz ensemble, with Dasent on piano, organ and accordion, Mark Bruwel on oboe, James Greening on trombone, Toby Hall on drums and Tim Hopkins on tenor saxophone. The Umbrellas recorded an album, Soundtrack to the Passing Parade.
Zwartz worked in Vince Jones' backing band in November 1993, with Jones on trumpet and vocals, Hopkins on tenor saxophone, Peter Jones on drums, Barney McAll on piano, and Ray Pereira on percussion. Once more the performance was well-received by Foster.
2000s
In 2000 he co-produced a ten-episode jazz music series, Pulse, for ABC-TV.In 2009 Zwartz issued his debut solo album, The Sea.
2010s
His next album, four years later, The Remembering & Forgetting of the Air, was described by John Shand of The Sydney Morning Herald, as "...ambient in intent. But it has a deep peacefulness and a simple beauty carrying an implicit hint of ineffable sadness... carefully layered production creates three-dimensional sound images...".Zwartz third solo album, Animarum, was feature album of the week on ABC Jazz, with their reviewer opining, "yet another smörgåsbord of intricate compositions, woven together... Each piece is unique, drawing on a plethora of musical influences from all over – yet they are also sequenced together to create a truly engrossing musical experience."
In June 2018 he led a performance of Animarum at the Sydney Con International Jazz Festival, which was well reviewed by The South Sydney Herald.
Discography
Albums
Awards and nominations
AIR Awards
The Australian Independent Record Awards is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.ARIA Music Awards
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music.!