Ten Part Invention brings together ten of Australia’s most distinctive improvisers and composers, continuing a four-decade tradition of original large-ensemble jazz.
Miroslav Bukovsky
Co-musical director · trumpet, flugelhorn
A founding member of Ten Part Invention, Miroslav Bukovsky has helped shape the sound of Australian jazz for decades as a trumpeter, composer, educator, and musical instigator. Known equally for the acclaimed ensemble Wanderlust and his longstanding leadership in jazz education at ANU, Miroslav brings a rare combination of compositional sophistication, folk-inflected lyricism, and adventurous improvisational spirit. His music can be rhythmically exhilarating one moment and profoundly tender the next. Warm, understated, and quietly hilarious, he remains one of the ensemble’s essential guiding presences.
Sandy Evans OAM
Co-musical director · tenor & soprano saxophone
Sandy Evans OAM is one of the defining voices in Australian improvised music. Through landmark work with Mara!, the Australian Art Orchestra, Clarion Fracture Zone, and her own ensembles, she has built a remarkable career as a saxophonist, composer, and artistic leader of extraordinary range and integrity. Her playing combines searching lyricism, fearless curiosity, and unmistakable personal voice. As co-musical director of Ten Part Invention, Sandy brings formidable musical intelligence, generosity, and creative strength to an ensemble she has helped shape for decades.
Website: sandyevans.com.au
Paul Cutlan
Baritone & sopranino saxophone, bass clarinet, clarinet, flute
Paul Cutlan is a boldly imaginative multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser whose work spans jazz, intercultural music, contemporary performance, and hybrid creative forms. Known through major projects including the Australian Art Orchestra and Mara!, Paul brings exceptional textural range, compositional daring, and deep sensitivity to Ten Part Invention. Whether anchoring the ensemble’s lower sonorities or introducing unexpected colour and momentum, his presence is both commanding and finely nuanced. As co-musical director, he helps guide the ensemble’s evolving artistic direction with intelligence and quiet authority.
Website: paulcutlan.com
Andrew Robson
Alto saxophone
Andrew Robson has long occupied a singular place in Australian jazz as an alto saxophonist of extraordinary fluency, emotional depth, and unmistakable voice. Known equally for his acclaimed trio work, wide-ranging collaborations including with the late Jackie Orszaczky, and his deeply personal compositional language, Andrew brings both virtuosity and profound musical sensitivity to Ten Part Invention. His playing can be exhilaratingly agile, deeply lyrical, or quietly searching—always unmistakably his own. He remains one of the ensemble’s most distinctive improvising and compositional voices.
John Mackey
Tenor saxophone
John Mackey is a commanding tenor saxophonist whose rich sound, emotional directness, and broad musical language have made him a major force in Australian jazz for decades. A performer equally at home in intimate improvisation, large ensemble settings, and collaborations with major Australian artists including Vince Jones, John brings formidable presence alongside genuine warmth and generosity. A deeply respected educator and mentor, his musical voice combines power, humanity, and expressive depth. In Ten Part Invention, his tenor remains a voice of unmistakable authority and heart.
Warwick Alder
Trumpet
Warwick Alder is one of Australia’s most respected jazz trumpeters, admired for the warmth of his sound, his deep love of melodic storytelling, and a musical voice equally capable of tenderness and swing-driven fire. A founding member of Ten Part Invention, Warwick’s career has included major collaborations with Bernie McGann, alongside a distinguished career as performer and educator. His lyrical authority, generosity of spirit, and unmistakable trumpet voice make him one of the ensemble’s enduring musical anchors.
James Greening
Trombone
James Greening is one of the most distinctive and joyfully inventive musicians in Australian jazz. A founding member of Ten Part Invention, his unmistakable trombone voice has also shaped ensembles including The catholics, Wanderlust, the Australian Art Orchestra, and his own celebrated projects The World According to James and Greening from Ear to Ear. Equally renowned for wit, groove, sonic curiosity, and explosive musical energy, James brings both formidable ears and irrepressible creative momentum to every ensemble he inhabits.
Website: jamesgreening.net
Kevin Hunt
Piano
Kevin Hunt is one of Sydney’s most beloved pianists, admired for his harmonic imagination, generosity, and extraordinary ability to elevate every musical setting he enters. A deeply respected performer, educator, and longtime collaborator with artists including Don Burrows and Emma Pask, Kevin’s playing combines elegance, rhythmic vitality, warmth, and openness. Equally at home in intimate trio settings or large ensemble contexts, he brings deep musical wisdom, joy, and unmistakable humanity to Ten Part Invention.
Website: kevinhunt.com.au
Steve Elphick
Bass
Steve Elphick has been a foundational presence in Australian creative music for decades, known for his deep listening, impeccable ensemble sensitivity, and richly supportive bass playing. Through major projects including Mara!, The Umbrellas, Andrew Robson’s trio, and Ten Part Invention, Steve has helped shape some of the country’s most vital original music. Equally grounded and quietly adventurous, he brings extraordinary care to sound, blend, and musical architecture. His presence in Ten Part Invention is both anchoring and essential.
Rease Cameron
Drums
Rease Cameron is an improvising drummer, educator, and composer whose work spans contemporary jazz, large ensemble performance, and original creative music. A longtime collaborator with leading Australian artists including Mike Nock, Rease was chosen by Ten Part Invention founder John Pochée as a touring substitute in 1998 before formally joining the ensemble in 2011 as John’s successor. His musical voice combines structural rigour, deep listening, colour, propulsion, and expressive intensity. In 2025, he was the inaugural recipient of the John Pochée Momentum Award.
Website: theboundlessrealm.com
Studio images courtesy of ABC Jazz