The Perth trio of Michelle Smith (harp), Kate Pass (bass) and Talya Valenti (drums), Turiya combine jazz, contemporary and classical styles.
Add incredible musicianship and an excellent bond of rhythmic exploration, come tour the constellations on this inner and outer journey of the cosmic planet jazz."Our name Turiya pays homage to Hindu philosophy and the late great, Alice Coltrane (we love Dorothy Ashby too!)," the trio says.
Here they list 5 inspirational women in music.
Dorothy Ashby
Michelle: In my opinion, the absolute pioneer in jazz harp. Her album 'In A Minor Groove' was recorded in the '50s and was just so ahead of its time. Harp, flute, double bass and drums.Her originals and arrangements give an absolutely amazing showcase of how the harp can dance to any feel. Originally, she used to be a sax player. So to go from that to the harp was such a unique transition.
I still listen to that album and wonder how she developed her style when there was no other harpist around like that to learn from. A true legend.
Tori Amos
Michelle: I remember the first time I listened to 'Boys For Pele'. Back when I was in an age of electronic music loving, I never thought I'd have such an emotional reaction to a girl behind her piano but boy can she write.I've seen her play twice now with no band and she captivates you the whole night.
In an interview once she mentioned how when writing music "you can write and compose all day, but end up with so little". This was comforting to hear that even someone of that elite skill, still goes through the same gruelling process that we all go through. The ride is always worth it.
Alice Coltrane
Kate: Along with Dorothy Ashby, Alice Coltrane was one of the few great jazz harpists, as well as an incredible pianist, organist, vocalist and composer.Alice Coltrane is the namesake of Turiya – she adopted the Sanskrit name Turiyasangitananda in the '70s, which loosely translates to 'transcendental song of bliss', a title which resonated with us.
A lot of people may know of Alice through her marriage to jazz saxophonist John Coltrane, and like a lot of great women in history, she has been remembered in the shadow of her husband. But Alice deserves to be known for her own musical output.
Her music was revelatory and ahead of its time, drawing on Vedic spiritualism, American gospel music, blues, jazz and classical music. Her music is so soulful, joyous, and healing.
Ngaiire
Talya: My favourite women in music are often vocalist/ producers and rapper/ producers. One of my favourites is powerhouse, Ngaiire. Her production is unique, engaging and intriguing – usually a minimalist bed of sound for her beautiful melodies.She is an incredible songwriter and vocalist who expresses so much emotion in her music, and is joined live by an equally talented group of backing vocalists and instrumentalists.
I'm always inspired by musicians who are skilled in visual arts too. Ngaiire's most recent album, '3', features a stunning piece of her artwork on the front cover.
She is always immaculately styled in the most incredible pieces and colours, and these expressions are captured by consistently beautiful artistic direction in her photo shoots.
Linda Oh
Talya: In my eyes (and many others) Linda Oh is one of the best bass players and musicians on the planet. She blends musical styles in ways unheard before, resulting in compositions that are enigmatic and progressive in form, blurring the divide between rhythm and melody.Linda's technique is extraordinary for the demands of the double bass, allowing her to convey incredible ideas. That is one of the main challenges of jazz and improvisation, to master your instrument to a point where your hands will translate what you are hearing in the moment.
Kate and I were lucky to see Linda play when we were close to graduating from the jazz course at Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts. I didn't realise at the time how impactful it was to see a woman so talented and successful in the field I was pursuing.
We ended up playing one of her tunes for my recital. I remember our friend in the masters course was struggling to get through the composition in rehearsals too and I often giggle, wondering whether he managed to pull it off or not.
Turiya join Joan And the Giants as part of Fremantle Art Centre’s Sunday Music series 19 December.
