Eugene Ball (born 12 October 1972) is an Australian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

trumpeter. He won the Best Australian Jazz Composition Award for "Fool Poet's Portion" at the

Australian Jazz Bell Awards Australian Jazz Bell Awards, also known as the Bell Awards or The Bells, are annual music awards for the jazz music genre in Australia. They were named in honour of Australian jazz pianist, composer and band leader, Graeme Bell (1914–2012), at ...

in 2008. ''Fool Poet's Portion'' is inspired by Norse mythology with three movements: ''The Death of Baldr'', ''Trickster's Intent'', and ''The Coming of Christianity''. It is performed by the

Bennetts Lane Big Band The Bennetts Lane Big Band is an Australian large ensemble band playing jazz compositions and improvisations that was formed in 2001 to provide an avenue for original new work. Three musicians, Eugene Ball, Andrea Keller and Nick Haywood were app ...

which was assembled by Ball,

Andrea Keller Andrea Keller (born 1973) is an Australian pianist and composer. She won three ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album with ''Thirteen Sketches'', ''Mikrokosmos'' and ''Footprints'' and was nominated in 2013 for the album ''Family Portraits''. Biograph ...

, and

Nick Haywood Nick Haywood is an Australian jazz double bassist, composer, and music educator in Melbourne. He has worked with Don Burrows, Dale Barlow, Paul Grabowsky, Bernie McGann, and James Morrison, and with many international jazz musicians, includin ...

in 2001 as a large ensemble and as a vehicle for original new work. The work was re-orchestrated and performed at a benefit concert for the '' Melbourne Jazz Co-op'' in January 2008. Ball was awarded second place in the

Wangaratta Festival of Jazz The Wangaratta Festival of Jazz is an annual Australian festival of jazz and blues, founded in 1990 by the City of Wangaratta with Adrian Jackson as its first director. It is held at various venues in the town of Wangaratta, north east of the ...

Awards in 2003, and was a finalist in the prestigious Freedman Jazz Fellowship in 2003 and 2006. In 2004 Ball and guitarist Stephen Magnusson started Lebowski's, a series of musician-run concerts in venues not associated with jazz. The following year, 2005, Eugene Ball was an important initiator of the

Melbourne Jazz Fringe Festival The Melbourne Jazz Fringe Festival is an annual international jazz festival held in Melbourne, Australia in April or May. The festival was formed in 2005 to celebrate Melbourne’s burgeoning creative jazz scene. Building on the unprecedented ...

.
NMIT Meet the staff - Eugene Ball
'',

Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE Melbourne Polytechnic, formerly NMIT, is an institute of higher education and vocational education (TAFE) located in Melbourne, Australia that has been operating since around 1910. In October 2014, the institute was renamed to Melbourne Polyt ...

website. Retrieved 13 November 2008 Ball was awarded a Melbourne Research Scholarship at the completion of his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in Performance and Composition from

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

. He has performed with

Paul Grabowsky Paul Atherstone Grabowsky (born 27 September 1958) is an Australian pianist and composer. Biography Born in Lae, Papua New Guinea, Grabowsky is a pianist and composer of music for film, theatre and opera. His father Alistair had lived in Papu ...

Mike Nock Michael Anthony Nock (born 27 September 1940) is a New Zealand jazz pianist, currently based in Australia. Biography He was born in Christchurch, New Zealand. Nock began studying piano at 11. He attended Nelson College for one term in 1955.' ...

Tony Gould Tony Gould is an Australian jazz musician, pianist, composer and educator. Gould's many recordings and performances reveal his harmonic view of music and his love of music from both African-American and European jazz traditions, as well as the c ...

Graeme Lyall Graeme William Lyall ( AM), is an Australian saxophonist, composer and arranger. He became a Member of the Order of Australia on 26 January 2003: "''For service to music as Artistic Director of the Western Australian Youth Jazz Orchestra, and ...

Don Burrows Donald Vernon Burrows (8 August 1928 – 12 March 2020) was an Australian jazz and swing musician who played clarinet, saxophone and flute. Life and career Donald Vernon Burrows was born on 8 August 1928, the only child of Vernon and Beryl a ...

Jamie Cullum Jamie Cullum (born 20 August 1979) is an English jazz-pop singer, songwriter and radio presenter. Although primarily a vocalist and pianist, he also accompanies himself on other instruments, including guitar and drums. He has recorded nine stu ...

, and

John Butler John Butler may refer to: Arts and entertainment *John "Picayune" Butler (died 1864), American performer *John Butler (artist) (1890–1976), American artist * John Butler (author) (born 1937), British author and YouTuber *John Butler (born 1954), ...

; and with groups The Hoodangers, the Andrea Keller Quartet, the Allan Browne Quintet, the

Australian Art Orchestra The Australian Art Orchestra (AAO) is one of Australia's leading contemporary ensembles. Founded by pianist Paul Grabowsky in 1994, it has been led by composer/trumpeter/sound artist Peter Knight since 2013 and led by pianist/composer/producer A ...

, and the Ball/Magnusson/Talia trio. He is involved in several musical projects including Kadoonka, ish ish, Aaron Choulai Quintet, and the Messiaen Project performing works by

Olivier Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex; harmonically ...

. He teaches trumpet, improvisation, and composition and has directed ensembles at

Eltham High School Eltham High School is a secondary school in Victoria, Australia. It is located in Eltham, a suburb which is north-east from Melbourne. The school has 'free dress' policy and is the only non-uniform secondary school in the Eltham area. Eltham ...

Monash University Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...

, and

Victorian College of the Arts The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) is the arts school at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It is part of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music. It is located near the Melbourne city centre on the Southbank campus of the ...

. He is a lecturer in music for

Melbourne Polytechnic Melbourne Polytechnic, formerly NMIT, is an institute of higher education and vocational education (TAFE) located in Melbourne, Australia that has been operating since around 1910. In October 2014, the institute was renamed to Melbourne Polyt ...

's Bachelor Music program at the Fairfield campus.

Awards

Australian Jazz Bell Awards

The

, (also known as the Bell Awards or The Bells), are annual music awards for the jazz music genre in Australia. They commenced in 2003. , - , 2008 , "The Fool Poets Portion" – Eugene Ball , Australian Jazz Composition of the Year , , - , 2011 , "Song from the Highest Tower" – Eugene Ball , Best Australian Jazz Song , , - , 2017 , "4tet" – Eugene Ball , Best Australian Jazz Song , , -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Eugene 1972 births Living people Australian jazz composers Male jazz composers Australian jazz trumpeters People from Victoria (state) 21st-century trumpeters 21st-century Australian male musicians 21st-century Australian musicians Bennetts Lane Big Band members