Abel Cross (BSC w/ Distinction 2002, BMus 2007) received his first musical education at the Wollongong Conservatorium of Music and is most pleased to return as a bass and Jazz combo tutor.

Over the past decade Abel has performed, recorded, and collaborated with a long list of contemporary music luminaries from Australia and abroad including; Peter Brotzmann, Han Bennink, Don Rader, John Hoffman, Bernie McGann, Chris Abrahams, Scott Tinkler, Holly Throsby, and many more.

He is a founding member of original music groups; 3ofmillions, the Abel Cross NeoBop Quintet, Trio Apoplectic, and Pure Evil Trio, and in recent times has also taken an interest in new media music development and performance collaborating on projects such as the SMS-Interactive Orchestra and the Heavy Metal Work Orchestra.

Abel has experience in touring nationally and internationally, and has performed at all of Australia’s leading Jazz festivals including; the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz, Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Bellingen Jazz Festival, Bellingen Global Carnival, the Jazz:Now Festival, the nowNow Festival, and the Valley Jazz Festival.

He has studied with some of the world’s foremost bassists including; Henry Grimes, Rufus Reid, Drew Gress, Mark Helias, Craig Scott, Dave Ellis, and Alex Henery, and looks forward to passing on what he has learned to new generations of performers.

Jens Hoppe has a Bachelor of Music (Jazz Performance) from the Sydney Conservatorium. He has worked as a free-lance guitarist since 1987 playing jazz, blues, pop, latin, R&B, funk and contemporary music. He has performed extensively in Australia and has toured Germany.

He has been teaching guitar for 25 years and joined the staff at the Wollongong Conservatorium in 2002.

Nick is one of the most skilled and versatile musicians on the Sydney scene today, greatly in demand in the Jazz, Latin, Funk and Soul fields. His rare blend of groove and swing, along with a love of Latin music, has led him to develop a unique sound that sits comfortably, whether backing a solo vocalist, swinging hard in a trio or working with an eighteen-piece Big Band.

Nick is also a dynamic and experienced educator, having worked at the Wollongong Conservatorium teaching Jazz Piano and Ensembles over the last eight years. He has also been involved with coaching and accompanying singers at the Sydney Conservatorium Open Academy and other workshops, most recently with the master American singer and vocal teacher Robert Edwin.

Joe has had a strong connection with brass instruments from the very start, born into a family of brass players and first began playing Tenor Horn at age five. By the age of seventeen, and already an accomplished musician, Joe could no longer resist the urge to follow a “career” in Cabaret, Swing and Jazz Music. Spanning some 40+ years that path has seen Joe as:

A sideman for many international jazz players
Principal trombone in many musical productions
A regular member of “The Daly Wilson Big Band”
Lead Trombone in various Big Bands in NSW and QLD
Principal trombone in orchestras backing International Headline Acts including Sammy Davis Jnr, Shirley Bassey, Tom Jones
Musical Director for various Cabaret artists
Resident trombone of many club orchestras
Leader of his own “Lovelyson Orchestra” and
His current “JOE EPPS QUARTET”

Joe fronts his Jazz Trio (Piano, Bass and Drums) on Trombone or Bass Cornet, with an energetic, lyrical style. Often at a pace that would push the boundaries of much more facile instruments than the Trombone.