Rob Burke + Paul Williamson – Double Album Launch: Live at The Count’s

Next date: Wednesday, 24 September 2025 | 07:30 PM

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This special performance celebrates the launch of two new Monash Sessions recordings, featuring Robert Burke and Paul Williamson with students from the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music, Monash University. Hear live renditions of tracks from the albums, showcasing Robert and Paul’s original compositions.

The Monash Sessions projects offer students the rare opportunity to rehearse, perform, and record alongside composers and world-renowned artists. This unique experience is a key pedagogical approach within the Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance, with established artists mentoring the next generation of jazz musicians.

These two new albums join an award-winning discography that includes artists such as Vince Jones, Paul Grabowsky, Kate Ceberano, Ingrid Jensen and the Wilfred Brothers.

“Bloody brilliant… very Melbourne and very magnificent.” — Kenny Weir, Sunday Herald Sun

Paul Williamson has established a distinguished reputation as a trumpeter and composer, producing distinctive recordings of outstanding ensemble performances. Over the years, he has released sixteen albums and performed both nationally and internationally with jazz greats including Carla Bley, Charlie Haden, Eddie Palmieri, Linda Oh, Bill Carrothers, Dave Liebman, Paul Wertico, Tomasz Stańko, Kenny Werner, John Abercrombie, Hermeto Pascoal, Aaron Goldberg, Django Bates, Vijay Iyer, Mike Nock, Tony Gould, Nasheet Waits and Mark Helias.

Williamson is also dedicated to inspiring the next generation at Monash University’s Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music and Performance, where he is a senior lecturer, Convenor of Jazz and Improvisation Studies and Honours Coordinator.

Robert Burke (Associate Professor, Monash University) is an internationally acclaimed improvising performer, composer and academic. His research explores jazz and improvisational processes, investigating the question: “What happens when we improvise?” His work includes studies in the phenomenology of musical interaction, experimentation, identity, agency, and gender studies.

He has co-authored several books, including New Directions in Musical Collaborative Creativity, Perspectives on Artistic Research in Music, and Experimentation in Jazz: Idea Chasing.

As a recording artist, Burke has released 17 CDs under his own name and contributed as a composer and performer to over 300 recordings. He has collaborated extensively in Australia and internationally with renowned artists and academics such as George Lewis (Columbia University, NYC), Raymond MacDonald (UK), Dave Douglas (USA), Enrico Rava (Italy), Hermeto Pascoal (Brazil), Kenny Werner (USA), Mark Helias (USA), Ben Monder (USA), Tom Rainey (USA), Tony Malaby (USA), Nasheet Waits (USA), George Garzone (USA), Paul Grabowsky (AUS), Tony Gould (AUS), Kris Davis (CAN), Debasis Chakraborty (India), Paulo Angeli (Italy), Tia DeNora (UK), Maria Sappho (UK), Paul Williamson, and Andrys Onsman (AUS).

Burke is also the President of AJIRN (Australasian Jazz and Improvisation Research Network).

Make a meal of it! The music gets underway at 7.30pm, but arrive a bit earlier if you can. From 6.30pm, enjoy pre-show dinner and drinks at The Count’s Italian-style kitchen and bar.