Beyond, Below, and Above
Naarm/Melbourne based pianist Abi Lee and her trio together explore various sound environments Lee’s compositions convey. Blurring the roles of improvisers and composers, Lee’s compositions have strong influences from contemporary and modern improvised music practitioners such as Kris Davis, Misha Mengelberg, Tony Malaby, and Tim Berne. Lee and her ensemble explore irregular metric patterns, bitonality, and dissonance, weaving in and out of free improvisation.
Julien Wilson - saxophone
Abi Lee - piano
Dylan van der Schyff - drums
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Abi Lee
Abi Lee is a pianist, composer, and improviser based in Naarm/Melbourne whose work encompasses jazz and free improvisation. With her carefree and bold musical spirit, Lee demonstrates beauty improvisation. Her compositions explore blend of contemporary jazz and improvised music through playful effects with a mixture of dense harmonies and abstract melodies, completed with each musician’s unique voice. Abi tells intimate and truthful stories with ease through the piano, using the full range instrument offers.
Abi was a recipient of VCA New Horizon Award (2024), Will Poskitt Piano Scholarship (2022), Graham Coyle Prize, Ronald William Capron Prize, Lady Turner Exhibition Prize (2021). She performed at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival (2023, 2024) and Melbourne International Women’s Jazz Festival (2023, 2024) and frequently collaborates with other artists around Australia (Naarm/Melbourne, Eora/Sydney). She recently received a scholarship to participate in the IMCCW (2025) in New York, working with Kris Davis, Angelica Sanchez, Taylor Ho Bayum, Terri Lyn Carrington, Marilyn Crispell, Larry Grenadier, and Jonathan Blake.
“I’m struck by her adventurous spirit, and fertile musical mind. There’s a wonderful sense of searching, courage, and a deep commitment and dedication to improvisation…” (Andrea Keller, 2024)
“Abi’s playing demonstrates the musical depth and vulnerability necessary to be engaged in high level ’real time’ improvisation…” (Stephen Magnusson, 2024)
abi-lee.com
abilee.bandcamp.com
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