Listen to the wonder of this album – Dawn Is A Melody by Finn Rees – a contender for best (jazz album) of the year, and one that means artists are delivering once again during a year (so far!) of supreme jazz music. There’s been a particular movement of supreme sounds from Antipodean parts, with New Zealand band – The Circling Sun’s Spirits album, being another highlight at World Treasures HQ in 2024.

Finn Rees really hits the mark on this album, being an expert keys player for the likes of 30/70 and Elle Shimada, alongside one-half of Close Counters, this debut LP is a departure from groove-based jazz, towards more spiritual sounds. Dawn Is A Melody places the piano centre stage, giving Finn and his fellow Melbourne crew the freedom to explore new directions and the spaces in between.

In Finn’s own words: “My intention with Dawn Is A Melody was to create a world; a microcosm of colour. Something rich and beautiful that allowed the melodies and compositions to reach their full potential. It was driven by hope, curiosity and the search for beauty and reassurance in this ever-changing world. The emotion behind the music is really about the journey of life, growing up and changing, as well as my relationship with Tasmania’s natural landscapes where I grew up, a part of the world that is incredibly unique and beautiful.”

The album opens with the uplifting Looking Up and Lagoon, before covering cinematic stylings and the soulful journeys of It’s Behind Me Now  and Brazilian-inspired Expansion.

They’ve found a great home with Brighton-based, UK label, Mr Bongo, from where they “…proudly present the debut album from Tasmania-born, Melbourne-based, Finn Rees. Gliding across a swirling palette of saturated hues, Dawn Is A Melody feels vintage yet vibrant, new but familiar at the same time. A spiritual, deep and textured jazz record, tipping its hat to greats from the past, capturing memories and reformulating them into new ideas with the help of some of Melbourne’s finest talent.

“Plotting a course from Alice Coltrane, through Herbie Hancock, to Arthur Verocai, this is a debut nourished by the past but firmly made in the present. A record unable to be age-stamped, casting ambiguity as to when, what era and by whom it has been crafted. Like a vintage lens capturing a current scene, Dawn Is A Melody is warm and familiar yet focused on the here now.”

Recorded at Rolling Stock in Collingwood, Melbourne, Henry Jenkins was drafted in as recording and mix engineer, his minimal vintage mic setups giving a live aesthetic and warmth to the arrangements. Lucky Pereira and Blakely McLean Davies – rhythm section, with a hand-picked line-up of other Melbourne talent on display, including Cheryl Durongpitikul on tenor sax, Siwei Wong on harp, Audrey Powne on trumpet and Allysha Joy on vocals to name a few.

In the latter quarter of the LP, Between Spaces, As It Passes and Ablaze evidences more expert musicianship and poise, as proceedings fade down to piano and strings to close out the record.

The fantastic Mr Bongo label continues to source incredible music again and again – cop it here at their online shop.