Antelodic is a contemporary chamber jazz ensemble based in Melbourne, Australia. Antelodic perform elegant, finespun music, with a confidence and ease that comes from a deep understanding of, and commitment to, the music and each other.
Guitar/Composer - Robbie Melville
Alto Saxophone - Angela Davis
Tenor Saxophone - Gideon Brazil
Antelodic is an instrumental chamber jazz trio formed in 2012 and led by guitarist Robbie Melville, winner of the Instrumental Category of the 2018 International Songwriting Competition. Antelodic features the unusual instrumentation of guitar with two saxophones, developing out of a compositional experiment Melville undertook with longtime friends Gideon Brazil (tenor saxophone) and Monty Mackenzie (alto saxophone). Using a simple reversal of roles, the woodwinds became the rhythm section, allowing the guitar to become the melodic voice. In 2023, after ten years, Mackenzie departed the ensemble, to be replaced by altoist Angela Davis.
The trio have developed a highly nuanced approach to their creative practice that allows them to experiment in the moment while maintaining a unified ensemble sound. The music combines meticulously arranged, densely notated compositions with moments of improvisation and sound sculpting, reaching beyond the traditions of both classical and jazz to create a style very much of its own. Critics have often noted its cinematic quality.
Antelodic released their debut album Quiet Sufficient in March 2017. The majority of the album was written in a six-month period following the birth of Melville’s second daughter. This time of joy and introspection, combined with the necessity of quietude, resulted in an album of gentle, restrained reveries. Several of the pieces on the album deal with pivotal events in Melville’s private life, including the passing of his beloved grandmother. Other themes are inspired by musical heroes Stephen Foster and Richard Rodgers, the turning of the seasons, and the simple joys of friendship. The album’s cover is an image by Czech photographer Viktor Kolář.
Of the album and live performances, Paul Simmons wrote, “There is a translucency to these compositions that is quite mesmerising. Monty Mackenzie and Gideon Brazil seemed to revel in the technical and tonal demands required to achieve the subtlety and grace demanded by Robbie Melville’s compositions” .
Following the release of the album, Antelodic were invited to perform at the 2017 Wangaratta Festival of Jazz & Blues. Their show, situated in the ethereal acoustic space of the Holy Trinity Cathedral, was recorded by the ABC and featured on ABC Jazz.
During the latter half of 2018, Antelodic’s ‘Spring Thing’ tour travelled throughout regional Victoria, performing in independent art galleries, bookshops and churches, promoting their debut album and “road testing” new material for a second record, which was recorded in Melbourne at the end of 2018.
2019 saw them performing several dates in London before releasing their second album To Iceland! To Iceland! in 2020. The record features another collection of Melville’s compositions, and also includes an arrangement of the Icelandic hymn Heyr Himna Smiður. Australian saxophonist Julien Wilson wrote: “This is music that deserves deep, uninterrupted listening. The music has been described elsewhere as cinematic, and it feels orchestral in both its dynamic and scope. At times it’s easy to forget that you’ve dived in to a world created by just three musicians. The fact that, of those three, only one is a traditional “rhythm section” instrument is at times quite profound”.
Considered, mature, honest and deeply personal, To Iceland! To Iceland! celebrates life and honours those we have lost along the way. Antelodic received funding from the Australia Council For The Arts to undertake a promotional national tour in 2021 with Ronny Ferella’s Spartacus Collective.
While subtly evading expectations, Robbie Melville loads his music with a restrained melancholy conveying innocence rather than knowingness, the upshot being an unusual emotional ambiguity blending resignation and contentment. - John Shand (Sydney Morning Herald 2021)
ROBBIE MELVILLE - Guitar / Composer
Robbie Melville is a guitarist and composer. He began performing in his teens, and in 2005 was offered the Principal Guitar Chair in the Australian Pops Orchestra, appearing at Hamer Hall and the Sydney Opera House with artists such as James Morrison, Marina Prior, and Guy Sebastian.
In 2007 his quintet cleverhorse independently released the album Goodnight, Mr. Monster featuring an eclectic range of Robbie’s compositions. The Sydney Morning Herald wrote, “They are onto something. They are undoubtedly creative”. Their second album 50:fifty was released on the prestigious Jazzhead label in 2016.
Melville’s compositions have garnered several awards. Most recently he became a recipient of the 2021 Johnny Dennis Music Award. In 2016 he was awarded both the Industry and Orkeztra prizes in the world music ensemble Orkeztra Glasso Bashalde’s Composition Competition with the piece Tango In Pusan. He was awarded first place for Junkyard in the Instrumental Category of the 2018 International Songwriting Competition, a competition that amassed over 19,000 entries. The same song was shortlisted for the 2021 Composition-To-Choreography Competition "MadeBy", an initiative of OneMusic Australia and the Australian arm of the Royal Academy of Dance.
Robbie’s propensity for musical variety, and sensitivity as an accompanist, has seen him engage in a diverse number of collaborative enterprises. He has worked on recordings for artists such as Shane Howard, John Murry and Liz Frencham, toured internationally with Irish musicians Mundy and Roesy, performed with harpist/singer Mary Doumany, Krystle Warren, Nat Bartsch, Gallie, Aine Tyrrell, Carl Pannuzzo, Stephen Magnusson, Zoe Frater, Kristina Olsen, and Sarah Carroll.
He has composed and recorded music for The Australian Diamond Company, the Chinese/American short film, ‘Hidden Truths’, and the British documentary ‘Genus’. His combined interest in improvisation and silent film led him to form the Easy Street Ensemble, a stable of rotating musicians who improvise live soundtracks to silent films.
Robbie’s style of minimalistic jazz is unique and distinctive, perfectly phrased and placed, but remains unpredictable. - Indigo Music
ANGELA DAVIS - Alto Saxophone / Clarinet
Described by The Age as having ‘an instinctively melodic approach’, Aria nominated saxophonist Angela Davis is a unique and sought after musician.
Her most recent release ‘Little Did They Know’ (ABC Jazz) was nominated for a 2019 Arai Award and 2020 AIR Award for best jazz album.
As a sideman Angela had the opportunity to perform with numerous jazz luminaries including Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, Vince Jones, James Morrison, Patti Austin, Linda Oh, Andrea Keller and Sandy Evans.
GIDEON BRAZIL - Tenor & Baritone Saxophone / Clarinet
Gideon Brazil plays for Gotye and has toured with Wally DeBacker and his other project The Basics. He has also performed with Paul Kelly, Eddie Perfect, Adam Simmons Toy Band, Luke Howard, Orchestra Victoria, and Kimba Griffith.
