axophone colossus Carl Mackey return to the Uptown stage this Wednesday to deliver a night of hard swinging jazz in trio format - sax, bass and drums

Melbourne based saxophonist, Carl Mackey has been a stalwart on the Australian jazz landscape for more than three decades. Renowned for his versatile and emotionally charged playing style, he has shared the stage with a diverse array of artists, including Lionel Hampton, Kurt Elling, Sammy Figueroa, Ben Wendel, James Morrison, Kate Ceberano, Boy and Bear, Blur, Noel Gallagher, and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra.

He has supported international stars such as James Brown, Harry Connick Jnr, The Yellowjackets, Ray Charles and Dianne Reeves.

Co-leader of award-winning group Speedball, he is a member of the Sam Anning Sextet, Australian National Jazz Orchestra, lead alto in the Vanessa Perica Orchestra and can be heard in groups as diverse as Andrea Keller’s Composer’s Circle through to latin orchestra, La Influencia.

A two time James Morrison Scholarship finalist, and a Freedman Fellowship finalist in 2006, Mackey has toured extensively with appearances in the United States, UK, Italy, India, and is a regular fixture on the national jazz festival scene with regular performances at the Melbourne, Perth, Wangaratta, Brisbane and Sydney International Jazz Festivals.