The Maddison Carter Quintet launched itself last year as a contemporary

jazz ensemble, seeking to blur the lines between improvisation and

composition, pulse and tempi, featuring works by young drummer/

composer Maddison Carter. With a sound palette ranging from simple

melodies to layered-multi-tempi structures, this ensemble steps in to fill

a gap in the Melbourne music scene. Comprising Eugene Ball (trumpet),

Theo Carbo (electric guitar), Joe O’Connor (piano), Tamara Murphy (bass),

and Maddison Carter (drums), the ensemble released their debut album in

March. In this project, Maddison offers that “the individual is often asked to

make improvisatory choices within the compositional structure of a piece

that exert non-metronomically related tempi against one-another. The

superimposition of these tempi propels the piece forward and drags it back

all at once, creating a rhythmically ambiguous space that allows one’s

ears to wander, latching on to what they can.”