Gary
first began playing alto saxophone at age 10 after being inspired by a
saxophone solo he heard on a TV pop music show.
Due mainly to his enthusiasm
Gary
quickly excelled on the saxophone and won the school band trophy at the
end of his first year of playing.
During
his early high school years he became familiar with many of the
saxophone greats but it was the soulful, energetic sound of the
jazz/rock players such as David Sanborn, Michael Brecker, and Grover
Washington Jr that really caught his attention.
From then on his passion for jazz, rock and blues began to emerge
in his own playing. At 15 he began playing in hotels and clubs when he
joined the
Sydney
blues band ‘Heart’n’Soul’. This gave him the opportunity to
develop as a soloist as well as learn from some of Sydney’s finest
blues musicians.
The
following year he won 1st prize in the Northside Jazz
competition for under 19 year olds. This led to a scholarship trip to
England
in 1996 after graduating from high school to further his studies in the
art of jazz and saxophone playing.
Shortly
after returning from the UK Gary’s music took a back seat as he began
studies in computer science and the arts at
Sydney
University
.
‘It
was hard for me to get fully involved in my studies in computers.
I enjoyed being creative and number crunching wasn’t really the
best avenue for that, I kept playing music while I was a uni and soon
found that my passion for music was too great a distraction.’
Gary
then followed his heart, leaving
Sydney
altogether and enrolled in the Jazz course at the Queensland
Conservatorium of Music. It
was there that he was taught by many great lecturers, notably Tony Hobbs
and John Hoffman. He also
took up the flute and clarinet at this time and became a member of John
Hoffman’s Con Artist’s Big Band.
It was with this band that he was given the opportunity to record
a CD with legendary Australian jazz artist Dale Barlow.
It
was also during his time in
Queensland
that
Gary
became very aware of the spiritual aspects of music and soon realized
that his music was a gift from his creator.
After re-dedicating his life to Christ his music took on a more
substantial meaning.
‘I
will always be thankful for what God has done in my life, everything
that has happen for me so far is in preparation for what is to come. God
has an eternal purpose and will for me that I previously was unaware of.
As I live my life and play my music I realise more and more that
there is no greater freedom than a life in Christ.’
Brisbane
Christian Outreach Centre was the church he made his home and it was
there where he was given the opportunity to play his sax before hundreds
of people each week in worship.
Over a period of 4 years
Gary
recorded on and arranged for a series of praise and worship CD’s and
videos.
Gary
was also a valued member of the high-energy showband ‘Honey’ playing
sax, flute and wind synth. Honey
performed regularly at corporate events all over
Queensland
and soon gained acclaim for its musicality and energy on stage.
At
the beginning of 2000
Gary
graduated from the conservatorium of music with a degree in jazz and
decided that he needed a change of pace.
This inspired him to move back to
Sydney
in search of more musical opportunities.
After arriving in
Sydney
he enlisted in the Navy and began playing with the Royal Australian Navy
Band.
‘Coming
out of uni can be a real struggle for a young musician,
You have to spend a lot of time looking for paid opportunities to
play. After seeing a few
friends join the service I soon
realised to Navy was going to give me the best opportunity to
play professionally.’
Over
the past few years
Gary
has traveled all over
Australia
performing in every major city. He has also been a featured soloist with
the Navy Big Band and Wind Orchestra on numerous occasions and has had
the opportunity to visit international destinations such as
Greece
,
Crete
,
Japan
,
China
,
Philippines
,
Guam
and also
Norfolk Island
for ANZAC day.
Only
a few months ago
Gary
decided that was time to move on in his musical career.
Now with numerous musical experiences he now felt that it was
time to leave the Navy and explore other musical endeavours.
In
the second half of 2004
Gary
has really established himself in the Sydney Music scene.
Gary
has been performing regularly at the Newmarket Hotel with his 10-piece
band ‘
Bump
City
’ which he co-launched earlier in 2004. Already
Bump
City
is regarded as being
Sydney
’s finest old-school soul funk band with a regular following growing
with each performance. He
has also been working with other artists such as the Fabulous Blues
Brothers Show, Oh Boy –The Buddy Holly Show, Frank Bennett and the
Sydney All-Stars, American Gospel Award winning Jazz ensemble ‘Scat’,
Deva Permana’s Multifunksee, The Power Of Two, Troy Smith and Peter
Morgan’s Lamore Trio. Also,
he featured as a soloist with The Allniters in support of UB40’s
pacific tour 2004.
On
top of all that he is also a member of the worship team at
Hillsong
Church
in
Sydney
where he plays regularly to congregations of 1000+.
Gary
has recorded on and written brass arrangements for numerous praise and
worship CD’s for
Hillsong
Church
and has also featured on an instrumental album.
And,
most recently to date,
Gary
has release his debut solo CD – Atmospheric.
‘I’m
really excited about finally having the chance to record my music.
I love being creative and recording is the ultimate outlet for
that. This CD is completely
instrumental and so I’m telling a story or painting a picture with
sound. My main aim was to
create atmospheres with both strong melodies and a solid groove which
are easy for the listener to connect with.
That way, people will be in a better position to hear my heart in
the music which is the desire of most composers.’