REPARATIONS

'Reparations' is the debut album of Australian saxophonist / composer Stephen Byth.

Depicting musical narratives in an Australian context, this album explores themes such as identity, landscape, time and place, as well as the navigation of complex social dynamics.

Ranging from sweeping orchestral soundscapes to explosive dynamic peaks, this album draws from influences spanning from John Coltrane to Béla Bartók to Andrea Keller.

“The gravitas of this music is immediate from the first note. […] While there are no obvious antecedents to this beautiful contemporary jazz, I detect in Byth’s grand themes a nod to the seminal works of great American composer/orchestrators Charles Mingus and Gil Evans. The music here is rich enough to be considered in those terms.”

- Eric Myers, The Weekend Australian

“Throughout, Byth’s music is permeated with a haunting, almost filmic quality, achieving its effect via a gentle and incremental layering of sound. […] With his debut album, Byth has established himself as a compelling new voice in Australian jazz.”

- Des Cowley, Dingo Australian Jazz Journal

Welcome, Melancholia

‘Welcome, Melancholia’ is a heartfelt homage to three pillars of Black American Music by Australian saxophonist and composer Stephen Byth.

This EP-length project features compositions by John Coltrane, Duke Ellington and Wayne Shorter, all of which have provided endless inspiration to Byth throughout his time as a musician, aiming to capture the spirit of these compositions while reimagining them through the musical lens of Byth’s modern influences such as Colin Stetson, James Blake and Mid-Air Thief.