The Sport of Kings:
I wrote this song to express how I feel about the so-called ‘sport’ of horse-racing. One horse dies on an Australian race track every three days and thousands more are slaughtered each year.
Tea Cow:
This composition is dedicated to my friend Claire Keet, also a saxophonist. When I was at WAAPA, I used to go to her house to have cups of tea. I always drank from a mug with a cow on it, hence ‘tea cow’.
Hopeful:
This tune is for all the people who stay positive and try to make a positive change in the world.
One Planet:
This is a song about climate change and how we need to do something about it.
Duck Man:
This tune is inspired by the story of Mansour Shoushtari, an Iranian refugee and animal rights activist held in offshore detention on Manus Island. Shoushtari had a pet duck he had to leave behind when he fled Iran to come to Australia, so he is affectionately known as ‘duck man’. You can read his story here:
www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2017/sep/14/the-man-who-loves-ducks-the-refugee-saving-animals-on-manus
released April 1, 2022
Maximillian Wickham - Tenor Saxophone
Michael Ellis - Guitar
Tim Voutas - Piano
Alistair Peel - Bass
Daniel Susnjar - Drums
Ruth Klein Cook - Violin
Yasmin Omran - Violin
Erica Ketterer - Viola
Miranda Murray-Yong - Violoncello
Caitlin Malcolm - Flute (Tracks 2-5)
Alexandra Thomson - Clarinet (Tracks 2-5)
Philip Everall - Bass Clarinet (Tracks 2-5)
Katherine Walpole - Bassoon (Tracks 2-5)
All tracks composed by Maximillian Wickham
Recorded 20th-21st November 2021 and 19th January 2022 at Loop Recording Studios, West Perth
Engineered and mixed by Kieran Kenderessy
Mastered by William Bowden
Produced by Daniel Susnjar
Cover artwork by David Booth (Ghost Patrol):
david-booth.com
Cover design and layout by Rachel O'Brien
This album was produced with the generous support and assistance of the Perth Jazz Society and the WA Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
Firstly, to my parents, Jo and Gary, and my partner, Yoanna, thank you for all of your love and support. Thank you to all of my lecturers at the WA Academy of Performing Arts, in particular my saxophone teachers Jamie Oehlers, Sean Little and Julien Wilson. A huge thank you to the amazing musicians in this ‘triskaidectet’ for bringing my music to life. Thank you to Michael Ellis, Tom O’Halloran, Daniel Susnjar, Laurent Coq and Guilhem Flouzat, whose suggestions helped shape these compositions. Finally, thank you to the Perth Jazz Society and the WA Department of Local Government, Sport and Cultural Industries. This project would not have been possible without their support.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY:
This album was produced on the land of the Whadjuk people of the Noongar nation in Boorloo (Perth), Western Australia. I acknowledge the contribution of elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty was never ceded.