The Scournful Four Jazz Quartet

THE SCORNFUL FOUR From the desolate plains of Brisbane’s jazz scene emerges a zombie reincarnation of the iconic 1950s Gerry Mulligan/Chet Baker Quartet: THE SCORNFUL FOUR. This group of miscreants dismember Andrew Garton’s original compositions and cook up unimaginably seething musical concoctions. The classic jazz hero-worship continues with nods to the legendary pianoless groups of Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane’s fiery 1960s ensembles, but the enigmatic beauty and undeniably Australian rasp of Bernie McGann, the intensity of Mark Simmonds and Scott Tinkler, and the genre-breaking excursions of Sandy Evans are the prevailing elemental sounds that drive the Scornful Four to bring you new explorations of the jazz vernacular. With a book full of COVID-era compositions that had yet to fall on any ears, saxophonist Andrew Garton convened a group of musical friends new and old to tackle the task of creating a setting to enrich what previously only existed in his imagination. Meanjin jazz-royalty Helen Russell on bass (notably of the lauded 90s ensemble Good Bait), the wise-beyond-his-years journeyman drummer Aaron Jansz and young firebrand trumpeter Sharon Elaine all openly bring their dedication and ability to engage deeply with any music they perform and it shows in the freedom and nuance presented by The Scornful Four. The Band: Andrew Garton is a Brisbane based saxophone player, composer and arranger. Andrew studied the saxophone and composition under the guidance of Tony Hobbs from 1999 to 2003. In 2017 he completed his Master of Music Research at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music. Andrew has composed extensively for his own group, the Abbreviations Orchestra as well as many other ensembles. Andrew received a commission from Jazz Queensland to compose an extended work for the Abbreviations Orchestra which was premiered as part of the Q150 celebrations and the 2009 Valley Jazz Festival. Andrew Garton has also composed and arranged music for jazz big bands including the Enthusiastic Musicians Orchestra, the Mace Francis Orchestra (as part of the Chinese Whispers III project) and the Brisbane Contemporary Jazz Orchestra. In 2009 Andrew was commissioned by the Enthusiastic Musicians Orchestra to compose a suite for jazz orchestra. Andrew Garton currently performs regularly with the Holy Rollercoasters, Ghostwoods, Brunswick Street Parade, the Funky Butt Club, the Wicked Messenger, the Francis Wolves, Dual Dialect, and the jazz quartet The Scornful Four (2024 finalist for the Queensland Music Award jazz category). Sharon Elaine is an up and coming trumpet player based in Brisbane. Since graduating with a bachelor of music in Jazz Performance from JMI, she has been working with many different projects including TYDE, Rosa Mack, The Unladylike Big Band, Brisbane Big Band, and many more. Her smooth sultry tone and laid back style is not one to miss. Helen Russell is a bassist, vocalist, arranger, musical director and educator based in Brisbane, Australia. Her career has en­compassed many styles of music performance – music theatre (often as musical director), country, gospel, pop, classical – whilst always having jazz at its core. Helen has been a constant on the Brisbane jazz scene since the late 80s, performing with both the old guard and the-up-and-comers. Helen has taught in jazz programs at the Queensland Conservatorium, QCU, JMI, and is currently a full-time lecturer in Contemporary Music at USQ. In 2016 she completed a Master of Music Research at Griffith University, documenting and codifying her method of in­tegrating and internalising music theory in an a cappella setting. Aaron Jansz is an in demand musician and educator based in Brisbane, Australia. Since completing a bachelor or Music at Jazz Music Institute Aaron has amassed a list of performance and recording credits that include local, national and international artists. As an accompanying artist, Aaron has performed with Vincent Gardner, Barney McAll, Steve Barry, Tal Cohen, Grace Knight, Julien Wilson, Kristin Berardi, James Sherlock, Katie Noonan, and Zac Hurren among others. The Scornful Four is: Andrew Garton – alto saxophone Sharon Elaine – trumpet Helen Russell – double bass Aaron Jansz – drums Discography: Hopeful Music for Hopeless People (to be released 2026) 40 / jazzzz [7”] (2025) Brisbane (Security City) [House Keys 2 compilation] (2023) Jazz in Meanjin 001: Live at Can You Keep A Secret? (2023) “Garton himself plays the alto saxophone as did (Bernie) McGann. He plays superbly with bright clean lines and more conventional intonation than McGann’s often extreme originality, which some may prefer.” – John Clare, Loud Mouth “(Garton’s) prowess as a musician is distinctive, frequently engendering an ethereal ambience in some compositions, creating a sense of mystery and drama.” – Eric Myers, The Australian Program All compositions by Andrew Garton Sun Drenched Son This piece also has an alternate title: “Son, Drenched Son”. Written for my first born child Theodore, who suffered mild jaundice as a newborn and needed to be sat in the sun for a few hours a day. Also, probably due to a lack of nappy tightening skill by his new parents, he seemed to end up drenched in urine every time his nappy was changed. A Rainy Morning Dedicated to Tom Waits, and plucked from the ether after a sustained period of listening to his sublime albums Alice and Blood Money. Not surprisingly, it was rainy AND the morning when this was composed. This piece was a finalist in the jazz category of the Queensland Music Awards in 2024. For Tea This was written as a tribute to Nina Simone and takes specific inspiration from her performances of ‘Sinnerman’ and ‘Mississippi Goddamn’. It was a commission for the birthday of the partner of a friend, and we hope her age has been sufficiently obscured by the clever title. Birthday Goodbyes Andrew’s beloved great-Aunt Monica died the day before her 91st birthday. This composition was written the day after she died. Invoke Lonesome Lie This is both an anagram and a contrafact for you to guess! anagram (noun): a word or phrase made by transposing the letters of another word or phrase contrafact (noun): a musical composition consisting of a new melody overlaid on a familiar harmonic structure. If you can work out the anagram you’ll also have the title of the contrafact, and vice versa. Any more information here will give up the game! Hymn for the Light Since we started this program with the sun, it seems only right to return to the light to end it. This piece was unnamed for a long time, but the harmony seemed very simple and hymn-like, and the melody and rhythm suggested the feeling of lying in the sun appreciating its life-affirming and uplifting power.