“We mostly write as a five-piece or come in with ideas that we’ve been working on individually and because we spend a lot of time together checking out music, we’re mostly on the same page,” Joy explains. “The music is an expression for all of us and the way we write and jam and sit on grooves for long periods of time allows people to be free and allows for a lot of improvisation. We’re really blessed that everyone in 30/70 loves each other, we each have a unique sound and bring different elements and colours to the music.”
It is clear to see the varied skills, talent and passion that each member possesses when experiencing 30/70 live. Many members of the group are professionally trained jazz musicians, and others are self taught. Having side projects, such as beat tape boom bap A Brother Scratch, the low fi funk work of guitarist and synth player Thomas Mansfield’s Thhomas, and the madlib jazz sounds of Leroy James and the Jazz Renegade are a way for the members to showcase other sides of their creative interests. “They’re a way for us all to get back to what we individually want to say and where we can explore our identity and sound without any compromise. For me (in Joy’s own self-titled project) it’s so empowering to play solo and not have to count on anyone else for my music,” she says.
30/70 were recently presented on behalf of the Melbourne International Jazz Festival and Stonnington Jazz Festival, where the band played alongside many acclaimed and groundbreaking jazz musicians. The group are undoubtedly esteemed to be pioneers of the brave new contemporary jazz scene. “I think what we’re doing and what is happening with hip hop and nu soul at the moment is definitely jazz, however I know a lot of people would disagree with that because of the textures and sounds we’re using but harmonically and rhythmically, there are so many cross overs between jazz and this kind of hip hop,” Joy says.
With appearances at Strawberry Fields and NYE On The Hill on the horizon, Joy compares the expectations of festivals as opposed to regular shows. “If you’re playing a gig the audience is there to see you, so a lot of the time they have an expectation of the music. At a festival so often the audience is there for the vibe and open to anything happening and it’s great to push that and give more than the music,” she says.
Considering we’re fast approaching the home run of the year, we asked if anything new was cooking for 30/70 in terms of releases. “We’re about to head back into the studio to record some more music for 30/70. We’re always trying new things and exploring different projects. In fact I think a new project of Ziggy’s (30/70’s drummer, Zeke Ruckman) just started last week.”
BY JESS ZANONI
