"Joseph Franklin is an Australian composer and improvising bassist whose practice spans improvised, notated, experimental and film music. He leads his own project, is a member of Sydney-based ensemble The Music Box Project, co-founded experimental performance group The Opera Company, and has duo projects with Sam Gill and Satoshi Takeishi (USA/JAP).

His chamber opera Jouska was premiered at the Bendigo international Festival of Exploratory Music (BIFEM) in 2019 by The Music Box Project, who received the award for 'Excellence In Experimental Music' at the 2020 Art Music Awards in Australia. His sophomore album Amen (Earshift Music 2019) was recorded in NYC with Marc Hannaford on piano/electronics and Satoshi Takeishi on drums/percussion. Described as "the avant-garde of today" (Eric Meyers, The Weekend Australian, 21/09/19) the Melbourne album launch performance was a finalist for 'Performance of the Year: Jazz/Improvised Music' at the 2020 Art Music Awards.

Franklin has composed for a range of ensembles throughout Australia including the Australian Youth Orchestra, Flinders Quartet, Ensemble Nouveau, Geist Quartet and The Music Box Project. His teachers include Mark Applebaum (USA), Elliott Gyger, Simon Barker and many others. He has performed at numerous concerts, festivals and museums in Europe, Turkey, Australia and the USA, and is a former member of indie-rock outfit, Dukes of Windsor.

As a recipient of the 2020 Marten Bequest Scholarship, Franklin is developing new works including a piano concerto, a semi-hollow bass guitar project, international collaborations and the design and build of a new instrument."

"Sam Gill is a saxophonist, improviser & composer based in Sydney, Australia. He leads the groups Coursed Waters & Scattered, is a member of the composer-performer collectives Mind on Fire & Microfiche, and has duo projects with electric bassist Joseph Franklin and drummer Simon Barker. In 2020, Sam was nominated for the Freedman Jazz Fellowship.

Sam has performed with a number of Australia's most acclaimed improvisers including Chris Hale, Marc Hannaford, Andrea Keller, Steve Magnusson, Matt McMahon, Gian Slater, Clayton Thomas and Scott Tinkler. He has also worked with the Australian Art Orchestra and world-music ensemble Mara!

Performance highlights have included appearances at Copenhagen Jazz Festival, the Australian Art Orchestra's Meeting Points Series, SIMA's International Women's Jazz Festival, the NOW now Festival, the Jazzgroove Association Featured Artist series, Converge Festival, and Wollongong's Speak Satellite Festival.

Sam has appeared on numerous records as a leader/co-leader, with releases on the labels Creative Sources, Earshift Music and his own label Radial Sounds. As a band-member, he can be heard on Okay (2017) by the Sydney Conservatorium Jazz Orchestra, and From The Depths (2020) by Sideband."