Dr Kevin Hunt
People_

Dr Kevin Hunt

MMus(Perf) Sydney
Lecturer in Piano (Jazz)
Address
C41 - Sydney Conservatorium of Music
The University of Sydney
Dr Kevin Hunt

In 2017 Dr Kevin Hunt was appointed to the position of Early Career Development Fellow in Jazz and Improvisation, at the Sydney Conservatoirum of Music. Kevin has taught jazz studies at the SCM since 2005.

In 2016 Kevin completed his PhD research 'Perceptions of the Stuart & Sons Piano Sound: Realising an active, creative vision'. In this research the tonal qualities of the Stuart piano sound are identified, and used a primary Australian sound for the creation of intercultural music collaborations with Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicians.

From 2012 to 2016, Kevin has produced the inaugural OUR MUSIC workshop-festivals at the SCM. OUR MUSIC is an intercultural, collborative musical exchange activity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musicans and the students and academics in the Sydney Unversity community.

In 2004Kevin completed his Masters research 'Suite Horizons: Plateuas of Interpretation', a researh project that reconfigured classical piano compositions of Ravel, Messiaen and Debussy into jazz improvisatory musical language.

A regular on the Sydney jazz scene, Kevin Hunt’s first jazz teachers were Chuck Yates, John Speight and David Levy. In 1981 he studied jazz at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music with Don Burrows, Judy Bailey, Paul MacNamara, Roger Frampton, George Golla, Miroslav Bukovsky and Dick Montz.

Since the mid 1980s, Kevin has led his own jazz ensembles, specializing in performances of his own compositions as well as classical composers JS Bach, Maurice Ravel, Claude Debussy, and Leonard Bernstein. With Lawrie Thompson on drums and Gary Holgate on bass, Kevin led the successful JS Bach Trio, winning ABC FM’s Listeners Choice Award in 1998 for their recording Kevin Hunt Plays JS Bach.

Kevin’s composition and performance experience was enriched by regular work with the Kinetic Energy Theatre Company, and as a mature-age student, Kevin studied composition at the Sydney Conservatorium with Martin Wesley Smith, Greg Schirmer, Gillian Whitehead, and Trevor Pearce. In 1993 he also studied with Josef Zawinul in Vienna.

Kevin has recorded jazz CDs with Don Burrows, Marie Wilson, James Morrison, Simon Tedeschi, TIm Hopkins, Adrian Mears, Janet Seidel, Steve Hunter, David Jones, Col Loughnan, Sandie White, Trevor Griffin and Debra Decembre.

In 1992 Kevin, Steve Hunter and David Jones formed the modern jazz trio ‘Tree’. Tree produced 2 CDs, Tree and Love & Logic. This was a popular group in the 90s, and there are plans for reunion performances.
With a scholarship from the Australian Elizabethan Theatre Trust, Kevin studied piano and composition in New York City in 2001. He completed a Master of Music in Jazz Performance in 2004 under the supervision of Bill Motzing and Phil Slater with piano tuition from Stephanie McCallum. Currently, he performs with the Kevin Hunt Trio, Simon Tedeschi, Emma Pask and Marie Wilson.

In 2010, Kevin created a new jazz trio with Dave Goodman on drums and Karl Dunnicliff on bass. This trio has recorded and performed extensively for Kevin’s PhD research in comparing jazz capabilities of the Australian-made Stuart & Sons piano sound with other pianos. Much of this new music is based on ancient Aboriginal chants of the Sydney region, and is currently being recorded for a CD entitled Ancient & New.

Kevin Hunt's research interests are in jazz piano performance, compostion, improvisation and the development of intercultural collaborations between Australian Aboriginal and Torress Strait Islander musicians and the students and academics of the Sydney Unversity community.

In 2017, Dr Kevin Hunt is supervising six research projects of Honours, Masters and PhD level at the SCM.

Doctor of Philosophy.

Publications

Book Chapters

  • Toltz, J., Hunt, K. (2023). Singing Up the Past and Stompin' with the Prinz: Jaroslav Jezek and the Music of "Prinz Bettliegend". In Lisa Peschel (Eds.), A Holocaust Cabaret: Re-making Theatre from a Jewish Ghetto, (pp. 32-51). Bristol: Intellect. [More Information]

Musical Compositions

  • Hunt, K. (2019). Barayagal Choir Songs Recording 2018: Composed by Nardi Simpson; Arranged by Kevin Hunt: 1. You Gotta Know 2. Yarrager Mayra 3. Old Ones. Sydney, Australia: Self Published.

Music

  • Hunt, K. (2018). Christmas Piano Recital, Female Orphan School, Whitlam Institute, Sydney, Australia: The Whitlam Institute.
  • Hunt, K. (2018). 1. On A Clear Day (Burton Lane), 1st Movement of Nobles et Sentimentales (Maurice Ravel), 3. Black (Cole Porter), 4. What Is This Thing Called Love (Tadd Dameron), 5. Things Aint' (Thelonious Monk). Sydney Con International Jazz Festival - Kevin Hunt Trio. Recital Hall West, Sydney, Australia: Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
  • Hunt, K. (2018). Works by Harold Arlen; Bob Dorough; Lennon & McCartney; Jimmy McHugh & Harold Adamson; Osvaldo Farres ;Dorothy Fields & Jerome Kern; Carmen McRae; Kurt Weill Bertolt Brecht; Milton Ager; Jorge Ben; Fats Waller; Vincent Youmans; Jesse Stone; Irene Kitchens and others. Emma Pask and Kevin Hunt Duo. Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne, Australia: Harbour Music Agency.

Live Theatre

  • Muir, S., Weinberg, J., Sirmai, G., Chester, D., Mirels, D., Hunt, K. (2017). Merchants of Helsinki: Yiddish Cabaret from Finland. The Sound Lounge, Seymour Centre, Sydney, Australia: Out of the Shadows Festival: Rediscovering Jewish Music and Theatre.
  • Maxwell, I., Peschel, L., Toltz, J., Hunt, K. (2017). Prince Bettliegend: A Cabaret from Terezin. Seymour Centre, Sydney, Australia, Australia: Performing the Jewish Archive. [More Information]

Recorded / Rendered Performance

  • Hunt, K. (2019). Kevin Hunt TRIO Live : 1. On A Clear Day - Burton Lane, 2. Valse Noble et Sentinmetales No1. ( Modere, tres franc) - Maurice Ravel, 3. Black - Duke Ellington, 4. What is This Thing Called Love - Cole Porter, Hot House - Tadd Dameron, Little Rootie Tootie - Thelonious Monk, 5. Things Aint - Wollawareerr Benelong/Mercer Ellington. On Kevin Hunt TRIO HOTHOUSE, Digital, CD, Sydney, Australia: ABC.
  • Hunt, K., Tedeschi, S. (2010). Woodlands, CD, Sydney, Australia: ABC Jazz.

2023

  • Toltz, J., Hunt, K. (2023). Singing Up the Past and Stompin' with the Prinz: Jaroslav Jezek and the Music of "Prinz Bettliegend". In Lisa Peschel (Eds.), A Holocaust Cabaret: Re-making Theatre from a Jewish Ghetto, (pp. 32-51). Bristol: Intellect. [More Information]

2019

  • Hunt, K. (2019). Barayagal Choir Songs Recording 2018: Composed by Nardi Simpson; Arranged by Kevin Hunt: 1. You Gotta Know 2. Yarrager Mayra 3. Old Ones. Sydney, Australia: Self Published.
  • Hunt, K. (2019). Kevin Hunt TRIO Live : 1. On A Clear Day - Burton Lane, 2. Valse Noble et Sentinmetales No1. ( Modere, tres franc) - Maurice Ravel, 3. Black - Duke Ellington, 4. What is This Thing Called Love - Cole Porter, Hot House - Tadd Dameron, Little Rootie Tootie - Thelonious Monk, 5. Things Aint - Wollawareerr Benelong/Mercer Ellington. On Kevin Hunt TRIO HOTHOUSE, Digital, CD, Sydney, Australia: ABC.

2018

  • Hunt, K. (2018). Christmas Piano Recital, Female Orphan School, Whitlam Institute, Sydney, Australia: The Whitlam Institute.
  • Hunt, K. (2018). 1. On A Clear Day (Burton Lane), 1st Movement of Nobles et Sentimentales (Maurice Ravel), 3. Black (Cole Porter), 4. What Is This Thing Called Love (Tadd Dameron), 5. Things Aint' (Thelonious Monk). Sydney Con International Jazz Festival - Kevin Hunt Trio. Recital Hall West, Sydney, Australia: Sydney Conservatorium of Music.
  • Hunt, K. (2018). Works by Harold Arlen; Bob Dorough; Lennon & McCartney; Jimmy McHugh & Harold Adamson; Osvaldo Farres ;Dorothy Fields & Jerome Kern; Carmen McRae; Kurt Weill Bertolt Brecht; Milton Ager; Jorge Ben; Fats Waller; Vincent Youmans; Jesse Stone; Irene Kitchens and others. Emma Pask and Kevin Hunt Duo. Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne, Australia: Harbour Music Agency.

2017

  • Hunt, K. (2017). Kevin Hunt Trio: An evening of Jazz, Newcastle Art Gallery, Newcastle, Australia: Ian Fry Newcastle Art Gallery Society.
  • Hunt, K. (2017). 1. Smack Dab In The Middle 2. Devil May Care 3. Here There and Everywhere 4. Quizas Quizas Quizas 5. Hard Hearted Hannah, the Vamp of Svannah 6. Mas Que Nada 7. Some Other Spring 8. Tea for Two 9. The Way You Look Tonight 10. I Love Being Here With You. Emma Pask & Kevin Hunt In Concert. Melbourne Recital Centre, Melbourne, Australia: Melbourne Recital Hall & The Harbour Agency.
  • Hunt, K. (2017). 1. Solace / Maple Leaf Rag ; 2. Deep River ; 3. Celtic Jesu ; 4. Autumn In New York/ On A Clear Day 5. Hot House/Rootie Tootie; 6. Loro; 7. Things Aint. Live on Saturday Radio 102.5 Fine Music. 102.5FM Fine Music, St Leonards, Australia: Live on Saturday Radio 102.5 Fine Music.

2010

  • Hunt, K., Tedeschi, S. (2010). Woodlands, CD, Sydney, Australia: ABC Jazz.
  • Pratt, D., Hunt, K., Maegraith, R., Nelson, E., South, P., Underwood, J. (2010). 1..Bell 2. Mechano 3. Mantra 4. Low Zone 5. Unforeseen Consequences 6. Sub-tropic 7. Josef Lived Here 8. Blue Mantra 9. Evidence 10. Gaggle 11. In Walked Bud 12. Slip Slide. The Daryl Pratt Sextet. Music Cafe, Sydney, Australia: Sydney Conservatorium of Music.