Jazz students playing in bands at Jazz Workshop Australia: young guitarist and drummer, youth jazz combo, and adult band rehearsal.
Teenage jazz students from Jazz Workshop Australia performing with teachers at Government House, the Royal Easter Show and the Merimbula Jazz Festival.
Youth jazz students at camp and performing on tour in New York with Jazz Workshop Australia.
Young women and men learning jazz and performing with JWA

Adult jazz combos

Small jazz bands, or “combos”, are at the heart of jazz. The adult jazz combos at Jazz Workshop Australia are designed to help you learn to play and improvise in this essential setting, at any stage of development. Rehearsals are held in St Leonards on Sydney’s lower north shore, with structured coaching in small ensemble playing, jazz improvisation, and theory, and the opportunity to perform each semester at our combos showcases.

Groups run each semester, with entry by audition or assessment to ensure appropriate placement.

Introductory combos for adults

Introductory combos are for adults who can already play a musical instrument and are ready to begin learning jazz in a band setting. The focus is on learning to play in a jazz combo, developing a practical ability to improvise at a basic level in common contexts, and building the skills needed to get started.

For everyone in the group to get the most out of the experience, there are minimum requirements. A combo is not an instrument lesson. If you’re not there yet, a term or two of private lessons will prepare you.

REQUIREMENTS:

Horns and front line:
Be able to play at least six different major scales accurately and fluently. Reading music is helpful but not mandatory.

Drums:
Be able to play a steady beat in 4/4 time at 160 bpm for 24 bars using both hands and both feet.

Guitar and bass:
Know the notes in first position and on the highest, lowest, and second lowest strings up to the 12th fret. Be able to play at least a major and minor scale using a moveable fingering without open strings.
Guitar: at least major and minor barre chords.
Bass: be able to play a simple bass line by following chord symbols.

Piano:
As for horns, plus be able to play at least a major triad starting on the first note of each of those scales.

Entry is by audition or assessment, which can be completed in person, online, or by video or audio recording.

Adult intermediate combos

Intermediate combos are for adults with some background in improvisational jazz. The focus is on playing, with ongoing coaching in improvisation and small-group techniques throughout each rehearsal cycle.

There is a selection of intermediate groups at different levels. Entry is by audition or assessment to ensure placement in a group that matches your current level.

Adult advanced combos

Advanced combos are for adults with a strong background in small-group jazz and improvisation, including players who are already attending jam sessions or performing.

These groups provide a setting for regular training, coaching, and mentorship, with an emphasis on developing repertoire, refining technique, and deepening musical understanding. Rehearsals are focused and practical, with an expert tutor providing direct feedback.

They also provide an environment to work on new techniques and ideas before taking them to the stage. Some members use advanced combos to fulfil ensemble performance requirements in tertiary music courses.

The standard in these groups is high. Entry is by audition or assessment to ensure the group is the right fit for your current level.

 

What are the benefits of playing in a jazz combo?

Playing in a jazz combo is one of the most effective ways to develop as a musician. Benefits include:

  • Develop jazz improvisation skills and become a more confident, fluent soloist
  • Apply and deepen the work from private lessons in a band context
  • Build strong ensemble awareness and listening skills
  • Develop initiative and musical independence
  • Improve instrumental technique
  • Build confidence, both musically and more broadly
  • “Make music with like-minded people

These skills develop most effectively through regular playing in a consistent group.

 

A widespread view holds that jazz can’t really be taught — that success in jazz is the natural emergence of innate talent, and that you either have it or you don’t. This idea is wrong, and it does real harm: it stops capable, motivated people from ever getting started.

The reality is that jazz has always been taught and learned. The great jazz musicians learned their craft through study, mentorship, practice, and playing — the same things that develop any serious skill. At JWA we teach jazz the way it has always actually been learned, with clear methods, structured coaching, and the understanding that anyone who puts in genuine effort can make real progress.

JWA principal Saul Richardson explores this in depth in his doctoral thesis on teaching jazz.

Adult combos: general information

Tutors:
Tony Barnard, Gavin Ahearn, Deven Rahman, Saul Richardson, Michelle Shih, Sam Leong, Peter Farrar, and occasional guest tutors.

Location: St Leonards on Sydney’s lower north shore. Groups run on weekday evenings.

Rehearsals:
17 per semester, plus an end-of-semester showcase performance

Cost:
$850 per semester. This is a membership fee, not a per-session price.
Some groups, including Gavin Ahearn’s advanced combo, are priced higher due to longer session times.

Group size:
Up to eight musicians per group

Missed sessions:
There are no make-ups for missed rehearsals. In some cases, it may be possible to sit in with another group, but as each group follows its own program and is carefully balanced, this is not guaranteed.

Entry:
All combos are by audition or assessment, which can be completed in person, online, or by video or audio recording.

Once we understand your current level, we will recommend the most suitable group.