Jake Mason Trio - The Modern Ark

“Pushing the boundaries of soul jazz... a scintillating killer of epic proportions”, Blues & Soul, UK

ARIA-nominated Jake Mason Trio is Australia’s premier soul-jazz act — a Hammond driven force that bridges a vintage aesthetic with contemporary edge. Led by composer and multi-instrumentalist Jake Mason (Cookin’ On 3 Burners), the trio features James Sherlock on guitar and Danny Fischer on drums, two of Australia’s most respected jazz instrumentalists. Their debut album The Stranger in the Mirror earned an ARIA nomination for Best Jazz Album and attracted international attention from ABC Jazz, Jazz Weekly (USA), Soultrain (Germany), and Rhythms Magazine (AU).

Each member brings formidable credentials. James Sherlock, winner of the Ike Isaacs International Jazz Guitar Award, is a prolific recording and touring artist who has worked with Paul Grabowsky, Kristin Berardi, Sheila Jordan (USA), Cyrille Aimee (France), and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, and released six albums as a leader. Danny Fischer drives the groove with pulse and fire, having performed and recorded with Mark Murphy(USA), Vince Jones, and Gary Bartz(USA). His sound combines deep pocket, fearless improvisation, and global experience from years in New York and London.

Leading the trio is composer, bandleader and multi-instrumentalist Jake Mason. As co-founder of the award-winning ensemble Cookin’ On 3 Burners, Mason has helped to define Australian funk and soul, co-writing the global hit This Girl (over two billion streams) and establishing his own imprint Soul Messin’ Records, a key platform for Australian soul, funk, and jazz.

Together, the Jake Mason Trio blend classic organ-groove tradition with a modern edge — music that moves from simmering soul to cinematic jazz with warmth, grit and joy and cementing their place as one of Australia’s most vital contemporary jazz outfits. Their forthcoming release The Modern Ark draws on the golden era of organ-jazz, paying homage to the greats like Jimmy Smith and Brother Jack McDuff with a distinctly modern feel.