writes pithy, catchy pieces bringing lightness and balance to big heavy issues (environment, sexuality, politics, love...)
Edwina’s warm and witty style has led to numerous commissions for and appearances on stage, radio and television. She is a three time winner of the National Poetry Debate and in demand for internationally recognized festivals (Venice Biennale, Helsinki Amorph!, Woodford, National Folk Festival Of Australia, Sydney Festival etc) as well as social forums and business conferences, where she can be found performing her own material, engaging fellow artists in interveiws or whipping up the crowd with infectious enthusiasm as MC.
Edwina appears regularly with her jazz quartet in venues large and small around the globe. Her repertoire of standards from trad and blues through swing, be bop, bossa nova and samba is the result of over two decades of live appearances (see acknowledgements below).
Edwina began writing songs in 1987 whilst living in London where she performed her original pieces acapella. On her return to Australia these "songs" were flatteringly re-classified as performance poetry and Edwina enjoyed several years on the writers festival and performance poetry circuits. During this period, alongside big production numbers for the Eastcoast dance party scene (RAT, Sweat Box, FUN, Dance Box etc) were memorable shows at Kinsela's with the Bobby Gebert Trio blending jazz favorites with Blush Tunes set to Gebert's accompaniments. A collaboration with Cottco Lovett (AKA Thierry Fosmale) beginning in 1996 saw many of the song/poems also set to Lovett's lyrical bass lines and culminated in an album "Sea You" released in 1997. Following the departure of Lovett for "The Whitlams" Blush teamed up with composer and multi-instrumentalist Trevor Brown (Waiting For Guinness) for 5 great years of live performances around Australia.
Edwina's newest co-writer is jazz pianist/composer Leonie Cohen. Blush and Cohen will celebrate 5 years together with the release of their second album of original jazz, latin and novelety tunes featuring regular band members Mark Howard on bass, John Blenkhorn on guitar and Tim Bradley on drums and percussion, plus some fine horn arrangements supplied by Murray Jackson and played by Jackson on sax, Gus Gomm on flugel horn/trumpet and Jeremy Borthwick on Trombone .Check out some tunes from the album in the Showroom. To purchase a copy use the online paypal service provided on the Shop page.
Edwina has been privileged to work with/for and learn from many fabulous famous and fabulous not so famous talents. Those not already mentioned but definitely deserving thanks include -
Andrew Dickeson, Andrew Denton, Angus Strachan, Anthony Howe, Brett Hilder, Brigitte Serhan, Cheryl Farthing, Christa Hughes, Cye Wood, David Seidel, Dean Denham, Delilah, Eartha Kitt, Earl Okin, Frank Bennett, The Gatsby Five, George Washing Machine, Georg Zoche, Gil Scott Heron, Hearing Things, Hope Augustus, Ian Date, Jacob Zoche, Jaquie Loeb, Jeannie Lewis, Jim Anderson, John Blenkhorn, John Galliano, John Pochet, John Samaha, Kassandra Bossell, Leigh Bowery, Lennie St Luce, Lester Bowie, Mark Howard, Mark Murphy, Martin Sharp, Michael Clarke, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Miles Merril, M.C Cronin,The Neville Brothers, Nigel Date, Oz Bop, Phil Norton, Renee Geyer, Ricky May, Roger (Mr Ellis D Fogg) Foley, Russell Kilbey, Simon Barker, Simon Reptile, Tammo Rist, Tim Bradley, Tim Levy, The Transnational Republic, Transworldnoise, Tug Dumbly, Vashti Hughes, Vee Malnar, Vikram Seth, Wednesday Kennedy, The Whitlams
