Eugene Ball (born 12 October 1972) is an Australian

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

trumpeter. He won the Best Australian Jazz Composition Award for "Fool Poet's Portion" at the

Australian Jazz Bell Awards Australian Jazz Bell Awards, also known as the Bell Awards or The Bells, are annual music awards for the jazz genre in Australia. They were named in honour of Australian jazz pianist, composer and band leader, Graeme Bell (1914–2012), at thei ...

in 2008. ''Fool Poet's Portion'' is inspired by Norse mythology with three movements: ''The Death of Baldr'', ''Trickster's Intent'', and ''The Coming of Christianity''. It is performed by the Bennetts Lane Big Band which was assembled by Ball, Andrea Keller, and Nick Haywood in 2001 as a large ensemble and as a vehicle for original new work. The work was re-orchestrated and performed at a benefit concert for the '' Melbourne Jazz Co-op'' in January 2008. Ball was awarded second place in the Wangaratta Festival of Jazz Awards in 2003, and was a finalist in the prestigious Freedman Jazz Fellowship in 2003 and 2006. In 2004 Ball and guitarist Stephen Magnusson started Lebowski's, a series of musician-run concerts in venues not associated with jazz. The following year, 2005, Eugene Ball was an important initiator of the Melbourne Jazz Fringe Festival.
NMIT Meet the staff - Eugene Ball
'', Northern Melbourne Institute of TAFE website. Retrieved 13 November 2008 Ball was awarded a Melbourne Research Scholarship at the completion of his

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

in Performance and Composition from

Melbourne University The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state of Victoria. Its ...

. He has performed with

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, Tony Gould,

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, and

John Butler John Butler may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John "Picayune" Butler (died 1864), American banjo performer; may have been used by a number of performers * John Butler (artist) (1890–1976), American artist * John Butler (author) (born 1937), ...

; and with groups The Hoodangers, the Andrea Keller Quartet, the Allan Browne Quintet, the Australian Art Orchestra, and the Ball/Magnusson/Talia trio. He is involved in several musical projects including Kadoonka, ish ish, Aaron Choulai Quintet, and the Messiaen Project performing works by

Olivier Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithology, ornithologist. One of the major composers of the 20th-century classical music, 20th century, he was also an ou ...

. He teaches trumpet, improvisation, and composition and has directed ensembles at Eltham High School,

Monash University Monash University () is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (state), Victoria, Australia. Named after World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the ...

, and

Victorian College of the Arts The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) is the arts school at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It is part of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music (FFAM). It is located near the Melbourne city centre on the Southbank campus ...

. He is a lecturer in music for

Melbourne Polytechnic Melbourne Polytechnic, formerly NMIT, is an institute of higher education and vocational education (TAFE) located in Melbourne, Australia that has been operating since around 1910. In October 2014, the institute was renamed to Melbourne Polyt ...

's Bachelor Music program at the Fairfield campus.

Awards

Australian Jazz Bell Awards

The

, (also known as the Bell Awards or The Bells), are annual music awards for the jazz music genre in Australia. They commenced in 2003. , - , 2008 , "The Fool Poets Portion" – Eugene Ball , Australian Jazz Composition of the Year , , - , 2011 , "Song from the Highest Tower" – Eugene Ball , Best Australian Jazz Song , , - , 2017 , "4tet" – Eugene Ball , Best Australian Jazz Song , , -

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Eugene 1972 births Living people Australian jazz composers Australian male jazz composers Australian jazz trumpeters Musicians from Victoria (state) 21st-century Australian trumpeters 21st-century Australian male musicians 21st-century Australian musicians Bennetts Lane Big Band members