APRA AMCOS supports the inaugural Jackie Orszaczky Music Lecture and Composition Competition.
“Jackie Orszaczky was a phenomenal songwriter, player and band leader who had a huge impact on Australia’s music community. He was an APRA member for 32 years, and inspired musicians of all ages.” – Dean Ormston, Head of Member Services.
The guest lecturer will be Lucky Oceans – performer, composer, ABC broadcaster (The Daily Planet), pedal steel virtuoso, two-time Grammy award winner and founding member of legendary US band, Asleep At The Wheel.
In conjunction with the lecture, applications are now open for the Jackie Orszaczky Composition Competition. APRA members are invited to compose a song or instrumental in the spirit of Jackie’s music and submit an MP3. The winner will be selected by members of the Orszaczky band and receive a cash prize of $2,000.
About Jackie Orszaczky – Miklos Jozsef ‘Jackie’ Orszaczky was born in Budapest, Hungary in 1948. He learned piano and violin as a child but was known as a bass player, band leader and singer through his career and later – as an advocate of the ‘piccolo’ bass. He was acclaimed for his exceptional skills as a bassist and as a vocalist.
Jackie toured Australia with Hungarian band Syrius in 1971, relocating here in 1974 to join the group Bakery. He established a solid reputation as an innovative and original arranger, bandleader and composer, heading acclaimed cult-status ensembles including Jump Back Jack, the Grandmasters, Hungarian Rap Sadists, Godmothers, Industrial Accident and The Gray Suits. He worked with a wide spectrum of genres and contributed string and horn arrangements or played bass for many albums including recordings by The Whitlams, You Am I, Savage Garden, Billy Thorpe, Hoodoo Gurus, Tim Finn, Electric Pandas, Dave Dobbyn. Jackie was not well known by the general public but most Australians know music that he has touched through his influence upon dozens of players and singers now in the mainstream and fringes of rock, jazz and other concert music. He died of lymphoma in Sydney on 3 February 2008.
Created to celebrate the life and work of the late Jackie Orszaczky (pictured), this special event will take place at The Basement, Sydney on 10 May.
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