This week on Driveway, ArtSound FM takes a closer look at someone from Australia’s vibrant indie landscape, Canberra-born Jess Green—guitarist, vocalist, and composer—redefines jazz and art-pop as Pheno, blending electric riffs with Afrobeat grooves and sci-fi whimsy across two decades of boundary-pushing work. Her career, rooted in ANU’s jazz program and amplified by a Sydney Conservatorium Master’s in Equity in Jazz, champions diversity through collaborations like scoring Patricia Piccinini’s Skywhales and backing Katie Noonan at the 2018 Commonwealth Games.​

Roots in Rhythm and Equity

Green’s Canberra upbringing fueled her modal jazz training at ANU, where she mastered improvisation-heavy structures emphasizing atmospheric scales over rigid harmony. Relocating to Sydney honed her freelance edge in theatre, dance, and visual arts, while global tours in Europe and Asia infused West African polyrhythms and Eastern modalities into her sound. Now lecturing at ANU and leading Sydney Conservatorium programs, she mentors diverse voices, evolving from ensemble player to multimedia pioneer who explores connection and nature via experimental fusion.​

Genre-Fluid Sonic Worlds

Green’s style fuses electric guitar-driven jazz with indie rock’s grit and experimental pop’s play, coining “Afro-sci pop rock” under Pheno—layering Fela Kuti-inspired beats with lyrical probes into science and emotion. Drawing on post-bop principles for extended solos, her projects like the Jess Green Septet emphasize collaborative equity, creating rhythmically wild soundscapes that challenge jazz’s conventions. This evolution shines in releases from intimate jazz to bold commissions, prioritizing improvisation in multimedia contexts.​

Key Releases and Collaborations

Highlights include albums like The Singing Fish (2009) and Dragon Year (2013), plus the upcoming Strange Attractors (2024) with drummer Dylan van der Schyff. Standout commissions: We Are the Skywhales (2020) for Piccinini’s National Gallery installation, merging ambient guitar with visual narrative; and Dream Universe (2022) for the Australian Art Orchestra, blending vocal improvisation and chamber elements. Live, she’s graced WOMADelaide and Melbourne’s Rising Festival, rewriting jazz’s rules with shimmering, urgent energy.

​Two Tracks to Trace Her Evolution

Stream these on ArtSound FM to capture Green’s arc from jazz roots to art-pop innovation, each revealing her improvisational depth.

“We Are the Skywhales” (Pheno single, 2020): Ambient swells and ethereal vocals for Piccinini’s sculpture, bridging jazz with sci-fi visuals in site-specific mastery; ideal for contemplative spins.

“Rainsong” (from The Singing Fish…And Other Short Stories, 2005): An early instrumental piece with piano interplay, evoking modal fluidity and subtle rhythmic daring—perfect for mornings when you need introspective jazz immersion.

Links

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Driveway airs each weeknight from 5–7pm on ArtSound FM. Tune in for more insights, a mix of classic tracks and deep cuts, and stories behind the music.

Let us know your favourite Jess Greem moments—or if there’s a track we should spin next.