NEW SINGLE: The Rookies 'Dry Bones' + Announce Album

Cult Jazz darlings The Rookies return with the thought-provoking track ‘Dry Bones’
+ Announce new album Feed The Fire
+ Legendary weekly Wednesday parties

'eloquence weeps through every note – the ebb and flow of the music reflecting the vicissitudes of life with an optimistic resolve' - Arun Kendall, Backset Mafia

The Rookies play jazz, but not as you know it. The Melbourne cult jazz darlings are back with an inspiring and determined single ‘Dry Bones’, out now. ‘Dry Bones’ is the first new musical musing from The Rookies this year, and only the beginning, it’s a tasty first treat from their upcoming album Feed The Fire, slated for release on Friday 24 March 2023. The five piece outfit blends a nostalgic sense of the old world with the freedom and spontaneity of the new, informed by their longstanding and legendary Wednesday night parties at The Rooks Return. Continuing to bring the party to Wednesdays at Rooks, The Rookies bring an experience of raw energy and improvisation, where anything is possible.

Born in the spring of2014on the overlooked end of Fitzroy’s Brunswick Street in a dimly lit room at The Rooks Return, what started as a quiet set of background jazz for punters while they imbibed their cocktails quickly devolved into an uninhibited, drunken dance party reminiscent of a time almost forgotten,The Rookies as we know them today transpired and eight years later can still be found there every Wednesday night. The weekly Wednesday night parties are an affair and an utterly unrepeatable experience, the band effortlessly jump genres, twisting and contorting old world repertoire into something idiosyncratically their own, alongside surprise special guests from Australia and abroad.

The Rookies don’t take releasing music lightly, it’s thoughtful, with the hope of being thought-provoking. ‘Dry Bones’ is an open invitation to challenge oppression, stand up to injustice, and believe in a better future for planet Earth. The track begins with a sort of “waking up” feeling––the shock that things are not right with the world, which anyone paying attention can see. Tom Sly on trumpet joins Alto Saxophone lines from band leader Greg Sher,and a dynamic and driving rhythm section formed from the piano of Joel Trigg, double bass fromOscar Neyland and Chris Cameron’s drums and percussion. At the same time, flute phrases float through from feature artist Erica Tucceri.The track progresses and passes through a number of sections and moods, fear and uncertainty turn to fierce resolve, a determination to act, and ultimately, hope that a better world is possible.

"Dry Bones is a call to look around at our communities and society at large and begin to identify where we may have gone wrong. How can we chart a new course that better honours the inherent dignity and sanctity of human and non-human life? The track turns on the idea of seeing clearly the flaws in a troubled society with eyes unclouded by fear. Only by facing the tragedy and injustice around us can we begin to craft a brighter, more inclusive future together." - The Rookies

Emerging from their home at The Rooks Return, The Rookies have hosted the Melbourne International Jazz Festival late-night jam sessions for the past four years, held a two-year residency at midnight on Saturdays at the Jazz Lab, performed at festivals and toured across the country In 2018 their critically acclaimed debut LP The Rookies Play Jazz sold out in months across Australia, Japan and Europe and hosted a Friday night takeover at Strawberry Fields Festival, booking a line-up of bands forging new paths in jazz and improvised music.

Celebrate the return of new music from The Rookies on Wednesdays at the band’s “Spiritual Home”, The Rooks Return. Whether it’s to come to dance, sing, drink, or just enjoy Greg’s satirical and quirky commentary, The Rookies will be there to whisk you away for the night.

‘Dry Bones’ out now via Noisehive

Feed The Fire out Friday 24 March 2023 via Noisehive.

Track Listing:
1. Dry Bones
2. On the Shoulders of Giants
3. Vultures
4. Schema I
5. Schema II
6. Embers
7. Seed & Soil

Upcoming shows
Rooks Return - Wednesdays
Set 1 - 8:30 - 9:30 pm
Set 2 - 10:00 - 11:00 pm
Free entry

‘Dry Bones’ Credits:
Greg Sher - alto & tenor saxophone
Tom Sly - trumpet
Joel Trigg - Fender Rhodes
Oscar Neyland - double bass
Chris Cameron - drums & percussion
Erica Tucceri - flute

Engineered & mixed by Guus Hoevenaars at Newmarket studios
Mastered by Lachlan Carrick at Moose mastering
Chris Cameron plays Sleishmann drums
Oscar Neyland plays a Benedict G Puglisi double bass

Artwork & photography by Hanah Wexler & Greg Sher