About the Artist
Hayden Koek is a multi-instrumentalist from Sydney, NSW. Trained in classical piano and jazz practices, he now thrives in the country rock scene. Hayden’s compositional aims are to blend the precision of his formal training with the energy of live performance, creating a sound that bridges genres and influences.
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Fragments
My EP, Fragments, represents who I am as a musician. While I’ve received formal training in both classical and jazz music, most of my professional life is spent playing in the country rock scene. As an educator, I move from teaching classical piano one hour to jazz upright bass the next, and then I might be on stage playing country guitar. I often feel like a segmented musician, constantly wearing different hats, and Fragments is a celebration of all those aspectsᅳthe many musicians I become week in and week out.
The title Fragments also speaks to the compositional process behind the EP. Every day, I write at least one creative idea in my journal, whether it’s a lyric, chord progression, or melodic idea. Each track on the EP was built from these fragments, combining elements of classical, jazz, and country/rock styles.
The EP consists of three tracks. Astray blends classical cadences with surprising key changes. Shadows in the Night is a simple folk ballad with subtle jazz harmony. Green Eyes brings together the harmonic language of jazz, inspired by Wayne Shorter, and the stylistic energy of rock bands like The Teskey Brothers. Each track reflects how I weave my formal training with my live performance experiences.
Special thanks must be given to the following people, for performing with me in the concert, aiding in the recording process and being dependable to bounce ideas off of.
- Samuel Wong
- Milly Garrett
- Steph Gulevski
