For sound samples click
Vada is a distinctive, fiery six-piece playing klezmer/hip hop/waltz/Dixie/tango/New Orleans/odd time Balkan jazz consisting of six of Melbourne’s finest improvisers, whose individual work spans many genres and has included performances and recordings with Clarence Penn, Tim Ries, Kate Ceberano, Allan Browne, Andrea Keller, Barney McAll, The Cat Empire, The Bamboos, Virus, The Band Who Knew Too Much, Michelle Nicolle Quartet and heaps more.

This year the band have already recorded a live album and embarked on a project commissioned by the Queensland Music Festival that incorporates a choir from Choulai’s homeland of Papua New Guinea. ‘We Don’t Dance For No Reason’ will be premiered in July.

“Choulai’s colleagues demonstrate an appealing bravado matched by a fierce musical intelligence, and their ability to sweep through the tunes’ constant shifts in tempo and time-feel is impressive to watch - Jessica Nicholas, The Age

“Aaron Choulai is a prodigious talent” - Kevin Jones, Weekend Australian

Eamon McNelis: Trumpet
Carlo Barbaro: Tenor Saxophone
Shannon Barnett: Trombone
Aaron Choulai: Piano/Nord
Tom Lee: Bass
Rory McDougall: Drums