ALEX PERTOUT has been recognised for decades as one of Australia's leading creative percussionists and with credits on hundreds of albums, soundtracks and jingles is undeniably one of Australia's most recorded musicians. He is a Chilean born Australian award winning percussionist, composer, educator, recording artist, producer, renowned for his exceptional percussive touch which has enriched a wide array of studio recordings, including some of the most iconic songs in the history of Australian popular music such as Daryl Braithwaite 'The Horses' and Powderfinger's 'My Happiness', as well as a founding member of the Australian Art Orchestra, taking part in recordings and national and international tours for two decades with the acclaimed contemporary jazz ensemble. As a versatile percussionist he has also attained credits as a member of numerous television orchestras, theatre orchestras, in countless live performances and tours, as well as a respected educator and academic. In tandem he has developed a personal creative artistic career as a recording artist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer and ensemble leader.
Born in Santiago, Chile, he later lived in Gorizia, Italy, before settling in Melbourne, Australia, in the early 1970s. During his teenage years, he began studying percussion, which eventually guided him toward an academic pursuit of music research and a flourishing career as an acclaimed percussionist. In 1980, he was among the first group of students admitted to the newly established jazz program at the Victorian College of the Arts, led by the renowned saxophonist Brian Brown. Throughout his time at the college, he delved into composition, orchestration, repertoire, arranging, vibraphone, marimba, orchestral percussion and piano. He graduated from the VCA in 1983 with High Distinction and later earned a Master of Philosophy in Music from the Australian National University (ANU)
"Alex Pertout percussionist extraordinaire"
Warwick McFadyen | SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
"He flatters most contexts in which he performs, combining the ability to bring an extremely sophisticated sense of orchestration to bear"
John Shand | JAZZ’N’BLUES
"Tireless, multi-faceted, dreamer. The life of Alex Pertout confirms that there are no borders in creation"
Ana Maria Dominguez | LA JIRIBILLA (CUBA)
"A musician's musician"
Mike Daly | THE AGE
"Pertout's credentials are impeccable, supremely elegant playing"
Brian Wise | RHYTHMS
"As always Pertout provides a vital ingredient with his tasteful and creative use of percussion instruments"
Adrian Jackson | THE AGE
"Performance by percussionist Alex Pertout was way above the commonplace, Pertout impressed with his Latin American rhythms"
​Narendra Kusnur | MIDDAY MUMBAI (INDIA)
STUDIO SESSIONS: ALBUMS & SINGLES
As a first-rate studio percussionist he has attained recording credits on hundreds of releases, his playing featured on number one charting singles and albums and many award-winning recordings, releases include compact discs, long plays, mini long plays, 12" mixes and singles with artists such as Powderfinger, Australian Art Orchestra, Japanese fusion band Casiopea, Little River Band w/John Farnham, Tina Arena, Shane Howard, Daryl Braithwaite, French artist Charlelie Couture, Archie Roach, Goanna, Mark Gillespie, Paul Grabowsky, Vince Jones, Ruby Hunter, Pseudo Echo, Joe Chindamo, Kate Ceberano & Her Septet, The Black Sorrows, Redgum, Hunters & Collectors, Tommy Emmanuel, Merril Bainbridge, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Malaysian rock band Wings, Australian Philharmonic Orchestra, Mark Seymour, Saffire, Rob Mills, Kavisha Mazzella, Tony Gould, Coco's Lunch, Dan Greenwood, Mike Brady, Mark Elliot, Kids In The Kitchen, James Reyne, Mondo Rock, The Lovers, Rozzi, Christine Sullivan, Debra Byrne, Stephen Kirk, Graham Goble, Wendy Grace, Jamie Fielding, Linda Cable, Penny Dyer, Justin Humphries, Brian Brown, Linda George, Jane Rutter, Lisa Young Quartet, Fiona Burnett, Wendy Rule, Peter Jones, Lisa McCune, Linn Van Heck, Venice Beach, Southern Sons, Things Of Stone And Wood, Larry Maluma, Colin Buchanan, Dinash, Howlin' Wind, The Seekers, Mixed Relations, Among Thieves, Peter Andre, Stephen Housden, Joe Creighton, Broderick Smith, Arch Stevenson, Andrew Pendlebury, Bob Sedegreen, Steve Warner, Rhapsody In Red, Cotton Club Orchestra, Stephen Cummings, Cezary Skubiszewski, Richard Pleasance, Paul Norton, The Slow Club, Nick Barker And The Reptiles, FGHR, Neil Murray, Olivia Newton-John, Ross Wilson, Joe Camilleri, Indecent Obsession, Chantoozies, Ted Egan, John McAuslan, Fernandez & Wright, Steve Grace, Manikins, Adrian's Wall, Judy Conelli, FX, Greg Champion, Ka Ha, White Light Orchestra, Hi Ho, David Evans And Thunder Down Under, The Ones, Brian Cadd, Bruce Rowland, Colleen Hewet, Peter Cupples, Monica Brown, World Rhythm Band, Seona McDowell and Savanna Silver Band, among others.
STUDIO SESSIONS: SOUNDTRACKS
His percussive work can also be heard on numerous motion film soundtracks including It Runs In The Family, The Menkoff Method, Empire Falls, Crocodile Dundee, Siam Sunset, The Goddess Of 1967, Black & White, The Craic, Diana & Me, Simone De Beauvoir's Babies, Shiner, Witch Hunt, Gross Misconduct, Aladdin: The Return Of Jafar, La Spagnola, Andre The Seal, Noah's Ark, Queen Kat, Carmel and St. Jude, The Silver Brumby, Lightning Jack, Last Days Of Chez Nous, Hurricane Smith, Death Before Dishonour, Return To Eden, Lilian's Story, Lucky Break, The Crossing, Boulevard Of Broken Dreams, Wendy Cracked A Walnut, The Sound Of One Hand Clapping, The Bit Part, Dusty, Napoleon/Kulta, Georgia, Exile, Tunnel Vision, Life Of Harry Dare, Cheetah and Brilliant Lies, among others.
TELEVISION ORCHESTRAS
As a versatile percussionist playing a wide spectrum of instruments, he has been a member of numerous television and theatre orchestras performing on tonight shows and special network presentations. On television he spent over two decades taking part in orchestras for all the networks working on programs such as The Don Lane Show, The Midday Show, New Faces, The Bert Newton Show, The Daryl Somers Show, Tonight Live with Steve Vizard, Hey Hey It's Saturday, as well as special presentations such as The Australia Remembers Gala Tribute, Brownlow Medal Awards, AFL Grand Finals, APRA Composer Awards, Australia Day Concert, Good Friday Appeal, Carols by Candlelight, Institute for the Blind Telethon, Victoria's 150th Anniversary, An Evening with Dame Edna and Australian Film Institute Awards, in turn backing artists such as Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Chaka Khan, The Commodores, Tim Finn, John Tesh, Don Burrows, Tom Jones, John Farnham, George Golla, Ray Davies, Margaret Urlich, Glen Shorrock, Petula Clark, Joan Carden, Hugh Jackman, Skyhooks, Gina Jeffreys, Bob Barnard, Dannii Minogue, David Dixon, Grace Knight, Anthony Warlow, Slim Dusty and James Morrison, to name a few.
IN THE THEATRE
In the theatre has been a featured percussionist in two year-long seasons of The Lion King at the Regent Theatre in Melbourne performing the house right and house left chairs. He has also taken part in the orchestra for the productions of Me & My Girl and HMS Pinafore with renowned English actor Paul Eddigton.
CONCERTS & TOURS
As a founding member of the Australian Art Orchestra led by Paul Grabowsky, he has toured Europe, North America, Asia and Oceania, he has also performed as a soloist with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and with artists such as Shane Howard, Paul Kelly, James Morrison, Brazilian guitarist Badi Assad, Brian Brown, Archie Roach, Ruby Hunter, Kutcha Edwards, Jane Rutter, Slava Grigoryan, Christine Sullivan, Tony Gould, Ute Lemper, Tom E Lewis, Kavisha Mazzella, Don Burrows, Grace Knight, Goanna, The Seekers, Stephen Cummings, Kate Ceberano & Her Septet, Dannii Minogue, Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs, Marc Hunter, Tommy Emmanuel, Paul Grabowsky, Earl Brown, Debra Byrne, Steve Lacy, The Lovers, Australian Philharmonic Orchestra, Australian Pops Orchestra, Graeme Lyall, Mark Gillespie, Joe Chindamo, Cezary Skubiszewski, John Foreman, Andrew Pendlebury, Coco's Lunch, Ross Ryan, Kevin Borich Express, Pipoca, Bob Sedergreen, World Rhythm Band, Lisa Young, Linda George, The Purple Dentists, Linda Cable, Peter Cupples, Penny Dyer, Combo La Revelacion, Wjaz, Vince Jones and Savanna Silver Band among many others. He has also taken part in an array of diverse concert presentations such African Sanctus, Misa Criolla, Canto General, Ultimate Drummer's Weekend, Axion Esti, Under The Southern Cross, Un Canto De Amor Al Pueblo and Festival Of Rhythm.
Australian Art Orchestra with Paul Kelly 'Meet Me In The Middle Of The Air' Australian Tour - Sydney Opera House
EDUCATOR & ACADEMIC
He is a Senior Lecturer in the Jazz & Improvisation Department at the Faculty of Fine Arts and Music, University of Melbourne, where he has also held the leading roles of Head of Contemporary Music Performance and Head of Jazz & Improvisation, developing the curriculum for both the undergraduate and honours programs including the successful department's breadth university wide subject offerings: Samba Band and Free Play. He directed the program for 16 years establishing formal performance opportunities featuring established and emerging artists, introduced and array of world music performance settings in the program and an Australian indigenous ensemble into the curriculum inviting acclaimed practitioners such as Kutcha Edwards, Tom E Lewis, Lou Bennet, Liz Cavanagh, Joe Geia and Jessie Lloyd to direct.
He forged connections with renowned national and international artists inviting them to present masterclass to the student community on campus. Among the many notable figures he personally brought to campus were Joe Zawinul, Mike Stern, Tom E. Lewis, Richard Bona, Kutcha Edwards, Mark Levine, Raul Rekow, Jack DeJohnette, Paul Grabowsky, Sandy Evans, Hossam Ramzy, Jeff "Tain" Watts, Dave Valentin, Shane Howard, Kristin Berardi, Karaikudi Mani, Lew Soloff, Chad Wackerman, Mick Nock, David Jones, and Dave Samuels, to name just a few.
He has also been an international external examiner for the Singapore Polytechnics and has conducted masterclasses and workshops at the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM), Australian National University (ANU), University of Visual and Performing Arts in Colombo (Sri Lanka), Lasalle College of the Arts (Singapore), Alandale College, NMIT, Chisholm College, Ultimate Drummer's Weekend Festival, Piccolo Spoletto Festival, Shepparton Arts Festival, Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Royal Australian Air Force, Victorian Rock Foundation, The Boite, Drumtek, Electric Factory and at the Adelaide Rock Shop.
SOLO RELEASES & PRODUCTIONS
Alex embarked on yet another facet of his colourful artistic career releasing albums as a multi-instrumentalist performer, composer and producer, as well as producing selected ones for other projects and artists. His solo releases feature over thirty of his own compositions and include the albums Quadrifoglio, Otra Vez, Baba Soroso, From The Heart and Lusambo and the singles El Jardin del Ritmo and Akhuya.
His productions recorded in Australia as well as in Cuba, the USA, Chile, Peru, Argentina and England feature an outstanding cast of national and international guest artists including guitarists Mike Stern, Tommy Emmanuel, Leonard Grigoryan, pianists Mark Levine, Joe Chindamo, Tom Coster, Paul Grabowsky, Luke Howard, Edsel Gomez, Colin Hopkins, Tony Gould, percussionists Raul Rekow, Justo Pelladito, Hossam Ramzy, drummers Virgil Donati, David Jones, Derek Pellicci, tresero Pancho Amat, vocalist and didgeridoo artist Tom E Lewis, flautist Dave Valentin, saxophonist Cesar Lopez, Sandy Evans, vocalists Silvia Cabrera, Linda George, Christine Sulivan, Nilusha Dassenaike, trumpeters Bob Venier, Miroslav Bukovsky, Myquel Gonzalez and violinist William Roblejo. ​​​​
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His composition Salvador was part of the US Jazziz compilation Percussion On Fire. He produced Flight, a release by the legendary Australian saxophonist Brian Brown, Nilusha Dassenaike's The Lotus Verses, as well as their combined project Alex & Nilusha's three releases Moments in Time, Tales To Tell and Afterglow. His productions have received critical acclaim and have been awarded accolades including ABC Jazz 'Album Of The Week', ABC Jazz Notes 'Top 5 Australian Jazz Albums of 2012' and the 'Premio Internacional' at the 2015 Cuban Music Awards (Cubadisco) in Havana, Cuba.
ENSEMBLE
Over the decades his ensemble has performed in concerts, festivals, jazz clubs, on radio and television, both in Australia and internationally including invited to perform at the Melbourne International Jazz Festival, Cubadisco Festival in Cuba, Imer in Mexico, Jazz Yatra in India, Dutch Burgher Union in Sri Lanka, Mosaic Music Festival in Singapore, Capital Jazz Project Festival in Canberra, Brunswick Music Festival, Stonnington Jazz Festival, Australia's Drummers Weekend Festival, Cubadisco Festival in Cuba, Imer in Mexico, Jazz Yatra in India, Dutch Burgher Union in Sri Lanka and the Mosaic Music Festival in Singapore to name a few.
PUBLICATIONS
His areas of expertise and research interests cover a wide range of activity. As an author he has released a book titled Sight Reading: The Rhythm Book designed to develop sight reading and rhythmic skills, published and distributed worldwide by legendary US company Mel Bay Publications Inc. He is a regular contributor to Drumscene Magazine, was the Australian correspondent for Drum! (USA) and has written articles for Australian Musician, World Percussion & Rhythm (USA), Transition (Holland), The Age and Jamm magazine.
AWARDS & ENDORSEMENTS
He has been the recipient of Australia Council grants for international touring to Mexico and Cuba, for recording and for ensemble development. He has received University of Melbourne faculty grants for conference performances in USA and Cuba. He was among the winners of Percussion On Fire, a compilation released by Jazziz Magazine On Disc (USA), which showcased original compositions by drummers and percussionists from across the world. He was awarded the Skin Full Reader's Poll 'Latin Percussion Award' recognising excellence in Australian drumming, was awarded a ‘Gold Disc’ as member of Kate Ceberano & Her Septet for the release ‘Live!’, was awarded a Bell Award for 'Best Australian Ensemble' as a founding member of the Australian Art Orchestra, was awarded a Helpmann Award for Kura Tungar 'Best Australian Contemporary Concert’ as a founding member of the Australian Art Orchestra and was awarded a 'Premio Internacional' at the 2015 Cuban Music Awards (Cubadisco) in Havana, Cuba for his production Tales To Tell. He is endorsed by LP, Vic Firth sticks and Remo heads.
Melbourne Symphony Orchestra 'Merge: A Memory Of The Senses' - Malthouse Theatre, Melbourne