Lily Dior - 7 years of bad luck
Lily Dior is well established as one of Australia's foremost jazz
and soul singers having burst onto the Sydney scene in 1991 as one
of Jackie Orszaczky's 'incomparable (SMH), Godmothers.
This band wooed audiences for almost five years while riding the
crest of Sydney's burgeoning funk scene, and included at various
times many of this countries top musicians including Chris Abrahams,
Tony Buck, Hamish Stuart, Arne Hannah, Lisa Parrot and Tim Hopkins.
She has performed with everyone from Dale Barlow to Mike Nock, Mark
Isaacs to Victor Lewis, Bill Evans, Charnett Moffat, Lew Soloff,
Kevin Hunt and D.I.G as well as Kate Ceberano and Renee Geyer.
Since the release of her acclaimed ABC release 'Invitation', Lily
and her band have been in demand for concerts at many of Australia's
leading jazz clubs and festivals including Wangaratta, where she
appeared as a finalist in the National Jazz Awards in 98.
Singled out by legendary arranger Dave Matthews to perform with the
Manhattan Jazz Quintet at their Australian debut she also sang with
US jazz singer Mark Murphy, with whom she studied in 2000, at one of
his rare New York appearances.
Featured in "The Pulse", a series aired on the ABC in 2001 show
casing the finest of Contemporary Australian Jazz, she has appeared
twice on the popular program 'The O'Loghlan Show' as well as ABC's
'The Arts Show' and numerous other programs.
A regular presenter at Sydney's only dedicated jazz station,
Eastside Radio, she first became involved in radio as a teenager
with Bellingen's local community station 2BBB in 1987.
In January 2002 Lily performed with the Australian Art Orchestra at
the premier of Sandy Evans' highly acclaimed production on the life
of Charlie Parker, 'Testimony' in the Opera House Concert Hall.
Giving a stand out performance, "Dior presided like a Pagan
Priestess" John Shand SMH, she has since gone on to perform with the
award winning Paul Grabowsky Trio.
