Holli Scott announces second album Weather and Weeds

Perth jazz vocalist and composer Holli Scott is set to release her second album, Weather and Weeds this month. The album will be out on Friday, October 25 and launched with a live performance at the Camelot Memorial Hall in Mosman Park on Sunday, October 27 as part of the Perth International Jazz Festival (PIJF).

This immersive and inclusive event will feature visual art by Fremantle’s Jotterbook as well as a live interpreter from AUSLAN Stage Left.

Weather and Weeds sees Scott team up with two celebrated jazz musicians: Grammy award-winning pianist Tal Cohen and world-renowned saxophonist Jamie Oehlers. Together, the trio have created an “intimate, open sound that allows space for improvisation,” blending jazz with elements of folk, art music, and spoken word.

The trio first came together after a chance meeting between Scott and Cohen at the 2022 Perth International Jazz Festival. While Scott and Oehlers have collaborated for over a decade, this marks her first project with Cohen.

The album’s first single, Back the Way We Came, delves into the complexities of letting go of a long-held friendship, while Scott’s re-imagining of Tom Waits’ Tango Till They’re Sore adds another layer of depth to the album, breathing new life into the song’s gritty, narrative-driven lyrics.

“At its heart, Weather and Weeds is an exploration of relationships—both with people and with the ever-changing Australian landscape,” says Scott.

Growing up in the rural town of Nannup in Western Australia and the daughter of visual artist Wanda Comrie, Scott’s lyrics are deeply connected to the natural beauty of her surroundings.

“I think the album has strong ties to my childhood running through each song, even when the lyric is centred around something else entirely,” she said. “I spent a lot of time outside exploring, and I’d go for bush walks often with my Nan while mum worked in the post office on Saturdays. Walking over the old railway bridge and spotting wildflowers in amongst the big trees felt nothing short of magic, and I think the images I absorbed in my time there are things that I draw upon in my writing.”

Holli Scott’s second album Weather and Weeds is out on Friday, October 25 and will be launched at the Camelot Memorial Hall on Sunday, October 27 as part of Perth International Jazz Festival 2024. For more info and to buy tickets, head to perthjazzfest.com