Sight Reading: The Rhythm Book: A graded workbook for instrumentalists and vocalists designed to develop sight reading and rhythmic skills

Alex Pertout is one of Australia’s leading percussionists and with credits on over 140 albums is undeniably one of

Australia’s most recorded musicians. Born in Santiago, Chile, he lived in Italy before settling in Australia in 1972, where

he graduated from the Victorian College of the Arts with distinction in performance and composition in 1983. Diversity

is certainly one of his major characteristics, and so far his career has attained him credits on albums, soundtracks, jingles,

with television and theatre orchestras, as a musical director, as a record producer and engineer, and in countless live

performances. He has also established himself as a respected educator and is currently Head of the Improvisation

Department at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, Australia.

He has toured Europe and Asia with the Australian Art Orchestra, has performed as a soloist with the Melbourne

Symphony Orchestra, has recording, performance and television orchestra credits with artists such as Powderfinger,

Brazilian artist Badi Assad, Tina Arena, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Chaka Khan, Commodores, Japanese fusion

band Casiopea, John Tesh, Tom Jones, Merril Bainbridge, Little River Band with John Farnham, Hunters & Collectors,

James Morrison, Archie Roach, Daryl Braithwaite, Brian Brown, French artist Charlelie Couture, Jane Rutter, Slava

Grigoryan, Christine Sullivan, Things of Stone and Wood, Tim Finn, Tommy Emmanuel, Paul Grabowsky, Earl Brown,

Ray Davies, Tony Gould, Debra Byrne, Olivia Newton-John, Kavisha Mazzella, The Lovers, Don Burrows, Glen

Shorrock, Margaret Urlich, Grace Knight, Lisa McCune, Malaysian pop band Wings, Joan Carden, Skyhooks, Slim

Dusty, Goanna, Redgum, Australian Philarmonic Orchestra, Graham Goble, The Seekers, Mark Gillespie, Ted Egan,

Brian Cadd, Kids In The Kitchen, James Reyne, The Black Sorrows with Joe Camilleri, Shane Howard, Stephen

Cummings, Ross Wilson, Richard Pleasance, Cezary Skubiszewski, Anthony Warlow, John Foreman, Judy Conelli,

Kate Ceberano, Danii Minogue, Billy Thorpe & The Aztecs, Kevin Borich Express, Andrew Pendlebury, Ross Ryan,

Pseudo Echo, Chantoozies, Steve Grace, Greg Champion, Mondo Rock, Marc Hunter, Vince Jones, World Rhythm

Band, Seona McDowel, David Hirschfelder, Colin Buchanan, Coco’s Lunch, Peter Cupples, Broderick Smith, Howlin’

Wind and Neil Murray among others.

His percussive work can also be heard on many film soundtracks including Crocodile Dundee, Siam Sunset, Witch

Hunt, The Shiner, Lilian’s Story, The Craic, Aladdin The Return of Jafa, Andre The Seal, Diana & Me, Gross Misconduct,

The Silver Brumby, Lightning Jack, Last Days of Chez Nous, Hurricane Smith, Death Before Dishonour, Napoleon Kulta,

Cheetah and Brilliant Lies to name a few. As a result of his expertise in many areas of percussion he has participated in

concerts and tours covering a wide musical range including Merge; A Memory Of The Senses with the Melbourne

Symphony Orchestra conducted by Markus Stenz, Gershwin and Australia Remembers with Graeme Lyall’s Orchestra,

African Sanctus, Brian Brown’s Winged Messenger, Misa Criolla, Stanley Black with the Australian Pops Orchestra,

Canto General, Axion Esti and Under The Southern Cross a concert celebrating Australian pop music. He has also been

a member of numerous television orchestras on shows such as Hey Hey It’s Saturday, Midday Show, Tonight Live, Logie

Awards, Don Lane Show, New Faces, Bert Newton Show, Daryl Somers Show, Good Friday and AFI Awards.

His ensembles Alex Pertout & Friends, Alex Pertout & Jingo and Proyecto Mambo have performed at numerous

concerts, festivals, on radio and television, both in Australia and overseas. The ensembles have also featured special

guests including Egyptian percussionist Hossam Ramzy, American pianist, composer and educator Mark Levine,

bandleader and singer-songwriter Joe Camilleri, jazz trumpeter Scott Tinkler, pianists Joe Chindamo and Sam Keevers,

saxophonist Fiona Burnett and singer Christine Sullivan. He has released cds as a producer, composer and multi

instrumentalist: Alex Pertout (Larrikin LRF-273), From The Heart (Vorticity Music 010116-1) with guests including

Mike Stern, Tom Coster, Tommy Emmanuel, Raul Rekow and Mark Levine, was featured in the cd Percussion On Fire

by noted US magazine Jazzziz and produced Flight (Newmarket 3014-2) the 1997 release by legendary Australian

saxophonist Brian Brown.

Alex has received Australia Council for the Arts grants for recording his compositions and for ensemble development,

has conducted masterclasses and workshops throughout Australia, is the percussion writer for Drumscene magazine, a

correspondent for Drum! (USA) and is endorsed worldwide by Meinl congas and percussion, Sabian cymbals and Vater

sticks and mallets. He maintains a comprehensive web site which can be reached at: www.alexpertout.com