Rajiv Jayaweera is a Sri Lankan/Australian jazz drummer and composer. He was born in London, grew up in Melbourne, Australia and has been based in New York for the past ten years. He began playing the drums at the age of 13, completed his Bachelor of Music at the Victorian College of the Arts in 2000 and Masters in Jazz Studies at SUNY Purchase, New York in 2013.
He has been awarded multiple prizes and awards, including grants from The Australia Council for the Arts, Ian Potter Cultural Trust, American-Australian Foundation, Jazz Bell Awards and Origin Foundation. He was a finalist for the prestigious Freedman Jazz Fellowship in 2013 where he performed at the Sydney Opera House.
His band were one of the headline acts at the Thailand International Jazz Conference in Bangkok in February 2020, as well as guest artists in residence for the conference.
Rajiv has just released his debut album as a leader - Pistils - featuring his compositions that are inspired by images and memories from Sri Lanka.
Supporting Musicians:
Mark Turner - saxophone
Can Olgun - piano
Rick Rosato - double bass