Vicki Salisbury Trio Biography

The Vicki Salisbury Trio plays classic jazz with an authentic feel.

The trio, which features Vicki’s stunning voice, has a huge repertoire, based on the wide experience of its members.

The music echoes the sounds of New York’s smoky jazz clubs, the dancehalls and bars of New Orleans, the big-band venues of Las Vegas and the sensual rhythms of Latin America.

The trio is Vicki Salisbury (vocals), her husband Dr David Salisbury (saxophone, flute, vocals) and Larry Thompson (keyboards, digital sequencing, vocals).

With a repertoire of more than 200 songs that includes great jazz standards, classics from the Great American Songbook, pop favourites reharmonised with a jazzy flair, uncovered gems and catchy original compositions.

The trio’s members met in Townsville more than 17 years ago and have performed together ever since at a wide range of musical gigs, arts events and community gatherings. They have featured in outfits ranging from big bands to small combos.

Vicki was born in New York and raised in Arizona. She went on to perform in Arizona and California where she followed in her mother’s musical footsteps in musical theatre, big bands and smaller ensembles. Vicki learned most of the Great American Songbook when she was a young girl, with the music being handed down from mother to daughter. She adapted her mother’s big-band charts by United States arrangers of well-known standards.

‘Dr Dave’ Salisbury’s soulful saxophone and flute are vital ingredients in the jazz smorgasbord the trio serves up. A Los Angeles native, he is a composer, arranger, performer and ethnomusicologist with a background that includes international classical, jazz and world music performances. In the US he worked with jazz masters including Chuck Israels, Dave Brubeck, Jon Hendricks and Paul Winter and opened for Stanley Turrentine and country/pop singer-songwriter Jim Stafford.

Vicki and David met in Ashland, Oregon when a mutual friend asked them to perform together at a fundraiser for a local public broadcasting radio station. The pair moved to Australia in 1993 so that David could continue his study of Indonesian music.

Townsville native Larry Thomson plays piano and his sequenced bass and drums parts fill out the trio’s sound. Larry started learning piano in 1963, but he has also played trombone, drums, bass guitar and guitar in brass bands, big bands, jazz ensembles and rock bands since the age of 10. He plays most styles of music, but his love is modern jazz, encompassing standards and originals, which he plays either solo or with a range of various sized combos. He has played major gigs with James Morrison, Don Burrows, Vince Jones, Paul Grabowsky and the Australian Art Orchestra. He was concert master for the opening of the Charters Towers World Theatre, performing with Julie Anthony and Graeme Connors. Larry has performed at jazz venues and events throughout Australia and overseas.