The Fret Benders
Jess Green Aaron Flower Ben Hauptmann Guy Strazz
Aaron Flower, Guy Strazz, Jess Green, and Ben Hauptmann, come together in an electrifying instrumental quartet unlike anything you've heard before.
Expect shimmering harmonies layered with fluid improvisation, rhythms that shift from meditative to fiery, and a palette that spans jazz, world, and contemporary textures. Their interplay is conversational and deeply responsive — weaving delicate acoustic lines with electrified intensity — creating music that feels both expansive and intimate, rooted in virtuosity but alive with spontaneity.
Strazz's lyrical global influences meet Hauptmann's fluid virtuosity; Flower's fearless improvisation collides with Green's bold rhythmic invention. Together they create a dynamic conversation of strings — intricate, grooving, and deeply expressive.
"The Fret Benders - four of Australia's most distinctive guitar voices." - The Village
Congratulations on the outstanding performance last night!
The four of you were outstanding and masterful on your instruments and the selection of music played was also superb.
- Barry O'Sullivan, - A Jazz Hour - 2 MBS-FM Sydney
"Congratulations on the outstanding performance last night! The four of you were outstanding and masterful on your instruments and the selection of music played was also superb."
– Barry O’Sullivan, The Jazz Hour 2MBS-FM Sydney
2026 concerts
Guy Strazz
Guy Strazz is an award-winning master guitarist, composer, and educator based on the Central Coast, North of Sydney. He Holds a PhD in improvisation and composition, his signature sound and style seamlessly bridge modern jazz, Afro-Brazilian rhythms, and classical traditions. He is an Australia Council Music Fellowship recipient. He has played with Matt McMahon, Mike Stern, Martin Taylor, Vince Jones, and Vishwa Mohan Bhatt.
"Guy has a voice on the acoustic guitar."
- Ira Gitler, Downbeat
Aaron Flower
Aaron (Baz) Flower is one of Australia’s most versatile session guitarists and composers, including his guitar work on the album When We Fall (2017) by the ARIA Award-winning group All Our Exes Live In Texas .He has won the 2007 National Jazz Award, a Jazzgroove Association Recording Artist Award, and a Freedman Jazz Fellowship finalist. He has performed with artists such as Vince Jones, The Catholics, and Katie Noonan.
“Flower’s compositions are as masterful as his playing.”
— Jessica Nicolas (The Melbourne Age)
Ben Hauptmann
Ben Hauptman is a prestigious touring and session guitarist based on the Central Coast, North of Sydney. Winner of the 2010 Freedman Jazz Fellowship, he has shared the stage with a diverse range of artists including Mavis Staples, Joss Stone, James Morrison, and Tal Wilkenfeld. He is currently a highly sought-after performer, recording artist, and educator across Australia.
"Benjamin Hauptmann is a performer who quietly, but forcefully, demands an audience's attention."
— Megaphone Oz
Jess Green
Jess Green (AKA Pheno) is an acclaimed Australian guitarist, vocalist, and genre-defying composer with a twenty-year career. She has performed with luminaries like Sandy Evans and Renee Geyer, and Katie Noonan. She recorded two critically acclaimed instrumental jazz albums, composed commissions for The Australian Art Orchestra, and received a Freedman Jazz Fellowship nomination.
“Green’s virtuosity bears comparison with the work of Mary Halvorson.” — Rhythms Magazine
