Ray Vanderby arrived in Australia from The Netherlands in 1959 when he was 6 years old and it only took another 5 years for his fingers to find their way to the piano of the Sunday School Hall at the Methodist Church in Orange. His parents arranged organ lessons for him and 1 year later in 1964 Ray was the youngest semi-professional organist in Australia. He held a 4 year residency at the Canobolas Hotel and Duntryleague Golf Club working alongside local jazz musicians. After completing a 4 year piano tuning apprenticeship with WH Palings at 20 Ray moved to Sydney where he frequented jazz haunts like The Rocks Push after being influenced by Mike Nock, Jimmy Smith, Oscar Peterson and Andre Previn through his teen years. Being a versatile player Ray went on to record and perform in various genres over the pursuing years always keeping his passion for jazz alive by listening to Miles Davis, Keith Jarrett, Weather Report and John McLaughlan. In 1991 Ray entered an original composition in the W.R.O.C./BMG Australian National Song Writing Competition which won first prize out of 2,500 entries. Ray plays by ear and is constantly challenging various forms of improvisation.
In 2010 he released the Amoresque album and his 17th album titled Narrambla Calling is a 2011 release recorded live by the Ray Vanderby Quartet at the Bathurst Mitchell Conservatorium of Music. Inspiration for the Narrambla Calling album came from his 1960’s childhood memories growing up in East Orange NSW where he often went trekking, camping and exploring along Ophir Road all over Narrambla and Sugarloaf Hill. He picked rosehips, figs, flowers and other flora while exploring among the rocks on his climb to the top of Sugarloaf. Young Ray brought rabbits, tadpoles and frogs home to his mother and told stories of his adventures including dodging the Bunyip. Australia’s most celebrated poet Banjo Paterson was born in 1864 in the shadow of Sugarloaf at John Templer’s homestead near Templer’s Flour Mill, Narrambla. In 2011 Ray went back to his youthful wanderings and realized the significance of what took place there. Inspired by the spirit of this timeless land and Norman Lindsay’s recollections of Banjo as a colorful and charming aristocrat, Ray felt a strong melancholy connection culminating in the music recorded on the album which he composed by ear.
