The Cat Empire /

The Cat Empire are an Australian ska band from Melbourne, Australia. Currently, the Cat Empire is composed of Felix Riebl (percussion and vocals), Harry James Angus (trumpet and vocals), Ollie McGill (keyboard and backing vocals), Ryan Monro (bass and backing vocals), Will Hull-Brown (drums) and Jamshid "Jumps" Khadiwhala (decks, percussion). They are also commonly backed by the Empire Horns, a brass duo, and have recurring guest musicians. They met when well-known Melbourne jazz identity Steve Sedergreen decided to form, mentor and develop a group of very talented young musicians from different schools and backgrounds. The band, called 'Jazz Cat', was a nine-piece and had its debut at the Manly Jazz Festival in Sydney in 1999. They gigged around Melbourne's jazz scene in clubs like Dizzy's (Sedergreen was a part owner of this club at this time). The Cat Empire, originally a three-piece, grew out of Jazz Cat - for a few months the two groups were performing alternate Thursdays at Dizzy's. Their sound is often described as a fusion of jazz, ska, funk and rock with heavy Latin influences. The band has toured extensively throughout Australia, the US, Canada and Europe and has released