Under the auspices of this year’s celebration of the 50th Anniversary of Diplomatic Relations between Mongolia and Australia, the Mongolian All Stars have been invited to participate in the Australian Jazz Convention in Newcastle in December.  The band will also be performing at select jazz venues in Melbourne, Canberra and Sydney.

The Mongolian All Stars represent the finest musicians of the young and thriving jazz scene of Mongolia.  The band’s repertoire spans from super swinging interpretations of well-known and lesser-known gems from the great American song book to soulful ballads and Latin.

Super talented vocalist, Enkhjargal Batartsogt, or Enji, is a well known representative of this young scene.  Her well-developed powerful voice allows her to shine in genres from Soul to Pop to Jazz.  Several concert appearances made her a star in Mongolia leading her own of the group, and she recently received a scholarship to study in Germany. 

Khongor Ganbat is a trumpeter and drummer and is the true heart of the Mongolian jazz scene. Brilliant on trumpet and flugelhorn as a leader and sideman (Khongor Jazz Train), he also runs the famous Fat Cat Jazz Bar, the hub for jazz in the country.

Binder Uguunbayar is the most sought-after pianist, accompanist and head of rhythm section in the country.  Besides successfully leading his own groups, focused on funk and jazz, he has accompanied literally everybody who ever played music on the big stage in Mongolia. 

Mongolia´s youngest export to the international scene is the drummer Khuslen Baasanbayar. Currently residing in Europe, but frequently returning to his home country to perform, Khuslen has performed all over Europe and in Mongolia with greats like Jesse Davis, Kenny Washington, John Marshall and Ignasi Terraza.

German veteran bassist Martin Zenker rounds out the Mongolian All Stars. He has made Mongolia his home since 2014, to establish the jazz department at the Mongolian State Conservatory, and frequently tours the world from there.  He has played with legends such as Kenny Washington, former Miles Davis drummer Jimmy Cobb, Billy Hart, Ed Thigpen, James Moody, and Eartha Kitt, just to name a few.