"The challenge for instrumental groups, as always, is being able to convey thoughts and feelings without words. The CB3 does just that."
- Backseat Mafia
"It's easy to let music run free but takes a real pro to tame it. The CB3 has the most perfect ability to do exactly that. These creations are a privilege to bear witness to."
- Dylan Joel
Blending class-act musicianship with a rare gift of both conviction and restraint, the creative prowess of The CB3 defines new parameters for contemporary music.
Collectively, international tours, festivals headlines (Melbourne International Jazz Festival), sold-out launches (Howler, Melbourne) and head-turning collaborations (Leikeli47, Jessica Mauboy, Thando, Harts and Remi) are all business as usual for members of the Melbourne-based trio. Drawing comparisons with the likes of Khruangbin, The Meters and BadBadNotGood, The CB3’s funk, jazz, RnB and neo-soul influences bind an offering that is equal parts unbridled and deliciously refined.
The release of the trio’s second EP, Bunny Hop, in Feb 2022 garnered much attention both nationally and internationally, with two tracks being playlisted on Spotify editorial playlists and the limited vinyl release reaching and getting shipped to new fans in the U.S, U.K, France, Italy, Germany and Japan.
“Bunny Hop is everything the title implies: a giddy, buoyant EP full of leaping jazz and funk grooves." - Bandcamp new and notable
Like the music, there isn’t much that guitarist, frontman leader of the pack, Cristian Barbieri can’t do. Both individually and as a credited member of acts including Billy Davis & The Good Lords, Thando and Benny Walker, he has recorded, toured and collaborated since the moment he picked up his instrument. Barbieri’s trademark sound and approach to the craft has featured onstage with some of contemporary and pop music’s most acclaimed artists (GoldLink, Masta Ace, and more).
Yet above all else, the conglomerate of Barbieri (guitar), Caleb Shand (bass) and Tim Coghill (drums) have in each other found the one thing that others still kill for: a knack for not only the tune, but the feeling: one that permeates, captures and transforms. When long-term friendship and collegiality meet a common lust for scintillating groove, wise beyond its years, the results are phenomenal: beat, bass line and melody at its impeccable, hook-soaked best.