Lightning looks set to strike twice as the Australian pianist follows up his hit of last year.

Pianist Simon Tedeschi cuts rather a dash for our interview, breezing into Eugene Goosens Hall attired in tux and bowtie. It’s rather a long way from the casually scruffy muso that one expects to encounter on a Tuesday afternoon. Admittedly he’s also here to shoot a short promo for his new album, but nevertheless it makes a refreshing change.

After some frantic googling of ‘wing collars’ to determine if the points go over or under the bowtie (the jury’s still out on that one) and a brief photo shoot, we get down to the nitty-gritty of matters Gershwin. Tedeschi had a huge hit with his first album (Gershwin and Me) last year. Having scaled the heights once, is he worried about a follow-up? His reply is modestly downbeat: “I suppose not, because even if it’s a complete flop, at least I can say I’ve done one good  one.”

That first album was notable for its interesting choice of repertoire and clever arrangements. How did he go about choosing the tracks this time around?  “Apart from pragmatic realities such as wanting something different, there’s...