Tag Archives: Jazz
The Chelsea Prastiti Septet
There are a surprising number of good Jazz musicians living in New Zealand and that is why the CJC is able to provide a varied and interesting programme at the club. With Roger Manins as programme director the quality of … Continue reading
Filed under CJC Club, Jazz Singers, Kiwi Jazz, Local Jazz
‘The Troubles’ – Review
This is part one of two posts on ‘The Troubles’; An interview with John Rae and Lucien Johnson to follow in a day. When I received a brief email from Steve at Rattle Records informing me that he was sending … Continue reading
Auckland Jazz Hero – Roger Manins – World Jazz Day 30th April
The 30th of April 2012 has recently been designated World Jazz Day by UNESCO. This significant recognition of our music is great and we will be celebrating this in Auckland along with the worldwide Jazz Community. The Jazz Journalists Association … Continue reading
Craig Walters/Mike Booth Project @ the CJC in Auckland
During Jazz Week it was appropriate that the Creative Jazz Club (CJC) featured a band that was in some ways a metaphor for the greater Auckland scene. Jazz week is about Jazz in our neighborhoods but it also about … Continue reading
Filed under Australian Jazz Musicians, Kiwi Jazz
Jazz Cats – Facing a world without Plum
This morning my small sleek black and white cat Plum died while I stroked her silky old head. This cat had been deeply loved by my family and she always appeared to share my love of Jazz. Whether … Continue reading
Alain Koetsier Band @ Finding Kiwi ‘Standards’
I have watched drummer Alain Koetsier perform over the last year and his credentials on the traps are unimpeachable. Alain is a drummer with a modern feel and it is plain to see why so many of our top Jazz … Continue reading
Filed under Jazz Guitar, Kiwi Jazz, Local Jazz, Local Jazz compositions
‘Pasif.ist’ Natalia Mann – an Oriental Dreamscape
The music I cover here may not be Jazz in the purest sense but it is music that transcends the limitations of musical boundaries. It has its own pulses and rhythms and it is improvised around themes. This is … Continue reading
Filed under Kiwi Jazz, Middle Eastern influenced jazz, nostalgia, World Music
Weaver of Dreams – Andrew Dickeson Quintet
For those Aucklanders addicted to live Jazz, the month over which the CJC Jazz club was closed for Christmas seemed like an eternity. The first of the New Years bookings made up for it though as premier Australian drummer … Continue reading
Filed under Australian Jazz Musicians, CJC Club, Local Jazz
Final Score 2011
A personal view on the best of the best Jazz albums of 2011. (1) My pick for best album of the year is – ‘Undeniable’ – Pat Martino Quartet – Live at Blues Alley *****. This is as close to … Continue reading
Filed under CJC Club, Groove Jazz, Local Jazz
Nathan Haines Fourtet – live@CJC
Some weeks ago it was posted on the CJC website that Nathan Haines would be bringing his new band to the club and that this particular band was to be an acoustic Jazz lineup. The talk among local musicians … Continue reading
Filed under CJC Club, Kiwi Jazz, Uncategorized
Zoo: Tom Dennison
‘Zoo’ is bassist Tom Dennison’s first album as leader and it is a thing of beauty. This is a concept album and such albums focus around a theme. The very best of them stimulate the imaginings as well; leading the … Continue reading
Filed under Jazz Arts, Jazz Guitar, Kiwi Jazz, Local Jazz
Resonator; Reuben Bradley
It is well-known on the New Zealand Jazz scene that Resonator won this years ‘Jazz Tui’ award. As this is drummer Reuben Bradley’s first album that is no mean feat. The band played at the CJC earlier in the week … Continue reading
‘Mother Tongue’ – Carolina Moon (the Sephardic music of medieval Spain)
Carolina’s wonderful album ‘Mother Tongue’ is beguiling and all it takes is a single listen, for the mysterious beauty of this ancient music to stay with you forever. This album speaks of medieval Spanish Sephardic culture with absolute authority … Continue reading
Filed under local music, Middle Eastern influenced jazz, World Music
Brian Smith Band & Hard Bop heaven
To list all of the famous artists that Brian Smith has accompanied in the Jazz/Soul/Pop world would make this a very long post. To name a few (Soul) Gladys Knight & the Pips, Dusty Springfield, (Jazz) Jon Hendricks, Annie Ross, … Continue reading
Filed under Hard Bop, Kiwi Jazz, Local Jazz, Tribute
The New Fuse Box – The Wakem/Nielson Project
When I received this CD in the post I knew very little about ‘The new Fuse Box‘ as I had only seen a few mentions of them online. Happily I will never be in that state of ignorance … Continue reading
Filed under Fusion, Kiwi Jazz, Local Jazz
Trudy Lile Quintet – CJC
Trudy Lile is well-known around the New Zealand music scene as her multi genre flute playing skills take her into a number of diverse musical worlds. On Wednesday she brought her new Jazz Quintet to the CJC . The lineup … Continue reading
Filed under CJC Club, Kiwi Jazz, Local Jazz, multi reeds
Alex Churchill- Andrea Groenewald band – CJC
Anyone running a Jazz club is unlikely to be hitting New Zealand’s ‘rich lister’ status anytime soon. Success in the Jazz world has seldom been measured in dollars, but in a far richer currency – keeping the spirit of … Continue reading
Filed under Local Jazz
Sonny Rollins: Way out West (Pacific)
Back in January New Zealand Jazz lovers had been delighted to learn that Sonny Rollins would be in Wellington. This band was the sole International act performing in the (temporarily truncated) Wellington Jazz Festival. Sonny’s band is comprised of … Continue reading
Filed under Concerts, Giants of Jazz
Heavy Metal Bliss – Alan, Roger & Denise
The Roger Fox Wellington Big Band is an in-the-pocket unit and sitting in front of that band is to experience a blast from the Jazz slip stream. Listening to their hard swinging and tightly focused delivery it was difficult to believe that this was … Continue reading
Filed under Big Bands, Kiwi Jazz, local music
Stan Getz – a testimony to genius
The Stan Getz ‘People Time’ box set has just won the ‘Down Beat’ award for ‘best box set of the year’ and deservedly so. It is wonderfully recorded and deeply moving, as Stan plays with a subtle intensity that can … Continue reading
Filed under Giants of Jazz
‘Old Wine New Bottles’ out of copyright reissues
I have for some time been delighting in the re-issues of classic Jazz albums. Many I had missed purchasing first time out on CD or else I only possessed a worn out LP version. These are generally produced in the … Continue reading
Filed under Classic reissues
Night in Tunisia
In the mid nineties I was lucky enough to visit Switzerland for two weeks. Walking happily and aimlessly around the beautiful shores of Lac Lemon, Geneva, one summer evening, I came across five North African musicians playing entrancing modal melodies … Continue reading
Filed under Middle Eastern influenced jazz
