NELSON JAZZFEST 2019   2-5 JANUARY

 

 

The Ages – All Girl Big Band (Christchurch)

NCMA 7.30pm Friday January 4, $30

Ticketing: NCMA box office, Ticket Direct, door sales

In a largely male dominated musical genre, to see a full jazz big band on stage with a woman in each section is one thing. To find a full big band of women, with full sections of trombone, trumpet, sax and rhythm, along with powerhouse vocalist Kate Taylor, is stunning.

 

Musical Director Lana Law describes their show “The Ages” as “a historical journey of music inspired by arrangers, composers and performers from the 1930s through to the latest hits of today”. The inspiration for this concert comes from women who have left a legacy through song, including Ella Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, Debbie Harry, and Beyonce.

 

“The Ages is unequivocally a chilled-out, enthusiastic masterclass in Big Band virtuosity.” Backstage Christchurch

 

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Geoff Culverwell with V.S.O.P. Quartet (Wellington)

Wednesday 2 January, 7.30pm, The Boathouse, $25

Ticketing: Beggs, Eventfinda, door sales

Geoff Culverwell presents a night of cool-style jazz trumpet, accompanied by a group of master musicians. On double bass is Paul Dyne, a player familiar to anyone who knows New Zealand jazz. This is a top-class outfit that will satisfy those who like their jazz to be anything but ordinary.

 

Geoff Culverwell is one of New Zealand’s most prolific horn players, playing sessions from big band lead to pop and jazz recording and contributing to many film scores and TV themes. He has toured with a host of international acts and headlined on his own behalf, gigging at prestigious overseas venues, from Ronnie Scott’s in London, to Paris, Poland, Montreaux, Sydney, Melbourne, New York and Los Angeles.

 

Paul Dyne is a hugely experienced and highly regarded jazz musician and teacher. He has performed with US jazz legends Sonny Stitt and Pepper Adams, and been a driving force within the New Zealand jazz scene through his own playing and original compositions, and his influence on the many talented musicians he has taught.

 

Completing the quartet are the highly regarded and in-demand musicians Nick van Dijk (keys) and Dez Mallon (drums).

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Swingin’ Sisters with the Tom Rainey Quartet (Christchurch/Nelson/elsewhere in NZ)

Thursday 3 January, 7.30pm, The Boathouse, $25

Ticketing: Beggs, Eventfinda, door sales

Three vocalists and one quartet at the Boathouse: Kate Taylor, Tessa Quayle and Trudi Wilson, supported by the accomplished Tom Rainey Quartet, with Bob Heinz (guitar), Brad Grainger (double bass) and Mark Lockett (drums). In contrast to what you might expect from a concert featuring song, this show features vocalists with three very different voices.

 

Kate Taylor (Christchurch) performs regularly with the AGBB and around the city at various venues, corporate events and festivals. She studied at NIDA in Sydney where she performed and taught for two years, and is now the vocal programme leader at Ara Music Arts, running both the Jazz and Contemporary music streams.

 

Tessa Quayle (Nelson) has performed extensively throughout New Zealand including major jazz festivals. Her voice has been described as having a “milky sparkle” that she uses to “scat and purr” her own unique flavour. Her 2010 album ‘Whisper Not’ was a finalist in the New Zealand Jazz Album of the Year Awards for 2010. Currently Tessa teaches voice in Nelson and is a guest vocalist for the Nelson Jazz Club Big Band.

 

Trudi Wilson (Nelson) has been a firm fixture in NZ music for the last 35 years, working alongside some of New Zealand’s greats such as the late Billy T James, Howard Morrison, Don McGlashen, Dave Dobbyn, Julia Deans and performances with the Wellington Symphony Orchestra. She puts her own spin on the classics while paying tribute to the vocal stylings of the original artists.

 

Tom, Bob, Brad and Mark don’t want to steal attention from the stars of the show, but rest assured that this is a highly accomplished band.

 

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Peanut Butter Jam Sessions

East St Cafe , Thursday 3 to Saturday 5 January from 9.30pm til late. $5 on the door

The late-night jam sessions at East St Cafe, made possible by Pic’s peanut butter, are now an institution of the Nelson Jazz Festival. These sessions bring visiting and local musicians together for a couple of hours of playtime after their earlier gigs are done. The combinations are unpredictable and the music is exciting – improvisation and live music at its best. If the Peanut Butter Jam Sessions of previous years are anything to go by, it will be standing room only.

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All Girl Mini Band (Christchurch)

In contrast to the punchy sound of the full band—the All Girl Big Band in miniature. Intimate café jazz.

 

Boogie Train (Nelson)

The Boogie Train has been thundering around New Zealand for the past 10 years to establish itself as a live favourite with blues fans up and down the country, delivering tunes both classic and contemporary.

 

Bourbon St Beat (Nelson)

Bourbon Street Beat is a well known Nelson band that has played regularly here at its home festival. The band is back in 2019 as a six-piece combo with the addition of vocalist Jane Winter, playing a mixture of Boogie, Latin, Popular Swing and Show tunes, including jazz classics in the New Orleans style.

 

Django Schmango (Nelson)

Django Schmango are a highly regarded Hot Club style group of local musicians.

The band’s roots are firmly in the music made famous by Django Reinhardt and Stephane Grappelli, a style marked by dexterous string work, the steady pulse of rhythm guitar and an unmistakable swing that is really infectious.

Get your swing on for a crossfire of stunning solos, breathtaking rhythms and constant invention, melded with the gypsy sense of entertainment. Django Schmango is gypsy jazz performed with verve, skill and an obvious pleasure that’s irresistible to jazz and non-jazz listeners alike.

 

Gold Nugget Pawn Shop (Wellington)

Tickets are $10 on the door, or can be reserved via the Fairfield House website: www.fairfieldnelson.org.nz/events/category/concerts-shows/

Showcasing piano grooves and vocal stylings, ‘Gold Nugget Pawn Shop’ is a toast to the great New Orleans pianist, Dr. John. Playing everything from Louis Prima to Kermit Ruffins, ‘Gold Nugget Pawn Shop’ will win you over with their infectious rhythms and their tight, 3 part harmonies.

A band that will get your hips shakin’ and your feet tappin’, you’re in for a stonking good time!

 

Dan Hayles – piano and lead vocals

Ben Hunt – trumpet and bv’s

Chris Buckland – tenor saxophone and bv’s

Rowan Clark – double bass and bv’s

Lauren Ellis – drums and bv’s

 

Hip-Town Bangers (Wellington)

Tickets are $10 on the door, or can be reserved via the Fairfield House website: www.fairfieldnelson.org.nz/events/category/concerts-shows/

Dust off your dancing shoes and get ready for a roaring night of 60’s hard-bop and boogaloo with Wellington’s hardest-swinging jazz quintet: the Hip-Town Bangers. Equal parts serious jazz and fun, dancy grooves!

Presented by Ben Hunt and Lauren Ellis – Members of Rodger Fox’s Wellington Jazz Orchestra, Raw Collective, and the Richter City Rebels unite through a common love of the music of Cannonball Adderley, Lou Donaldson and Horace Silver.

Funky, swingy, jazzy goodness.

– Ben Hunt – Trumpet

– Chris Buckland – Saxophone

– Anita Schwabe – Piano

– Rowan Clark – Bass

– Lauren Ellis – Drums

 

Hot Tonic (USA/NZ)

Expect to be surprised by USA-based band that merges jazz with diverse musical elements ranging from funk to blues to rock.

Former NZ guitarist Josh Hindmarsh and American bassist and vocalist Victoria Woods created the band to express their improvisational ideals within a modern creative framework.

Victoria Woods is a rising star on the USA music scene and is the daughter of the late Dr Jon Woods, the director of the Ohio State Marching Band for 28 years. Victoria initially found success as a bassist and vocalist of Columbus all girl cult satire band Jemntonic, and has now created the band HOT TONIC, where her creative improvisation is showcased in her highly original and eclectic style.
Josh Hindmarsh From jazz to blues, rock and all points in between, Josh Hindmarsh is a dynamic and original musical artist. Regarded in jazz and blues circles as a virtuoso guitar guru, he has been featured on many albums and has shared the stage with a virtual “Who’s Who” of the greatest jazz and blues giants in the industry including Ronnie Cuber, Roy Hargrove, and Joey Defrancesco.

 

Jake Baxendale presents – a tribute to Wayne Shorter (Wellington)

Tickets are $10 on the door, or can be reserved via the Fairfield House website: www.fairfieldnelson.org.nz/events/category/concerts-shows/

On the back of his sold-out concert at the Rogue and Vagabonds ‘Classic Album’ series, saxophonist Jake Baxendale presents ‘A Tribute to Wayne Shorter’. Hear music from Wayne Shorter’s 1960’s catalogue with Jake and his band.

 

Peanut Butter Jam Sessions

The late-night jam sessions at East St Cafe, made possible by Pic’s peanut butter, are now an institution of the Nelson Jazz Festival. These sessions bring visiting and local musicians together for a couple of hours of playtime after their earlier gigs are done. The combinations are unpredictable and the music is exciting – improvisation and live music at its best. If the Peanut Butter Jam Sessions of previous years are anything to go by, it will be standing room only.

 

Jane and Francis – Post Modern Piano and Vocals  (Nelson)

The established musical partnership of Jane Winter and Francis Figueroa Meria (vocals/keyboard) bring their classy act to the Bamboo Bar.

 

JB3 Trio (Wellington)

Tickets are $10 on the door, or can be reserved via the Fairfield House website: www.fairfieldnelson.org.nz/events/category/concerts-shows/

The JB3 is a funky organ-drums-sax trio with an extensive repertoire of jazz, boogaloo, latin, funk, soul and R&B. They have been lighting up bars, clubs and stages around NZ for years, developing a deeply grooving sound with adventurous improvisational interplay.

 

Whilst drawing on the funk and soul jazz stylings of ’50s and ’60s era Blue Note recordings, JB3 bring their own flavour with their original tunes and interpretations of classic jams.

 

Jake Baxendale (sax), Daniel Hayles (organ), Shaun Anderson (drums)

 

Lisa Tomlins and the Presidents of Funk (Wellington)

Fronted by Wellington’s number one Soul Sister, Lisa Tomlins, The Presidents of Funk present to you some of the finest Funk, Soul and R&B of the 60s and 70s.

 

Lisa Tomlins Group (Wellington)

Tickets are $10 on the door, or can be reserved via the Fairfield House website: www.fairfieldnelson.org.nz/events/category/concerts-shows/

Lisa’s worked with everyone, her career, which she almost laughs off as a bit of fun with some mates stretches back some 20 years – she’s been a cameo artist one minute, a main feature the next; the lead singer or part of a line-up of backing vocalists. Locals may have seen her most recently singing backup with Louis Baker.

With over 20 years’ experience in the music industry as a professional vocalist, Lisa has toured extensively throughout Australasia, Asia, Europe and the United States with the likes of Fly My Pretties, Hollie Smith, Shapeshifter, Fat Freddie’s Drop, Sola Rosa and Rhombus. She continues to tour regularly, most recently with Lord Echo in Japan and with Neil Finn on his Dizzy Heights World Tour.

Join Lisa and her quarter (and some special guests), for an evening to soothe and delight. Not to be missed!

 

Los Galanes (Nelson)

If you like Latin and French style jazz, and if you love to dance, then you need to hear Los Galanes! They are a nine-piece ensemble of musicians from seven different countries who have passion for playing Latin rhythms to entertain one and all. Their programme is vibrant and energetic and they always attract an enthusiastic following.

Jose Perez vocals

Jim Boyden guitar

Raffaele Bandoli trumpet

Annabel Boyes sax

Barry Korcheski keys

Nigel Benedict percussion

Romain Sacchettini percussion

Marcio Molinari percussion

 

NCMA Youth Jazz Orchestra (Nelson)

The NCMA Youth Jazz Orchestra is an ensemble run through the Nelson Centre of Musical Arts in association with the Nelson Jazz Club. In 2019, it will rehearse every Monday afternoon at the NCMA with Simon Williams as musical director. We are always looking for Students under 19 years old who have a passion for learning and playing. The ensemble fosters development in improvisation as well as learning the Jazz Language.

 

Nelson Jazz Club Big Band (Nelson)

A festival favourite! Their distinctive 18-piece sound is always a crowd-pleaser, and features plenty of chances to showcase the talents of their fabulous vocalists.

 

Out on Bail (Nelson)

This local band plays upbeat jazz standards with a difference, featuring a sax/flugelhorn frontline.

Chris Baillie flugel

Simon Williams saxes

Gabor Tolnay keyboards

Chris Cowles bass

Tony Bowater drums

 

Out on Bail with George Rutledge (Nelson)

This local band plays upbeat jazz standards with a difference. For this year’s Jazz Festival, the merry band features the smooth sounds of George Rutledge on vocals, supported by  Simon Williams, saxes; Gabor Tolnay, keys; Chris Baillie, trumpet and flugel horn; Chris Cowles, bass; and Tony Bowater, drums.

George Rutledge vocal

Chris Baillie flugel

Simon Williams saxes

Gabor Tolnay keyboards

Chris Cowles bass

Tony Bowater drums

 

Steve Mitchell, solo, at Rhythm & Brown (Nelson)

Steve’s original songs blend soul, acoustic blues, classic 60’s pop and singer-songwriter styles. Best known for his slide and fingerstyle guitar work, Steve sees himself first and foremost as a writer and puts the hard yards in on arrangement, melody and lyrics. His set mixes his own material with a highly personal selection of Country Blues and Americana.

 

Steve Mitchell Trio + Paul Denny (Harmonica) at Smugglers (Nelson)

The Steve Mitchell Trio presents a thrillingly laid-back set of original songs, lo-fi funk, back-porch blues and more. Steve’s songs are served up loosey-goosey style, but with lots of grit in the grooves. Expect plenty of acoustic fingerstyle guitar and soulful slide punched home by Danny Sugar’s joyous fluid bass and Lenny Chick’s rootsy fatback drumming. The trio will be joined at the festival by Paul Denny on Harmonica.

 

Sun City Soul (Nelson)

Who doesn’t love to dance to Sweet Soul Music! This six-piece band, complete with a funked-up horn section, taps into Motown and Atlantic Soul to bring you a high-energy show. Get up and dance!!!

Dan Moon vocal

Steve Mitchell guitar

Raffaele Bandoli trumpet

Annabel Boyes Tenor

Jak Karaitiana bass

Lenny Chick Drums

Tom Rainey Quartet

Tom Rainey (keyboards), Bob Heinz (guitar), Brad Grainger (double bass), and Mark Lockett (drums). Top shelf talent—need we say more.

 

West Coast Blues (Nelson)

Centred around the unlikely place of LA after the migration of blues players from industrial centres after the 40s, the West Coast sound is characterised by the jump-blues style. Ivan Outram and friends serve up helpings of the up-tempo fusion of jazz and blues first made famous by the likes of T-Bone Walker, influenced by Wes Montgomery, and later popularised by the likes of Stevie Ray Vaughan and Carlos Santana.

 

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