Winston Watusi Music Plus

And we're off again!

You can't keep a good paper down and much sooner than I expected, The Weekend Sun is back in print.

Like very many of you I am still pretty much in lockdown here at the Watusi Country Club, keeping an eye on the music and art world through the wonders of electronic communication. And for all the opprobrium heaped upon that strange Zuckerberg guy and his Facebook goldmine I guess we must reluctantly admit that in a lockdown it does become quite handy.

So greetings to the many thousands of you who are still only leaving the house for a healthy walk: with the population in Tauranga coming in at the higher end of the average age scale there are a huge number of over-seventies and heath-compromised over-fifties who will not be wanting to rush into retail spaces for a while yet.

Fair enough too. If sheltering in place for a few more weeks, or even months, means living years longer, then it looks like a lot more hometime is on the cards. And as someone who falls into the ‘health-compromised' category I am certainly hoping to look back in a couple of years' time and raise a glass to the memory of a vanquished virus.

Phil Broadhurst

In the meantime, let me share a couple of things with you, the first of which is some sad news out of Auckland where leading New Zealand jazz pianist Phil Broadhurst has died after a long battle with cancer. Phil was well known to many in Tauranga and was a longtime supporter, performer, and friend of the National Jazz Festival. Not only was he a phenomenal musician and an inspiring teacher but he was a helluva nice guy with sparkling eyes and a wry English wit.

I pass on this message from Maria O Flaherty:

'On behalf of Julie Mason, I bring the sad news that Phil Broadhurst passed away on Friday, April 24, 2020. Julie said: ‘Phil died peacefully, and with a half smile, as if he was thinking up a new tune…'”
A memorial service will take place once lockdown allows us. We will all look forward to Phil's memorial service. It will be a gathering of food, wine and loads of live jazz - just the way Phil would have liked it to be.
Phil was one of New Zealand's leading jazz artists and a well-known pianist, composer, educator and broadcaster; Phil has presented Art Of Jazz on Radio New Zealand Concert since 1991.
Phil was the head of Jazz Studies at the New Zealand School of Music (Massey University, Albany) from 2000 to 2016 and a three-times winner of the Jazz Record Of The Year award. He also became the first jazz musician to be awarded the MNZM for services to Jazz in 2001.

RIP Phil, thanks for the music and so much more.

Tami Neilson

And let's finish with a new music show. Not a live show coming up in Tauranga sadly, though there do seem to be a lot of touring acts now rescheduling their concerts, the latest being Canada's Cowboy Junkies who have now announced new dates in January 2021. No, these days everybody is making music from the safety of their own lounges and this week's offering is a whole bunch of fun.

Tami Neilson – the Canadian singer now domiciled in New Zealand – has been busy, even while juggling two small kids in lockdown. Having released her latest album, Chickaboom, in February, plans to tour and promote it were somewhat derailed by our current situation. So Tami has taken to producing her own YouTube series.

Here's the official description: ‘Live from lockdown in the rolling hills of New Zealand, Tami invites us into her living room (and closet!) for a homemade helping of long-distance musical collaborations, never-before-seen footage of live shows on tour and answers to fans questions in segments like ‘Ask Tami' and ‘Tami's Closet'.'

New episodes go up every Friday evening and I can confirm from last Friday's first 20 minute outing that it's a heaping helping of good cheer with some great music for good measure. Find it at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fn0JOXx-kd0