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Easter is here. The jazz festival is in full swing. Let’s talk about other things.
Oddly, however, I keep running into people who have no idea the jazz festival is on or who’s playing.
It reminds me that we increasingly live in our own specific bubbles. I guess I clicked on a particular advert at some point so now I see endless jazz fest ads. I have no idea what you see. The world is increasingly tailor-made to isolate us in our individual silos.
Anyway, I’m not going to go through it all again this week. There’s music everywhere: jazz, blues, Latin, swing, funk, soul, the lot. You name it – if it’s ever shaken hands with jazz it’s here. You’ll find music at the village, downtown, at the Mount, in bars, on the street, at Baycourt, at the hot pools, on boats and everywhere else you care to look. One last time: check it all out at jazz.org.nz.
What I missed
Instead, let’s look at some things I’ve missed...
The Tauranga Film Society started its new season in March. But don’t despair, you can join any time and if you jump on late the 12-month membership rolls over to next season. Just go along to a screening and ask. Those screening are every second Wednesday at a Luxe Cinema, usually the one on Devonport Rd.
The full programme is online at www.nzfilmsociety.org.nz – click ‘Tauranga’ – and includes a bunch of my personal favourites, including Bob Fosse’s brilliant ‘All That Jazz’ at the end of this month, Akira Kurosawa’s classic ‘Rashomon’, ‘Kes’, ‘My Life As A Dog’, and the recent 50th anniversary version of ‘Pat Garrett and Billy The Kid’, one of the finest westerns ever made. There’s lots more of course.
And there are a few shows on next weekend that are in danger of being lost in the jazz fest overload. At the Jam Factory on Friday 25 is a Tauranga band whose 2022 album, ‘Where Will This End?’ I totally missed.
Soaring Collective are Cian O’Cinnseala and Serge Balmer. Cian was a singer and guitarist with The Mellowdrops and Eight Mile Stone while Serge, from Switzerland, creates electronic dance music. The album is downbeat semi-ambient electronica.
The band don’t play live often, though I believe they were at the final Littleweed festival. This time, however, Serge won’t be here so Cian will be accompanied by musical mates Derek Toner and James Bos. Nice.
Jennifer Reid.
Jennifer Reid
Next night there, Saturday, April 26, Lancashire a cappella folk singer Jennifer Reid stops by on a national tour. She’s worked with Pete Townshend, Eliza Carthy and John Cooper Clarke and her one-woman show has been getting rave reviews.
Greg Johnson. Photo / Supplied
Back to Friday, April 25, you’ll find Greg Johnson at Totara St. Since he’s celebrating the 30th anniversary of his ‘Vine Street Stories’ album I assume he needs no introduction. For those needing a catch-up, Greg’s still living in Los Angeles and has now produced a total of 13 albums, including the recent ‘Tilt Your Interior’ (2021) and ‘Thunder In Fall’ (2024).
Hear Winston’s latest Playlist: