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Let’s have a jazz week. Why not? And let’s start in the driest possible way. Apologies in advance.
The Tauranga Jazz Society is having its annual meeting on August 27. I hear a few committee people have stepped down so if you’re excited by Easter’s spectacular festival or just feel you can help make Tauranga a more jazzy city, you might want to get involved.
The AGM is via Zoom, but if you’re interested, email: admin@jazz.org.nz. Or, alternatively, head to the monthly jazz jam at The Mount Tavern – previously The Mount Social Club – taking place the previous night, Wednesday, August 26.
As far as such jam nights go this is one I can’t recommend highly enough. At the July iteration, the house band was drummer Jeff Baker, keyboard wiz Liam Ryan, bassist Leith Milson, and the extraordinary Trevor Braunias on guitar. My advice for any young players is to get over there as quickly as possible and grab the chance to play with these great musicians. It’ll be a memory you have forever.
There’s more
There’s more jazz in the next fortnight...
The Barrel Room is into the final weeks of its Wharf Street Winter Sessions, with jazz on the street Friday evenings finishing August 21. They have been a treat. But Saturday night jazz will still be happening at 6pm, with the classy likes of Take Three, Lucky Strike and Duende playing. Every band I’ve seen there has been an absolute winner.
Also next week, on August 21, there’s another Black Coffee session at the Tauranga Club. This month it’s blues veterans Joanne Melbourne and Mike Garner who join forces with multi-instrumentalist Robbie Lavën and bassist Grant Willis to celebrate remarkable women who shaped the blues, with songs from such legends as Memphis Minnie, Bessie Smith, and Big Mama Thornton.
Busy bands
Moving sideways, I realise I keep describing bands as the “busiest in the country”. Andrew London is another contender. Once leader of swing band Hot Club Sandwich, he is constantly combining with various musicians to tour and play, from country group The Cattlestops, to Too Many Chiefs with Wellington duo Legal Tender, and all sorts of jazz combos doing Sinatra nights, swing nights, everything.
Andrew London with his wife Kirsten.
But his main gig is under his own name, usually a duo with his bass-playing singer wife Kirsten plus sometimes an additional horn player. Again, they are tremendously busy, playing cafés, theatres, clubs, house concerts, you name it. They’re well-known here and regular visitors to the Bay; the next time they are here will be October 16 at Katikati’s Arts Junction.
Meantime, Andrew has a new album out. Many of you will be excited by this, and with good reason. It’s Set Me Up By The Bar and is impressive stuff, with Andrew’s consistently astonishing lyrics backed by a coterie of Wellington’s finest. But if you want it, buy it. It’s not on Spotify so it’s downloads or CDs. Go to Bandcamp or Andrew’s website – you won’t regret it. I will review it properly when they come to town.
Hear this week’s playlist: