Ever since his return from the studies at the University of North Texas, jazz guitarist Brad Kang has been a sought-after contributor to the New Zealand jazz scene. Kang was a member of the world-renowned One O’Clock Lab Band. Their album ‘Lab 2015’, which Kang involved as a composer and player, received a Grammy nomination for one of the tracks ‘Neil’. He is currently a part of the faculty at The Ara Institute of Canterbury in Christchurch. 

His return to WJC will feature a new collection of compositions, consisting of tunes written since his arrival in NZ, some of which were featured in the performance of his EP release show for ‘Farewell For Now”, which received the Best of Fest People’s Choice Award at the Wellington Jazz Festival in 2017. 

Brad Kang Quintet
Featuring: Brad Kang (g), Umar Zakaria (b), Tyaan Singh (s), Leonardo Coghini (p), Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa (d)
Date: Thur 25 October, 8pm
Venue: Pyramid Club, Level, 272 Taranaki St.
Price: General $15, WJC members and Students with ID $8

Featuring: Infernal Jamboree
Date/Time: Thur 11 October, 8pm
Venue: Pyramid Club, Level, 272 Taranaki St.
Price: General $15, WJC members and Students with ID $8

Check out a video from the gig on our YouTube channel!

Umar Zakaria ‘Fearless Music’ Quartet – 2018 Best Jazz Artist CD Release Tour

“If you are even vaguely curious about the state of New Zealand jazz then this is the album you need to hear.” -Graham Reid, Elsewhere.  

Umar Zakaria is a New Zealand bassist and composer filled with hope for the future. He was awarded Best Jazz Artist 2018 by Recorded Music New Zealand for his newly released debut album ‘Fearless Music’. The quartet will present compositions from the album as well as tunes inspired by Umar’s recent trips to Southeast Asia to connect with the music of his Malay heritage.

As a jazz bassist, Umar has performed in the United States, Europe and Asia as well as in New Zealand. Notably, he has performed with Bob Moses (US), Norio Maeda (Japan), Riduan Zalani (Singapore), Rob van Bavel (Netherlands), Snorre Kirk (Denmark), Magnus Hjorth (Sweden), Hagai Bilitzky (Israel), Steve Barry (NZ), and Myele Manzanza (NZ) among others. He is student of legendary bassists Lynn Seaton and Cecil McBee, and was awarded 2nd place at the BASS2014 International Jazz Bass Competition.

A graduate of the New Zealand School of Music and the New England Conservatory in Boston, his innovative compositions and arrangements finely tread traditional boundaries of genre and style. These have been performed and recorded by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, the Royal New Zealand Ballet and the New Zealand School of Music Big Band.

Umar’s music unites diverse musical traditions, particularly jazz improvisation and the music of the Malay Nusantara, in an effort to inspire communication and cooperation across ideological boundaries. Having developed a reputation for emotionally stirring performances, he now seeks to cultivate an international performance career in order to spread his message of consciousness in thought and feeling.

Umar Zakaria ‘Fearless Music’ Quartet
Featuring: Tyaan Singh (Alto Saxophone), Leonardo Coghini (Piano), Umar Zakaria (Bass), Luther Hunt (Drums)
Date/Time: Thur 27 September 2018, 8pm
Venue: Pyramid Club, Level, 272 Taranaki St.
Price: General $15, WJC members and Students with ID $8

This performance of the Dave Wilson Quintet features new compositions alongside the group’s developing material to present music grounded in notions of rhythmic, modal, and melodic overlap and interplay. The multifaceted musical experiences of the musicians come together in Wilson’s compositions, each layer of sound generating a new setting for the expressions of styles inspired by musicians from Elis Regina to Eric Dolphy, from John Coltrane to Umm Kulthum.

Dave Wilson Quintet
Featuring: Callum Allardice (guitar), Chris Beernink (bass), Luther Hunt (drums), Mike Taylor (trumpet), Dave Wilson (tenor saxophone and bass clarinet)
Date: Thur 13 September
Venue: Pyramid Club, Level, 272 Taranaki St.
Time: 8pm
Price: General $15, WJC members and Students with ID $8