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George Garzone

The most highly renowned musician and educator, Garzone visits New Zealand for the first time for a series of intimate shows in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

A veteran jazzman, George Garzone has appeared on more than 20 recordings. In addition, Garzone has guested in many situations, touring Europe with Jamaaladeen Tacuma and performing with Danilo Perez, Joe Lovano, Jack DeJohnette, Rachel Z, and John Patitucci among others. He is a member of the Grammy-winning Joe Lovano Nonet, and performed and recorded with this group at the Village Vanguard.

Garzone is well-known as a sought-after jazz educator, who, in addition to teaching at Berklee, has taught at the New England Conservatory, Longy School of Music, New York University, and the Manhattan School of Music. Students of his have included Joshua Redman, Branford Marsalis, Teadross Avery, Luciana Souza, Mark Turner, Donny McCaslin, Doug Yates, and Danilo Perez, to name a few.

George has pioneered a unique method of improvisation, the Triadic Chromatic approach, and will also be giving lectures and workshops demonstrating this concept.

George Garzone
Featuring: George Garzone (s), Kevin Field (p), Mostyn Cole (b), and Mark Lockett (d)
Date: Thurs 17 Aug 2017
Venue: Pyramid Club, 272 Taranaki St.
Time: 8pm
Price: $34 tickets available from UndertheRadar.co.nz

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Mark Donlon

‘UK Pianist Composer Mark Donlon’s ensemble features young emerging New Zealand talents including Singer Lauren Nottingham who has recently returned fresh from Europe. The music will include original music and music by Kenny Wheeler and UK pianist/composer John Taylor.’

Lauren Nottingham is a vocalist from New Plymouth whose serious interest in jazz began in 2011 after she won the award for Most Outstanding Vocalist at the inaugural New Zealand School of Music Jazz Festival.  This led her to study Jazz Performance at NZSM from 2012 – 2014 where she established a profile as a promising young musician. Alongside her love for jazz is her love for choral singing. Lauren was a member of the 2014–2016 New Zealand Youth Choir, who went on a European Landmark Tour last July, and won the Grand Prix in the 2016 IFAS in Pardubice Czech Republic and also all four categories it competed in. Other recent projects include featuring alongside Jamie Oehlers in Mark Donlon’s latest album release ‘Shadowbird’, and releasing an album as the lead singer of Multiplayer – a band showcasing the original works of the outstanding American pianist/composer Matt Sagen.

 New Zealand Musician Magazine commented last year: “…quick fire lyrics, skilfully sung by Lauren Nottingham… skilful and smooth jazz with a mixture of scat and rapping”

After spending the past year living in Berlin, Lauren is back home continuing to develop her own musical collaborations.

 

Mark Donlon is a British pianist, composer, conductor and educator based in New Zealand. He is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music (ARAM). Recent and upcoming album releases include ‘Southern Shift’, which is an album of improvised solo piano pieces and ‘Between Moons’ – a duo album with New-York based, Grammy Award winning trumpeter Alex Sipiagin. 2017 will see the release of ’Tales From The Diaspora’ – a quintet album recorded in New York and featuring Seamus Blake, Alex Sipiagin, Boris Kozlov, Mark Donlon on piano and Donald Edwards on drums. 2016 also saw the release of the debut album ‘Shadowbird’ by his Australasian group which features Australian saxophonist Jamie Oehlers.

As a solo pianist he has recorded CDs and given recitals of his Jazz/Contemporary Classical crossover compositions to critical acclaim in the press. He is also particularly known as a specialist in Latin Music .

In the field of Higher Education he has established a profile as a respected teacher and academic , having taught and examined at leading conservatoires such as Trinity Laban, The Guildhall School of Music and Drama, the DIT Conservatoire in Dublin and The Royal Academy of Music. He also held senior academic positions at Leeds College of Music and Victoria University, Wellington. He is a tutor and assessor for the National Youth Jazz Collective. He moved to New Zealand in 2013 where he is Head of Jazz at the New Zealand School of Music, Victoria University Wellington. He was awarded an ARAM by the Royal Academy of Music in 2017 in recognition of his distinguished contribution to the music profession.

He founded the highly successful CUK Big Band in 2004 and was presented with an award for excellence in Jazz Education by the IAJE in Toronto in 2008 in recognition of that undertaking. As well as releasing a number of CDs he has had works published for solo piano, small jazz ensembles and Jazz orchestra.

Mark Donlon Quartet
Featuring: Lauren Nottingham (v) and Mark Donlon (p)
Date: Thurs 3 August 2017
Venue: Pyramid Club, 272 Taranaki St.
Time: 8pm
Price: $10 General, $5 Members and Students with ID

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Phil Boniface is traveling from Palmerston North, unfortunately due to the extreme weather conditions Phil Boniface will not be playing at WJC tonight. Instead we will be featuring the talented Callum Allardice, Chris Beernink, Mark Lockett and Jake Baxendale (thats if his flight arrives from Nelson in time).

 

Phil Boniface – To be rescheduled.

Phil Boniface

On Thursday, 13th of July, double bass player Phil Boniface will present two diverse sets of music:

Set one will bring together Phil and Taonga Pūoro practitioner Alistair Fraser with their new project of duo improvisations.  Alistair has 18 years experience in construction, performance, composition and research.  He has worked extensively both solo and collaboratively with others including Richard Nunns, Patricia Grace and The New Zealand String Quartet.  Alistair is a researcher at Otago University investigating Chatham Island Moriori and Māori Taonga Pūoro.

Set two will encompass a trio of original music and new compositions with Wellington based guitarist Callum Allardice (from ‘The Jac’ & ‘The Antipodes’) and drummer Mark Lockett, who has recently returned from NYC.

Since graduating from the Conservatorium of Music in Wellington in 2000, Phil Boniface spent 11 years residing in Vancouver, Canada where he was performed with many of Canada’s finest west coast jazz musicians.  He produced and recorded his first album ‘BaixaBlue’ as band leader in Vancouver in 2015 which was funded by FACTOR.

Review from Simon Sweetman http://offthetracks.co.nz/phil-boniface-baixablue/

Phil Boniface
Featuring:Alistair Fraser (Taonga Pūoro), Callum Allardice (g), Mark Lockett (d) and Phil Boniface (b)
Date: Thurs 13 Jul 2017 – TO BE RESCHEDULED
Venue: Pyramid Club, 272 Taranaki St.
Time: 8pm
Price: $10 General, $5 Members and Students with ID

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Roger Manins

“I first heard Mostyn Cole way back in 2004 I think; in Christchurch and on electric. I still remember the feeling, wondering what he was going to do next, and of course his sound- so warm, so creative, and so great to play with. Next I played a gig with Reuben at the Lido. Energy, creativity and spirit and I knew I had my trio. We rehearsed a lot in 2005. We recorded for the ABC Jazz, we played Wangaratta Jazz festival. Later, we released TRIO on Rattle- an album I still am really proud of. Its true, we have not played together as this trio in a long while, but we have continued playing a lot in different bands over the years. I have played on a tonne of Reuben’s projects, and Mostyn is in my band GRG67, so we are COOL. So, expect some joy, some empathy, some energy and humour and spirit. I am really excited about this gig and hope you can come. ”

Roger Manins Trio
Featuring: Roger Manins (s), Mostyn Cole (b) and Reuben Bradley (d)
Date: Thurs 29 Jun 2017
Venue: Pyramid Club, 272 Taranaki St.
Time: 8pm
Price: $10 General, $5 Members and Students with ID

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Ari Hoenig

WJC is pleased to presents Ari Hoenig Group (USA) for 2 dates at the Wellington Jazz Festival. Ari is a jazz drummer, known for his unusual and intense approach to drumming emphasizing complex rhythms in direct harmony with other group members. He is widely noted particularly for his drumming not being relegated to just keeping tempo, or being a side issue to the music he plays in, but rather for elevating drumming as an indispensable part of the performance. He is also known for his unique ability to modify the pitch of a drum by using drum sticks, mallets, and even parts of his body. Using this technique, he can play any note in the chromatic scale, virtually any melody, and even improvise on a chord structure in the same way as any other instrumentalist would. For this concert Hoenig will be joined by outstanding piano/organist Nitai Hershkvits.

Ari Hoenig Group
Featuring: Nitai Hershkvits (k) and Ari Hoenig (d)
Date: Wed 7 Jun 2017, 8pm and 10pm
Venue: Pyramid Club, 272 Taranaki St.
Price: $34, tickets available from under the radar.

Ari will also be holding a workshop at Musicworks  6pm Wed 7th. Tickets $15 from Musicworks Wellington.

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Callum Allardice Quartet

Born and raised in small town Motueka, it took some time for Callum to discover jazz. However, it quickly became an enduring passion. In 2008, he left to study at the New Zealand School of Music, completing a Bachelor of Music and a Post-Graduate Diploma in Jazz Performance. During this time he started writing and performing his own compositions with long-time collaborator Jake Baxendale. Together they started The Jac, an all-original eight-piece jazz ensemble, now with a Tui-nomination and two albums under their belt.

Seeking new sounds and inspiration, Callum moved to Berlin in 2013 and immersed himself in the local jazz scene. Since his return to NZ the following year, he has been busy writing fresh tunes to take on tour. In 2014 and 2015 tours, New Zealand and Australia revelled in the latest compositions of The Jac, as well as Antipodes, a creative contemporary jazz sextet playing works by Callum, Jake and Australian pianist and composer, Luke Sweeting. Recent performances of the Callum Allardice Quintet have revealed a captivating new direction for his small group writing and playing.

Callum continues to write for his various projects and is currently pursuing a long-time desire to write larger ensemble pieces.

“…his guitar soared as if free of gravity…” John Fenton

“…his authoritative solos and fills just sing. He gives a soft but penetrating edge to the mix.” John Fenton

Callum Allardice Quartet
Featuring: Dan Millward (p), Paul Dyne (b), Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa (d), Callum Allardice (g)
Date: Thursday 18 May 2017, 8pm
Venue: Pyramid Club, 272 Taranaki St.
Price: $10 General, $5 Members and Students with ID

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Matt Steele

Matt grew up in Lower Hutt and discovered a passion for jazz during high school, which he honed with studies at the University of Auckland under the tutelage of pianists Kevin Field and Stephen Small. He was the first jazz pianist to win the Lewis Eady Emerging Artists Series in 2013 and graduated with First Class Honours in Jazz Performance in 2014. This will be Matt’s last gig in Wellington for a while, as he is soon off ‘across the ditch’ to Melbourne. The quartet will be showcasing its member’s original music as well as one or two favourites from the repertoire.

“Steele is always an interesting pianist and always one to watch. It is his determination, his preparedness to take risks and his ability to learn on the bandstand that marks him out from many of his peers. He grows as an artist each time I see him.” – John Fenton, Jazz Journalists Association, 2015

Matt Steele Quartet
Featuring: Blair Latham (s), Johnny Lawrence (b), Cory Champion (d) and Matt Steele (p)
Date: Thursday 4 May 2017
Venue: Pyramid Club, 272 Taranaki St.
Time: 8pm
Price: $10 General, $5 Members and Students with ID

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WJC - Peter Koopman Trio

Since leaving behind the lush, verdant countryside north of the mighty Waikato river in his native New Zealand in 2011, guitarist Peter Koopman has become a regular fixture on Australia’s music scene. In addition to (occasionally) leading his own trio, he also plays with Katie Noonan’s Vanguard, jazz-metalheads Scoredatura and jazz/apparel enthusiasts The Turtlenecks among various others. In 2014 Peter placed 3rd in the national jazz awards at the Wangaratta jazz festival. Brought together by a mutual love for genre-crossing, rhythmic interplay and Vietnamese pork rolls, this new band will feature deadset legends Max Alduca and Tim Geldens on bass and drums respectively.

Peter Koopman Trio
Featuring: Max Alduca (b), Tim Geldens (d) and Peter Koopman (g)
Date: Thurs 20 Apr 2017
Venue: Pyramid Club, 272 Taranaki St.
Time: 8pm
Price: $10 General, $5 Members and Students with ID

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Ari Hoenig

WJC is pleased to presents Ari Hoenig Group (USA) for 2 dates at the Wellington Jazz Festival. Ari is a jazz drummer, known for his unusual and intense approach to drumming emphasizing complex rhythms in direct harmony with other group members. He is widely noted particularly for his drumming not being relegated to just keeping tempo, or being a side issue to the music he plays in, but rather for elevating drumming as an indispensable part of the performance. He is also known for his unique ability to modify the pitch of a drum by using drum sticks, mallets, and even parts of his body. Using this technique, he can play any note in the chromatic scale, virtually any melody, and even improvise on a chord structure in the same way as any other instrumentalist would. For this concert Hoenig will be joined by outstanding piano/organist Nitai Hershkvits.

Ari tours worldwide and performs weekly at the legendary New York jazz club Smalls. Ari has performed/recorded with include Jean Michel Pilc, Mike Stern, Kenny Werner, Joshua Redman, Wayne Krantz, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Chris Potter, Toots Thielemans, Pat Martino.

Ari Hoenig Group
Featuring: Nitai Hershkvits (k) and Ari Hoenig (d)
Date: Wed 7 Jun 2017, 8pm and 10pm and Thurs 8 Jun 2017, 8pm and 10pm
Venue: Pyramid Club, 272 Taranaki St.
Price: $34.50 per set, tickets available from under the radar.

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Andy Sugg Group

Andy Sugg is a Melbourne–based tenor and soprano saxophonist. His music explores contemporary post-Trane improvisation in original compositions written for a small group setting. While firmly grounded in its stylistic time and place, the Andy Sugg Group plays music that has left home. It’s music in the moment, played by highly articulate musicians with something to say both as soloists and as members of a collective. The Group’s music embraces an eclectic range of compositional influences, which include contemporary jazz, funk, R&B and avant-pop. It’s Andy’s “blowing band”; a vehicle for extended improvisation in the best traditions of contemporary jazz.

Andy Sugg Group
Featuring: Matt Steele (p), Johnny Lawrence (b), Mark Lockett (d), Andy Sugg (s)
Date: Thurs 6 Apr 2017
Venue: Pyramid Club, 272 Taranaki St.
Time: 8pm
Price: $10 General, $5 Members and Students with ID