New Zealand SUMMER
Burn the Beats!
Groove to an extraordinary lineup - the Best of Kiwi Jazz
C'est le 'Montreux' au Bout du Monde!
Upcoming Shows
A Smorgasbord of Jazz genres...
Enjoy ALL the weekend's events with a Festival Pass @ $330 (10% discount)
Sat 18th Jan
Brunch in the Bars
09:30 - 11:30
Taupō Town
Sat 18th Jan
Brunch in the Bars
Eat, drink and relax at one of the many delicious eateries/bars in the town
09:30 - 11:30
Taupō Town
Sat 18th Jan
Festival Welcome Ceremony
11:30 - 12:00
Great Lake Centre
Sat 18th Jan
Festival Welcome Ceremony
Start the show with the important people of Taupō
11:30 - 12:00
Great Lake Centre
Sat 18th Jan $14.99
Taupō's Great Lake Big Band - Charity Event
12:00 - 14:00
Great Lake Centre Hall
Sat 18th Jan $14.99
Taupō's Great Lake Big Band - Charity Event
The Great Lake Big Band have been established in Taupō for over 20 years. The band have a strong rhythm section and a brass section of around 15 musicians, with some truly outstanding soloists.
$5 goes to Lake Taupō Hospice
12:00 - 14:00
Great Lake Centre Hall
Sat 18th Jan $29.99
Reuben Bradley: “The Arranged Spontaneous Spiritual Music of John Coltrane”
15:00 - 17:00
Great Lake Centre Theatre
Sat 18th Jan $29.99
Reuben Bradley: “The Arranged Spontaneous Spiritual Music of John Coltrane”
In this talk I will analyse and deconstruct his seminal work, ‘A Love Supreme’, examining the pathways that led Coltrane to compose this masterpiece, and delving into the meanings contained in the music.
Musical examples will be the focus, and there will be time at the end for some questions and a general discussion.
15:00 - 17:00
Great Lake Centre Theatre
Sat 18th Jan $59.99
The River City Jazzmen
20:30 - 22:30
Great Lake Centre Hall
Sat 18th Jan $59.99
The River City Jazzmen
The River City Jazzmen was formed by some of Christchurch's leading jazz musicians some years ago to reproduce the exciting sounds of classic Dixieland and 'Trad' bands of the UK and USA - from Armstrong and Beiderbecke to Ball, Barber and Bilk.
They bring a love of the 'authentic', and now have an impressive following not only in Canterbury, but also throughout New Zealand.
20:30 - 22:30
Great Lake Centre Hall
Taupō says.......
Welcome
- Taupo, a town near the centre of New Zealand's North Island, is distinguished by its lakefront setting and outdoor sports ranging from fishing to jet-boating.
- The vast waters of Lake Taupo (largest lake in Australasia, as big as Lake Geneva/Lac Léman), a volcanic caldera, drain into the Huka Falls..
Hello
Kia Ora!
- New Zealand is a sovereign island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean.
- The country geographically comprises two main landmasses—the North Island, and the South Island —and around 600 smaller islands.
- It has a total land area of 268,000 square kilometres.
Taupō's Great Lake Big Band
A Sizzling Ensemble
Kick-off the festival with a charity performance by Taupō’s Great Lake Big Band - a 15 piece band with an extensive repertoire of swing and jazz standards as well as arrangements of more contemporary pieces.
While swing numbers might be stock in trade for Taupo’s Great Lake Big Band, director Rowan Bolley also likes to test audiences, and his musicians, with some quirkier numbers. The group’s summer set includes Tom Kubis versions of some well-known carols and multi-layered arrangements from Eric Richards, Don Menza as well as numbers from the canon of Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band.
Most of the members tutor or teach music either at the local high schools, or with the Taupō School of Music – so be prepared for an education in Jazz.
Listen here: https://youtu.be/l05F9d0UIPY
Reuben Bradley
Top Jazz Drummer
Native to Wellington, Reuben Bradley has travelled the world extensively. Drumming with international jazz performers has developed his creativity and passion for new music and has empowered him with the versatility of a top-notch session musician. These two skills have enabled Reuben to become one of the first call Jazz musicians throughout New Zealand.
Wearing his jazz-hat, Reuben has performed with artists such as Mike Nock (Aus), Bernie McGann (Aus), James Muller (Aus), Matt Penman (US), Kristin Berardi (Aus), Brenda Earle (Canada), James Morrison (Aus), Roger Manins, Charmaine Ford, Jonathan Crayford and Dixon Nacey. His session styles have in turn led to work with Julia Deans, Don McGlashan, Mickey Dolenz (the Monkees), The Coasters, The Drifters, the NZSO, the CSO and Orchestra Wellington.
Bradley's formal education at Massey University (NZSM) culminated in his B.Mus (Jazz Performance 1999) and led in turn to further individual study with rhythmic masters Scott Tinkler (Aus) and Master Jazz Drummer Barry Altschul in NYC. Although being awarded a greatly coveted position on the City College Masters course (NYC), Reuben decided in turn to focus on developing his performance abilities and compositional creativity.
Having performed in every major Jazz Festival in New Zealand, including The Nelson Jazz Festival with The Velox Brothers, Otis, and the Nat King Cole Project, the Wellington International Jazz Festival with Roger Manins and the Tauranga Jazz Festival with Charmaine Ford, Reuben has also performed at major Australian festivals such as Wangaratta and the Melbourne women in Jazz Festival.
Listen here: https://youtu.be/5ldPqz1qIaQ
The River City Jazzmen
The Best in Dixieland and Trad
Guaranteed to get the toes tapping, The River City Jazzmen was formed by some of Christchurch's leading jazz musicians some years ago to reproduce the exciting sounds of classic Dixieland and 'Trad' bands of the UK and USA - from Armstrong and Beiderbecke to Ball, Barber and Bilk.
They bring a love of the 'authentic', and now have an impressive following not only in Canterbury, but also throughout New Zealand.
Listen here: https://youtu.be/TMWOhQm8Xzg
Roger Manins & GRG67
2019 Award Winner
Roger Manins is widely regarded one of the premier saxophonists in the Southern hemisphere. He performs regularly throughout New Zealand and Australia, and is featured on over 30 albums as a sideman, with six releases of his own.
Roger is involved in a large number of creative live and recorded music projects across NZ and Australia, including: GRG67 • Nock & Manins "2 Out" • DOG • Hip Flask • Flounder • The Bush Trio • Phil Broadhurst Quintet • La Luna & The Gadjos • Carolina Moon • Neutrino, and more.
He has released six albums under his own name or as collaborations, and has featured on approximately 30 releases since year 2000.
GRG67 was awarded New Zealand’s 2019 Best Jazz Artist Tui.
Listen here: https://youtu.be/frKBBozukC4
Dr. Dave Lisik
Authority on the History of Jazz
Canadian composer and trumpeter, Dr. David Lisik teaches jazz composition, arranging, theory and pedagogy at the New Zealand School of Music, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
Dave is co-author of the book ‘50 Years at the Village Vanguard - Thad Jones, Mel Lewis and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra’.
As the oldest and most famous jazz club in the world, the history of the Village Vanguard in NYC is the history of jazz music more than any other entity.
