The Joni Mitchell/ Charles Mingus project is always ripe for reevaluation and I’m glad that Caro Manins was the one to explore it again. The connection between Joni and Jazz experimentalism runs deep. Rolling Stone Magazine figured it out early on, describing her as a ‘Jazz savvy experimentalist’. While the connection is obvious in her 1979 … Continue reading Caro Manins – Joni Mitchell’s Mingus Experience
This piece was almost titled ‘my career as Jef Neve’s Driver’, but in the end, I shied away from that. In truth, my tenure as a roadie/driver was brief (although fulfilling). The term roadie was perhaps a bit of a stretch also because I only lifted one suitcase (and that was with help). I … Continue reading Jef Neve – ‘Spirit Control’
After years traveling the wider Jazz world, Jasmine Lovell-Smith came home; launching her latest album ‘Yellow Red Blue’ at the CJC last Wednesday. The Album features a quintet ‘Towering Poppies’; a group she formed in New York over five years ago. Her New Zealand gig featured locals Roger Manins, Kevin Field, Eamon Edmundson-Wells and Chris … Continue reading Jasmine Lovell Smith – ‘Yellow Red Blue’
Every few weeks, I casually glance at the CJC web page to see what lies ahead. When I spotted the name Jef Neve, I immediately cleaned my glasses and refocussed, just to make sure that I hadn’t imagined what lay on the screen. No, there it was, Jef Neve, Belgium. Neve is a significant figure … Continue reading Jef Neve – extraordinary Britomart finale
This is the second Auckland Jazz Festival and what incredibly tasty offerings there are in the programme. The event runs as a fringe festival and this is absolutely the right approach; no corporates making stupid unhelpful suggestions, an intense focus on the best of Kiwi improvised music and international acts with an established connection to … Continue reading Auckland Jazz Festival 2015 – part one
Caitlin Smith is a vocalist who can quickly put a smile on your face or shamelessly tug at your heart-strings. She always finds a way to connect her audience to the essence of a song; deftly locating that illusive sweet spot. While there is often power in her delivery, there is also remarkable subtlety. You … Continue reading Caitlin Smith 2014
Even before septuagenarian Herbie Hancock rolled into town he had been sought out by most of the mainstream media. This man fascinates people beyond the Jazz world and I suspect that everyone would give a different reason why. Herbie is simply larger than life and terminal cool is his brand. When asked … Continue reading Herbie Hancock: Chameleon, Headhunter, visionary?
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