Zanzibar JAZZ Ensemble with Erna Ferry

JAZZ IS BACK!

"Kapiti concert audiences are mad about jazz - from Monk (Theolonius) to Funk and Jump", says Mary Gow. She is the organiser of the Mulled Wine Concert series and has presented music ranging from classical to jazz in the region over a number of years. A particular favourite of local aficionados was the band led by Rodger Fox, New Zealand’s foremost jazz trombonist, big band leader, jazz educator, arranger and producer. Sadly, Rodger is no longer with us to lead the band, but his music lives on: musicians who played with him are still keen to bring his swinging arrangements to life.

A new group - the ZANZIBAR JAZZ ENSEMBLE - brings together some storied names from the New Zealand jazz world. Inspired and led by singer ERNA FERRY, the group contains such giants as Lance Philip (drums) Rory McArtney (bass) Dan Hayles (piano) Nick Granville (guitar) Kaito Walley (trombone) Ben Hunt (trumpet) and Oscar Laven (saxophone). Together they will be playing a concert at the seafront Memorial Hall in Paekakariki on Sunday 12 June. "We are excited by this new development" says Mary Gow "Audiences have enjoyed the jazz presented by Mulled Wine Concerts in the past and I'm sure that this tradition will be continued".

Erna Ferry notes that the group has had a lot of fun putting together a programme of the music of Carmen McRae, Anita O’Day, Louis Prima and many others. "We have some new arrangements - and some surprises!" The repertoire from the Zanzibar Ensemble will include some of Rodger Fox's favourite instrumentals, well known standards from the 30’s and 40’s, tunes from the last album recorded in New York in January 2024, some hot new rhythms and since jazz is a free form of expression, the expert soloists in the group will doubtless be adding their own impromptu inputs made up on the spot! The concert will be a must-see for all jazz lovers.