Jazz eh? It's not dead – it just smells funny.
Sorry. I know that's an old line. And I've probably quoted it more than once in this column.
Why? Well, Frank Zappa said it – and despite everything I still miss Frank. Or perhaps because I first heard it when I was a very impressed and impressionable teenager.
And when you're that age stuff sticks with you.
It's not true of course.
Jazz has reinvented itself, forged new directions, absorbed other styles and continues to evolve, as it has since the early-20^th Century. The Port of Tauranga 60th National Jazz Festival – finally remembered to include the sponsor's name! – has a whole bunch of music, from the old and familiar to the new and challenging.
It's coming up fast. The official start (in Katikati) is a mere week away, arriving with April.
Today let's take another run at the many Baycourt concerts.
Particularly because I heard someone say the other day that they weren't too keen on any of the shows on offer this year.
I tried to hide my surprise.
For a long time there's been a mantra I've heard from promoters about Tauranga audiences. Actually there're two.
Firstly, Tauranga audiences are notorious for waiting until the last minute to buy tickets. This causes understandable anxiety for promoters. It can sometimes be a problem for events such as the Jazz Festival when out-of-towners arrive: often – to people's shock – shows sell out.
Tauranga?
But the comment I was thinking of was this: Tauranga audiences don't know what they like, they just like what they know.
Apologies straight away. I didn't say it. But I've heard that from more than a few promoters. Drop me an email if you disagree. In the meantime, let's look at the Jazz Fest programme, because I think it's very impressive, a roll-call of excellence and a fine balance of styles. Here're three bands you won't know...
Eight-piece ensemble (four horns) The Jac has been making music since 2010, based in Wellington with ring-ins from Melbourne and Montreal. There's a symphony orchestra trombonist, a heavy metal drummer, and several leading jazz luminaries. Naming them probably wouldn't help significantly.
They all play fantastically; check the jazz.org.nz website.
The band sounds a bit be-boppy to me, modern while still melodic; I'd suggest their concert (Thursday, April 6 at Baycourt X-Space) is one for jazz fans as opposed to casual listeners.
The awards say a little about their quality: debut album ‘Nerve' was nominated for the Best Jazz Album of The Year; a track from follow-up ‘The Green Hour' won New Zealand's inaugural Jazz Composition of the Year award; tracks ‘Beyond the Palace' and ‘A Gathering' were nominated for the 2018 Best Jazz Composition of the Year award, which they then won in both 2019 and 2020. Their latest album ‘Walking Spirits' also saw them nominated for the Best Jazz Artist award.
So you get it – these guys are good. Check them online to see if they align with your tastes.
Jazz?
The Saturday night, April 8, in Baycourt's X-Space it's The New Caledonia, a totally different beast, sure to start the ‘is it jazz?' debate. They're an experimental psychedelic four-piece (no horns) from Hamilton who, in happy synchronicity, sound distinctly Zappa-influenced.
Drummer Stan Bicknell, who seems to divide his time between Melbourne and Papamoa, is a busy man with many Facebook followers for his drumming displays. He describes the band sound as 'Basically Meshuggah meets Mario Cart, lol”. While Meshuggah is a Swedish extreme metal band, this is sorta complex prog-rock, alternately heavy, alarming, sweet and playful. Expect the unexpected...
Stan will also be playing drums for funk band Black Comet (two horns) on Easter Sunday in Baycourt's main theatre.
Again, you may not know these guys, but they have a great pedigree, being led by frontman Laughton Kora, one of the four Kora brothers, who are responsible for bands Kora, L.A.B. and much more.
Songs are catchy modern soul – easy to find on Spotify – and, to add intrigue, both shows will be mixed by Tiki Taane.
Okay. More on the jazz festival next week.

The New Caledonia.