Newsletter May 2015

Hi Jazz Cats !

What a great turn out for the ANZAC weekend Jazz night. First up we had Maciek who performed some great Jazz guitar for us. What an asset to our Jazz Society he is. Thank you Maciek for sharing your great talent with us. Click here to see a video from Maciek's performance.

Then the Boogie Woogie Bugle Girls entertained us for the remainder of the evening first of all with their tribute to the Andrews Sisters with super tight harmonies and then as the Soul Sisters which seem to awaken every ones feet and made them dance. Thank you Corilin Steel for bringing your acts to the Jazz Society. Thank you to all the members and non-members who came along and supported the Society on this evening, also thank you to the committee and members who helped set up and pack down and made the evening possible. Click here to see a video from Boogie Woogie Bugle Girls' performance.

Response from people on the evening was all positive apart from one who said that they may stop coming because there isn't the same bands as what the Rotorua Jazz Club have. But isn't that what sets us apart? We do try to get good quality acts but when you consider the cost of some of the bands from out of town and weigh it up against the number of people paying at the door, sometimes its not possible to even consider booking a band who's cost is more than 2x the amount taken on the door. Perhaps if you consider that the average door takings are around $700 and a band can cost anything from $1000. - $2400 if they come from Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington or Tauranga. So even though they are great bands it doesn't take Einstein to work out where we are going with this one. If door sales continue to grow then we can look at some more out of town acts. If you feel that we are not providing you with an entertaining and good value for your money please don't hesitate to let the committee know – we have the same goal: to make Hamilton Jazz Society great.

Simon
HJS President

Sun, 31st of May

The Mike Booth Band form Auckland.

His band includes an internationally recognised line up of Mike himself on Trumpet, Vibes player Peter Woods and Double Bass player Craig Williams. Also Mike will be accompanied by two yet to be named musicians on drums and brass. We invite you to come along and enjoy some of New Zealand's top Jazz musicians brought to you by Hamilton Jazz Society Incorporated.

From 4.30pm - 7.30pm
Door sales only.

Food served all day, tea & coffee and Well Stocked Bar

Coming up:

Sunday, 28th of June

Tracy and Fever

Sunday, 26th of July

Susan Gai Dowling from Australia

Sunday, 30th of August

West Coast Jazz

Sunday, 27th of September

Briana Cowlishaw from Australia

Don’t Forget, Wednesday, 27th of May!

Hamilton Founders Theatre will be visited by one of the great (if not the greatest) Jazz ensembles of all time from the United States: The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra. This is the 80th anniversary year of this landmark band. the Hamilton Jazz Society Inc have been asked by the promoters Liberty Stage to let our members know about this once-in-a-lifetime event. This is definitely one not to miss - come along and see first hand the true Giants of Jazz.

The living embodiment of swing, one of the most elegant and irresistible sounds that ever shook the western world, The Legendary Count Basie Orchestra will bring their 80th Anniversary Tour to Australia and New Zealand in May 2015. Directed by veteran trumpeter Scotty Barnhart, the 18-piece Count Basie Orchestra features a peerless array of instrumentalists with combined credentials that have topped the upper echelons of the international jazz world for decades. From Billie Holiday to Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra to Nat King Cole, Sarah Vaughan to Ella Fitzgerald, the Count Basie Orchestra has provided the supremely distinctive sound and swing behind some of the greatest singers of the modern age. Simply put, the Count Basie Orchestra is the real deal, a who’s who of swing spanning generations maintaining the flame of one of the world's best-loved sounds. For Australian and New Zealand audiences, this 80th Anniversary Tour is a very special occasion and a rare chance to see a truly elite jazz ensemble staged in some of our most prestigious venues. Don't miss these historic concerts.

If you play a tune and a person don't tap their feet, don't play the tune - Count Basie

Also, lets not forget the Wellington Jazz Festival, 3rd to 7th of June!

HJS Acknowledge the support of: