Category Archives: Jazz

Spotify – love them, though they’re slippery

Posted on Wednesday, 12 November, 2014 by

Some of my own music is on Spotify – anyone can exhume recordings my old band Aardvark made for Tree Records in 1973. We were never asked if we wanted to be on Spotify – not that I would have … Continue reading →

Posted in 50s music, Jazz, Music | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Maori Battalion Marching Song a cultural ripoff?

Posted on Tuesday, 12 June, 2012 by

Back in the 1960s when I realised there was money to be made from my modest talents at the piano, I still needed a repertoire that would let me play at social events – 21sts, wedding celebrations, dances etc. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Jazz, Music, New Zealand recorded music, Nostalgia | Tagged , | Leave a comment

End of an era

Posted on Monday, 9 April, 2012 by

I never owned one of those wind-up 78rpm record players with disposable steel needles (and nor did my parents), but from about 1962 I was into long playing records (LPs) and their 45rpm offspring. I had them for about a … Continue reading →

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A little jazz is a dangerous thing

Posted on Wednesday, 14 March, 2012 by

A couple of days ago I came across an interesting web item that reproduced rules for dance band musicians in Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia. The rules were aimed at limiting infection by jazz.   I emailed the rules to Bob Barcham, Wellington’s … Continue reading →

Posted in 50s music, Jazz, New Zealand bands | Tagged | 2 Comments

Gwin back to Dixie

Posted on Thursday, 25 August, 2011 by

Last Saturday night I listened to a live dixieland band for the first time in 45 years. The previous time I was part of the band, at a NZ Universities Arts Festival held in Palmerston North in my final year at … Continue reading →

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Back with a (virtual) band

Posted on Monday, 15 November, 2010 by

I’m back with a band again. It’s the old John MacGibbon Trio of the late sixties and early seventies, revived with a better bass player and drummer. Unfortunately they’re virtual players – you can’t go down to the Muso’s Club … Continue reading →

Posted in 50s nostalgia, Jazz, Music | Leave a comment

Chick Corea/John McLaughlin Five Peace Band

Posted on Monday, 23 February, 2009 by

Last weekend Liz and I flew up to Hamilton to visit my brother Peter and his wife Doris. I was there in August 2008, but Liz hadn’t been up for several years. It was great to be up with them … Continue reading →

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