When You’ve got the Winter Blues,
It’s Time for SpringTime Jazz

Jazz in Martinborough is back for 2024

  

Jazz in Martinborough is back for 2024 with a couple of superb performances lined up.
First up on the Friday night we’re promised ‘a rollicking good time’ with one of the cornerstones of New Zealand jazz, Ben Wilcock and the Jelly Rolls.  Ben Wilcock and The Jelly Rolls have been a mainstay on the New Zealand jazz scene for the last 15 years. Their two studio albums are a collection of stride, piano-trio jazz, with the pervasive pianistic influences of Erroll Garner, Fats Waller, Oscar Peterson and Ahmad Jamal.

Our Saturday night gig in 2024 features a brass-led Octet, led by Alex Trask, known as the TraskForce. TraskForce unites the big band attitude with chamber music intimacy. Expect everything from burning swing through gorgeous ballads to eclectic and original compositions.  Lush sounds, love songs, and ludicrous solos will fill the room.

Springtime Jazz will take place as usual on the first weekend in spring, this year being the 30th and 31st of August and the 1st of September 2024.  The 1st of September is Father’s Day.  Andy will be bringing his Good Times Food Truck and terrific food again; and we’re especially pleased to be working with Hayley from Stad-ko Wines for all your beverage needs.

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Ben Wilcock & The Jelly Rolls
Ben Wilcock and The Jelly Rolls have been a mainstay on the NZ jazz scene for the last 15 years. Their two studio albums are a collection of stride, piano trio jazz, with the pervasive pianistic influences of Erroll Garner, Fats Waller, Oscar Peterson and Ahmad Jamal. This is no mean feat to pull off convincingly. Drummer John Rae, and upright bass player Daniel Yeabsley are excellent foils for Wilcock’s exploits, and obviously also have an appreciation and understanding of the music and associated vocab they are playing. And they swing hard. - NZ musician

Ben Wilcock and The Jelly Rolls have toured New Zealand extensively from the far north to the deep south. They have also performed internationally, including a sold out performance at The Edinburgh Jazz Festival in 2019.

Along with unique interpretations of jazz piano standards the trio's repertoire includes original material from Wilcock's recently released ‘The River Tethys’ album, as well as the solo piano album ‘Goodnight T.V’.

'This is good times music and you can feel it deep in your bones' - John Fenton

John Rae is a jazz drummer and award winning composer. In 2009/10 he was the Creative New Zealand/Jack C. Richards composer-in-residence at Victoria University Wellington, New Zealand. "His writing incorporates a global perspective and his use of traditional instruments along with strings and jazz instruments can only be described as 21st century music".

John recorded his first album at the age of sixteen with the Scottish saxophonist Tommy Smith and has subsequently recorded over 70 albums both as a leader and side man, including two BBC Jazz Albums of the Year. He was awarded a ‘Herald Angel Award’ at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and is leader and composer for the New Zealand jazz group, The Troubles. From 2000-3 drummer for the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and has performed and recorded with many world renowned jazz musicians including Ethan Iverson, Vijay Iyer and Mike Nock. Originally from Scotland, John has been a New Zealand citizen since 2016.

Dan Yeabsley (alto/baritone saxophones) is a graduate from the Wellington Polytechnic Conservatorium of Music. He is a multi-instrumentalist and with each band he appears to play a different instrument! He regularly plays with: The Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra, Fat Freddie’s Drop, The Troubles, Jelly Rolls Trio (Ben Wilcox & John Rae), and Twinset (with twin brother Chris).

Dan and brother Chris never intended to become Jazz musicians. Sons of a prominent economist, Daniel was going to be a mathematician, Christopher a lawyer. It was their teenage discovery of the music of Dave Brubeck that diverted them into a musical education. At eighteen, Daniel took up the sax and Christopher the piano. In spite of their relatively late start, they applied themselves to mastering their instruments with the same passion and obsessiveness with which they had previously collected vintage suits and restored old Holdens.

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Alex Trask Octet - TraskForce
Lush sounds, love songs, and ludicrous solos will fill the room as Poneke’s finest octet comes to Martinborough for the first time!

Expect burning swing, gorgeous ballads, and eclectic compositions.

Exhilarating original compositions and arrangements will tug at your feelings in new and compelling ways. Daring solos from some of the finest musicians in the country will awe and shock you as the turbulent horns sing out.

Witness the union of big band attitude and chamber music intimacy as the TraskForce. plays their hearts out to you.

TraskForce is bandleader Alex Trask’s most swinging musical organisation. They play fresh arrangements of original compositions, classic swing, and Broadway love songs. This includes songs from the Basie repertoire, Bob Mintzer, Oliver Nelson, Quincey Jones, and Lionel Bart's Oliver! to name a few. The five horn arrangements allow for the power of a big band and the subtlety of a quartet to shine side by side.

The band brings together some of Wellington’s top players, including members of the Rodger Fox Big Band, the RNZAF band, NZSM faculty, and rising stars.  They are: Alex Trask - alto sax, Michael Costeloe - trumpet, Oscar Laven - tenor sax, Daniel Yeabsley - baritone sax, Kaito Walley - trombone, Duncan Haynes - piano, Elijah Mulheron - bass, Baileigh Sparkes - drums.

About the band:
Alex Trask is a versatile and exciting alto saxophonist who is often seen playing his own tunes, sitting in at gigs, or generally out and about. He has played at countless festivals, jazz clubs, theatres, bars, and secret house gigs, often presenting original compositions and arrangements. His debut live album Pool of Tears was released in 2023 and has featured on RNZ Concert and other prominent radio stations.

Michael Costeloe is a trumpet player from Wellington. He graduated from the New Zealand School of Music in 2014, majoring in jazz performance, and has been a prominent figure in Wellington's music scene since then. Michael has played with many notable New Zealand acts including The Black Seeds and Tahuna Breaks, has shared the stage with international artists such as Mike Stern and Joey DeFrancesco, and has performed at some of New Zealand's biggest music festivals like Rhythm and Vines, Soundsplash, WOMD, and Jazz in Martinborough with the ‘Shakes.

Tenor sax star Oscar Laven is an eclectic saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist based in Wellington, New Zealand. A frequently appearing personality in the Wellington jazz scene, Oscar is a busy full time performer, composer and teacher with a Bachelor’s Degree in jazz and classical performance from the New Zealand School of Music. He has performed/recorded internationally and across the country with many ensembles led by himself and others, including with his band Black Spider Stomp at Jazz in Martinborough 2016.

Baritone saxophonist Daniel Yeabsley is a multi-instrumentalist who has been on the Wellington jazz scene for more than two decades. Past and present projects include Twinset (saxophone), the Dancing & Drinking Society (tuba) and the Wellington International Ukulele Orchestra (double bass). His dream in life is to open a sanctuary for old and neglected saxophones where they can live out the rest of their lives in peace.

Kaito Walley is the most powerful trombone player in town, playing in bands such as Tunes Of I, Niko Ne Zna, The Wellington City Shake em on Downers, The Rodger Fox Big Band, Roseneath Centennial Ragtime Band, Oy Azoy, The Wellington Mingus Ensemble, Brett McKenzie’s live band, and L.A.B. His skill and energy is highly valued in Wellington and across New Zealand.

Duncan Haynes is a highly sought after and well travelled pianist who recently returned to New Zealand in 2020. His years overseas saw him collaborate with a wide range of top musicians in genres as varied as world music, rock, blues and avant-garde jazz. In Wellington he has recently led numerous new projects and can be seen playing with a wide variety of local musicians, including a lead performance at Jazz in Martinborough in 2022.

Elijah Mulheron is a stalwart bassist based in Wellington. A frequent collaborator, he is highly regarded by many musicians and is one of the busiest bassists in town.

Baileigh Sparkes is a fiery and in demand drummer based in Wellington. She is often seen collaborating with various musicians, playing anything from straight ahead jazz to fusion. Her eclectic taste brings an exciting edge to any swinging groove.

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If you are looking for accommodation in the Wairarapa please contact the Martinborough i-SITE on 06 306 5010 or visit www.wairarapanz.com.

For more information about Jazz in Martinborough go to the website