Wellington Jazz Club: This Month's Gig

NEWSLETTER MAY 2010

THIS MONTH'S GIG: The Spuds & Friends and City Jazz

5pm Sunday, 16 May 2010 @ Chicago Sports Café

The Spuds & Friends

The Spuds Jazz Band are a Wellington quartet formed in early 2007, comprising a dual-sibling combo of Danielle Philipsen on keyboard, Leon Philipsen on electric and upright bass, Andy Russell on drums, and Pete Russell on guitar. Frequent engagements have led to the formation of a second group – The Spuds & Friends – in order to provide a larger, more performance-oriented ensemble. The repertoire is selected from a variety of jazz standards, chosen for their appeal to the musicians and (primarily) the audience. The super-talents of Greg Rogan and Amity Alton-Lee on saxophone, and Jess Chan’s incredible vocals complete the augmented lineup, allowing a group of talented musicians to get together and have good fun, playing good music.

Leon Philipsen is one of New Zealand’s “to watch” with a number of accolades behind him: in 2008 and 2009 he successfully auditioned for the New Zealand Jazz Orchestra.

Member of the winning combo for the Ken Avery Jazz Competition in 2008 and 2nd in 2009. Won Most Outstanding Bassist and best combo at the Manawatu Jazz comp in 2009. He’s currently studying in his first year toward a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance (Bass Guitar) at the New Zealand School of Music.

Andy Russell is a full-time student at Victoria University, studying anthropology and media. His ability to accurately count to four in a timely fashion is a skill that’s seen him playing regularly with some of Wellington’s top covers bands, as well as jazz, rock, and fusion groups.

Greg Rogan is a freelance musician with 20 years’ performing and 10 years’ teaching experience. After starting with piano and recorder lessons, he moved on to clarinet, saxophone and flute, playing in orchestras, symphonic bands, jazz combos saxophone quartets, big bands and show bands in the Waikato region. In Wellington he is studying jazz at Massey University (now New Zealand School of Music) with tenor sax great Johnny Lippiet, and continuing performance in groups including the Darcy Perry Blues Band and Rodger Fox Big Band. He continues to work on his instrumental skills with lessons from Wellington’s top woodwind teachers and performers, as well as attending as many musical events as possible.

Jess Chan graduated from Canterbury University with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance (Vocal), and is currently completing Honours in Jazz Performance at the New Zealand School of Music with many of New Zealand's music greats. She is employed as a teacher for the Musikgarten music school in Wellington.

Danielle Philipsen started playing piano at age 6, later completing Grade 7 Solo Piano with Trinity School of Music, and Grade 8 Theory with ABRSM. She got into jazz in her seventh form year at Hutt Valley High School. In 2010 she graduated Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance (Piano) at the New Zealand School of Music. She’s currently doing a Graduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching and working as a part-time music

Pete Russell has been playing guitar since his first year at Hutt Intermediate, at age 10. He played rock music through high school, and started getting into jazz watching The Boptet play at The Lido cafe every week. Since then, he has played in a number of groups, including (currently) The Liberty Swing Band. Pete is in his 3rd year studying toward a Bachelor of Engineering (Computer Network Engineering) at Victoria University, juggling this among his musical commitments.

Amity Alton-Lee, after beginning on the piano and recorder in primary school in Christchurch, began learning the saxophone and clarinet in 1994 at Wellington East Girls’ College. She completed a music degree majoring in jazz saxophone performance from Massey University in 2001, and later at New Zealand School of Music did an Honours year in 2007 and Masters in Music in 2009. She has taught saxophone, clarinet, recorder, and keyboard both in Wellington schools and privately. Amity currently plays in groups spanning the genres of jazz, classical and rock music including Escada Jazz Quartet, The Soulminerz, Altitude Saxophone Quartet. Her first passion is for big band jazz music, and she has played with Rodger Fox’s New Zealand School of Music Big Band since 2006, performing and touring with international artists such as Bob Shepherd, Clay Jenkins, and Georgie Fame.

City Jazz

City Jazz’s repertoire includes standard Dixieland, swing, and dance music from the 1900s, and a neat selection of ballads and vocals.

Grant Hannis, trumpet/vocals
Michael Bain, clarinet/saxes
Steve Holt, trombone
Alastair Carr, banjo/guitar
Peter Holt, piano
Alistair McLeod, bass
Don Mander, drums

A great little seven-piece Wellington-based Dixieland and swing jazz band, formed in 2000, which has performed for weddings, conference dinners, dances, graduation celebrations, Christmas celebrations, clubs and charities including Toastmasters and Canteen and the Hawkes Bay Jazz Club, retirement villages, festivals in Wellington, and the Wanganui Jazz and Heritage Festivals, commercial promotion concerts, social functions held by government departments and the military services, functions at Parliament and Government House, has accompanied the Cantate Choir and the Wellington Male Voice Choir, and participated in lunchtime concerts at Old St Paul’s.

Grant Hannis is a foundation member of City Jazz on vocals and trumpet, as well as being bass player for the Percolator jazz band. He has played in a variety of bands in Auckland and Wellington over the past 40 years.

Mike Bain was a member of the Wellington Youth Orchestra and a member of the Central Band of the RNZAF and leader of the Red Barons Swing Band for some years. He is a foundation member of City Jazz and is also currently President of the Wellington Jazz Club and playing sax and clarinet in The Valley Stompers, Liberty Swing Band, Orient Xpress and Don Franks Dance Trio. He also plays classical clarinet for house concert groups and charity concerts and in an orchestra for amateur theatre productions during the season.

Steve Holt is originally from a brass band background with the Port of Napier Brass. He was lured to the Hawkes Bay Jazz Club Big band and has never looked back. He has played with the the Brass Monkeys, Tech Memorial Band and currently playing with the Liberty Swing Band and City Jazz. His favourite artist is Glenn Miller.

Alastair Carr has played guitar with the Company of Musical Players and Hutt Musical Theatre and took up guitar and banjo with City Jazz in 2002. He later played banjo and mandolin with the popular Café Klesma Band and with Claude Hooper’s 3 to Go and Tequila Sunset. He is currently on banjo and guitar with The Valley Stompers Dixieland Band as well as City Jazz.

Peter Holt is the leader of the Brass Monkeys Jazz Band, trombonist with the 7th Battalion Army Band and Liberty Swing Band, as well as being the keyboard player for City Jazz.

Alistair McLeod has his own band Big Yellow Caravan, a 4-piece band playing mainly gypsy swing and 1920s and 1930s dance music, as well as being bass player for City Jazz. He also plays for the Wainuiomata Little Theatre and other musical groups in the Wellington region including the Capital Performing Arts orchestra from time to time. In his spare time, he makes wine, having graduated with a Bachelor of Wine Science in 2009.

Don Mander played bass tuba with the Wellington Youth and National Youth Orchestras, the Central Band of the RNZAF for many years, and trumpet with the Red Barons Swing band. He also played tuba with several brass bands including the Tauranga Municipal, Hutt Civic and Hutt Municipal and has performed on stage and in pit orchestras for many stage shows. He has played drums with City Jazz since 2001.

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