Te Kōkī New Zealand School of Music has three Big Bands rehearsing throughout the university year with players regularly auditioning for their position. All three bands have regular performance opportunities including Jazz Festivals around the country: Tauranga, Manawatu, Napier, Southern Jam and Queenstown.
The band comes under the musical direction of Dr Rodger Fox, New Zealand’s foremost jazz trombonist and big band leader. Big Band One features the country’s best up and coming jazz talent drawn from the cream of the New Zealand School of Music jazz majors.
The NZSM Big Band performs a cross-section of material made famous by bands and artists such as Woody Herman, Bob Mintzer, Buddy Rich, Bill Holman, Count Basie and Maynard Ferguson. The band has appeared in concert with major international artists such as Mike Nock, trumpeters Jon Papenbrook, Clay Jenkins and Alex Sipiagin, trombonists Jim Pugh and Bill Reichenbach, Georgie Fame, saxophonists Bob Sheppard, Dick Oates, Eric Marienthal, Ray Woolf and Chris Cain
In March 2007 the New Zealand School of Music Big Band was the featured band for iconic New Zealand performer Ray Woolf’s CD release which received rave reviews.
July 2008 saw the band undertake one of their most challenging musical projects: to re-create the music of award winning composer/arranger Gil Evans which featured American trumpeter Clay Jenkins and Internationally acclaimed classical guitarist Matthew Marshall. The music was sourced from the Gil Evans trust and it was the first time these arrangements had been performed in New Zealand.
In 2010 the band was the Tui Award winner for Best Jazz Recording of the Year in the Vodafone New Zealand Music Awards for their album ‘Run for Cover’. 2011 saw the release of their album ‘Funk City Ola’, in 2012 its fourth CD ‘Midnight Journey’, in 2013 its fifth CD, ‘I Wish’ 2014 sixth recording ‘Awright Awright’, 2015 seventh recording “Too Cool”, 2016 eighth recording “Dr Feelgood” 2017 ninth recording “Slingshot”, 2018 tenth recording “Funk Tank”.
Listen to some of the band’s best tracks from these great albums:
Tracks from the album ‘Run For Cover’ (2009)
- Track 7: Run For Cover composed by Marcus Miller, arranged by Roger Myers with soloists: Alex Nyman (EWI); Scott Maynard (bass)
- Track 5: Havana composed and arranged by Bill Cunliffe with soloists: Blair Clarke (alto saxophone); Daniel Hayles (piano); Dean Scott (trombone); Lance Philip, Lauren Ellis, Callum Goldie (percussion); Ben Hunt (trumpet)
- Track 3: I Remember Clifford composed by Clifford Brown, arranged by Bill Liston with soloist Alexis French (trumpet)
Tracks from the album ‘Funk City Ola’ (2010)
- Track 1: Funk City Ola composed and arranged by Bob Mintzer with soloists: Michael Crawford (tenor saxophone) and Richard Thai (tenor saxophone)
- Track 3: Autumn Leaves composed by Joseph Kosma, arranged by Bill Cunliffe with soloists: Michael Crawford (tenor saxophone); Callum Allardice (guitar); Hayden Hockly (alto saxophone)
- Track 8: Devil And The Deep Blue Sea composed by Harold Arlen, arranged by Bill Cunliffe with soloists: Daniel Hayles (piano); Callum Allardice (guitar); Shaun Anderson (drums)
Tracks from the album ‘Midnight Voyage’ (2011)
- Track 1: Midnight Passage composed and arranged by John Fedchock with soloists: Hayden Hockly (alto saxophone); Michael Crawford (tenor saxophone); Rodger Fox (trombone)
- Track 7: Let The Good Times Roll composed by Louis Jordan, arranged by Gordon Goodwin with soloists: Hannah Clink (vocals); James Wisnesky (trumpet); Richard Thai (tenor saxophone); Callum Allardice (guitar)
- Track 10: Free composed by Robert Lamm, arranged by John Wasson with soloists: Jake Baxendale (alto saxophone); Shaun Anderson (drums); Lauren Ellis (percussion)