My day yesterday began by seeing the extent of the downtown Jazz carnival at 5:30 yesterday morning. I worked the breakfast shift at More FM but ended up having to park down the other end of Dive Crescent - it was that organised, that early in the morning! Naturally after work I went down to check out the carnival and I didn't leave for a long time! Some great music spread across multiple performance spaces, right throughout the CBD. The family area in Grey Street was a hit with the kids, a highlight being the living statue on a motorbike. A very clever performance and not something you'd see in this country very often! My personal favourite was the collection of classic and vintage cars around Willow Street and Red Square - with some "family" vehicles being as big as today's Te Puke bus!
Later on in the evening, it was time to see renowned German sax player, the 76 year-old Klaus Doldinger and his band "Passport" in the Bay of Plenty Times Festival Hall, and what a performance it was. Playing his arrangements from the beginning of Passport in 1971, and some of his earlier work, right through to some of the incredible pieces from 2006's Passport to Morocco. Most of the people I know in their 70's have trouble blowing up a balloon, but the way Klaus plays his saxophone and dances around the stage, clearly age is no barrier to him. He's playing with Passport at the Jazz and Blues festival in Christchurch, and then in Wellington in the coming weeks, and if you get the chance to catch this, I would highly recommend it.
Later on, also in the Festival Hall, the Lizard Kings performed their tribute to The Doors and Jim Morrison. I'd never seen or heard of the Lizard Kings before this, but what a show these guys can put on. This kind of music brought in a different crowd than the other Jazz Festival events, and let's just say there was a lot of bourbon consumed as opposed to the Marlborough sav, but the different kind of energy this crowd brought, along with the smokiness of the theatre thanks to the fog machines, turned the theatre into a bit of a rock palace for a few hours. All the great singles were performed - "Break on Through," "Light My Fire," and a great visual performance accompanied "The Unknown Soldier." Credit goes to the Baycourt staff who allowed the somewhat inebriated dancing that naturally accompanies a gig like this to happen anywhere that wasn't either a) the stage, or b) blocking somebody's view. They even let the pair who decided to go up on stage and show the rest of us just how brilliantly they can dance go on for a few minutes before politely letting them know that the stage is generally for the band.
So Easter Saturday was a ripper. Easter Sunday today is set to be even better:
- It's the last day of the Downtown Carnival today, from noon til 5pm. This event is free, and whether you spend half an hour or a whole day wandering around, I highly recommend it!
- The Jazz Village begins today at 17th Ave, from 10am til 5pm. For great French and New Orleans-inspired Jazz in a unique village setting, this is the place to be.
- The Sebel Trinity Wharf Jazz Riverboat also ends today, departing at 2pm, 4pm and 6pm from The Sebel, and the weather is looking perfect for it!
- At 3pm, Jubilation brings passionate and soulful jazz and gospel song to the Holy Trinity.
- Also at 3pm, Tauranga Big Band present "Then and Now" at Baycourt. This jazz band has just kept on going since 1958, and if you enjoy big band stuff, this is for you!
- And the big Birthday Bash at 5pm, it's Earth, Wind and Fire with Keb Mo and Patti Austin at the Chapel Street end of the domain. You MUST be at this one - it's their first time in New Zealand, and I can guarantee you'll be singing and dancing by the end of the night.
That's it from me for today - have a jazzy Easter! Here's a couple of photos from the carnival yesterday (apologies for the quality. My camera was out of battery so I had to resort to my phone.)
- Josh
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