Sunday Jazz

A couple of days ago, the Ken Avery Combo Competition took place at the Chicago Sports Bar in Wellington, NZ. Five jazz bands from the jazz department of the New Zealand School of Music played two pieces each, from the jazz standards repertoire for a total prize pool of $2,000. The competition was set up in memory of Wellington "jazz legend" Ken Avery, who died in 1983, and it was judged by three "prominent jazz practitioners." As students we got really cheap tickets to see this!

Pictures of American presidents

The Chicago Sports Bar provided a great atmosphere for the event. It has an American theme, with signs of American sports teams and presidents hanging from the walls, and it had good lighting for the performance, (probably partly due to the fact that it was an afternoon event). The details were spot on, and added a kind of vintage feel to the decor, with the red gingham tablecloths and red booths, reminiscent of picnics and diners. 

The food also seemed pretty good - my conducting fellow (boyfriend, who is going to be a conductor) and I had planned to have dinner elsewhere in the evening so we just had an order of chips, plus some of the nibbles the Wellington Jazz Club had ordered for the event. Most delicious bowl of fries I've had in a long time! Perfect thick-cut shape, and the potatoes had a fantastic, not-dry-but-also-not-too-squishy  texture.

As for the music - well, I don't listen to a lot of jazz (which is what attracted me to this event, because I'd like to go see more!) but it was really excellent. The groups all had different styles and energy levels, but there was so much of both - that is, style and energy - it was really refreshing. The players were all able to show their own personality through their solos, and some did so with their outfits as well, with shiny silver suits, colorful neckties, or bandannas and other accessories. There were groups that did more slow, deep, and thoughtful numbers, and groups that kept the stage electric with energy and interaction between the players. Every group had a drummer and a double bassist, but the combos varied in the other instruments, some adding saxophones, guitar, piano, and/or trombone to the mix. There was even a group with a male vocalist, who did the popular song 'LOVE' by Nat King Cole.  (You know, the one that goes "L, is for the way you look at me").

All in all a really fun event, and I'm definitely going to keep going to events from Wellington's jazz scene when I have the chance!

The winning group, "The Chronicles of Greg Quintet"

The post "Sunday Jazz" originally appeared on The Paganini Violist. If you'd like to read more about some specific musical aspects of this event, head on over there!