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- Review: Music in Parks’ Jazz at the Rotunda, with Taylor Griffin, Love Square, and Lady Larisa, at Auckland Domain, February 23.
The sun blazed down and the beats rung out as Auckland jazz fans revelled in the heat of three exceptional line-ups representing the diversity of the music.
Yesterday’s free-entry Music in Parks concert at the Auckland Domain, Jazz at the Rotunda, has a long and illustrious history, as Nick Atkinson, master saxophonist whose played with everybody – rock, funk, jazz and everything else – reiterated to the amassed bathed in the sun and in the shade under those glorious old trees.
“These things are precious,” Nick told the crowd about how important Music in Parks is to Auckland’s cultural fabric.
He recalled how he first played that gig back in the 1990s.
“It’s a great privilege to play for you guys,” he said, as he announced songs that his band – the multi-instrumental trio Love Square, had just delivered or were about to launch.
Love Square were second on, heading out on a global musical odyssey of instrumental works by others and themselves. One track took us to the Bolivian Amazon.
Standout performances were on trumpeter and keyboardist Finn Scholes’ Take Me Away and The Washing Song, and Atkinson’s The Lighthouse.
When they knocked out their own captivating version of Cannonball Adderley’s Mercy, Mercy, Mercy, the American classic, drummer-percussionist Alistair Deverick took a substantial solo, as Finn and Nick swapped piano stool for solos and leads on trumpet and saxophone respectively.
Headliner, Taylor Griffin, the very talented Howick drummer, composer and producer, represents the future of percussion-lead jazz in this city and country.
It was a wonderful accomplishment to see he and his six exceptional bandmates deliver a smooth and groovy set of fresh new up-tempo tracks that make up his debut EP out last year, In Green.
Taylor’s built up the skill, drive, professionalism and goodwill over the past 10 years to make it all happen.
He works hard to deliver the highest quality and interesting performance.
There’s another recording project on the go right now and it will be intriguing to hear what the new tracks sound like with an international cast of players.
Compliments to Taylor for Sunday’s quality show, and to the very active band – Finn Scholes on trumpet, vocalist Na’amah Cheiban, saxophonist “JY” Jong-Yun Lee, David Hodkinson on bass, Con Nor on keys and Izak Chads on percussion.
This writer first met Taylor Griffin some 10 years ago when he was playing at Botany Community Days in a cool duo, Groove Guys.
It’s impressive to see how far he has come and exciting to see where he goes next with his music projects.
“I used to pull a sicky from school – Howick Intermediate and Pakuranga College – to go up to Tom Kroons’ [MusicWorks, Howick] and hang out and dream about drums and music,” Taylor says, smiling.
“I always felt so welcome and inspired there. All roads lead back to those early days and amazing people. Miss that place!”
Highly internationally experienced Lady Larisa, aka Larisa Kellett, opened Sunday afternoon’s concert fittingly with a beautiful take on It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing), another American classic originally penned by Duke Ellington and Irving Mills in 1931.
Her set contained a mix of other well-known swingin’ tracks such as Nina Simone’s My Baby Just Cares For Me, Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton’s Exactly Like You, and a surprise slow groove interpretation of the Jackson 5’s I Want You Back.
Her own compositions also jumped out as highlights – Honey Child, Four Walls, Ride to You, and My Man Then.
And the band Lady Larisa had backing her were some of the coolest jazz cats going round – keyboardist Ben Fernandez, guitarist Arahi, bassist Dr Olivier Holland, and drummer Hannah de Koster, making for a very memorable set.
A shout out to the Rock Factory for again producing excellent quality sound on a slightly windy afternoon, and to the whole Music in Parks crew who staged another brilliant event on one of those long, hot, relaxed summer Sunday arvos in Auckland.
“Chur”, as Taylor Griffin said, signing off.
- Taylor Griffin’s music, including the top-class In Green EP, can be streamed on all platforms, and vinyl is available for purchase on his Bandcamp page – “it’s the best way to support independent artists”, he says, and at all good record stores.
