Jacques Loussier Trio at the Auckland Town Hall

We jumped at the opportunity to hear this jazz legend live, as it was his ‘farewell tour’. For those who don’t know, Loussier takes classical music from the likes of Bach, Vivaldi and Ravel, and gives them a jazz arrangement.

The concert was divine. There were amazing solos from his double bass player and drummer. You never knew what might pop up next – from a few lines of La Cucaracha on the piano during ‘Spring’, to a run from Rhapsody in Blue on the bass during the Bach encore. Loussier had such a light touch, but there was enormous power from the band at times as they deftly took on pieces written for huge orchestras.

Loussier is also quite a character. It was amazing how much personality he was able to portray, just by introducing the pieces. The whole thing was magic – you must see them if you get the chance.

CD Review: Buddy de Franco and Oscar Peterson Play George Gershwin

I bought this CD from a street vendor on La Rambla in Barcelona. It was packaged with two others and I had no way of knowing if it was any good - except for some key factors: it was published by Verve Records; Oscar Peterson is a legend and I'm sure he would only play with the best; and Gershwin's music is gorgeous and has infinite scope for interpretation.

When I finally got home to my CD player, I knew I had been on to a good thing the moment the music reached my ears. The men are supported by a vibrant orchestra, and each piece is rich and satisfying. Whether intense and mournful (I Wants to Stay Here), light and joyous (I Was Doing All Right) or bright and furious (Strike Up The Band) - this CD is a joy to experience and if you come across it you really should buy it. Oscar's fingers run across the keys so fast I have trouble imagining it, and Buddy's clarinet just seems to sing. Perfect for a lazy afternoon.

CD Review: The Very Best of Gershwin (Decca)

I bought this CD when I was 18, and it was my first jazz album. And what a great introduction! The album consists of two CDs: the first features the great jazz vocalists (as well as Oscar Peterson) with their renditions of great Gershwin songs. the second CD has various American orchestras playing the most popular suites and overtures, and of course includes "Rhapsody in Blue".

My favourite track has to be #2, in which Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong sing "Summertime". It is musical perfection. From the swelling sounds of the orchestra, to the contrast of smooth Ella and sandpaper Louis - definitely one of my favourite songs ever. This, together with the two other Ella tracks on this album ("Oh, Lady Be Good" and "Embraceable You") were the starting point for my Ella obsession :-)

Other highlights for me are tracks by Sarah Vaughan, Shirley Horn, Billie Holiday, Anita O'Day and Dinah Washington.

If you're looking for a good sampling of Gershwin, or just jazz generally, I highly recommend this album.

CD Review: The Essential Ella (Verve)

This was my very first Ella album. It's a great introduction to her wonderful style, consisting mainly of standards. They have been picked by the good people at Verve from Ella's "Great American Songbook" albums, and were originally produced by the legendary Norman Granz.

I can't pick a favourite song - they're all so good - but highlights are probably "With a Song in my Heart", "I Got Rhythm" and "Misty". The album includes the song that brought Ella into the limelight ("A-Tisket, A-Tasket") and the time she forgot the words to "Mack the Knife". There are songs to suit just about every mood. We even chose to do our wedding dance to "From This Moment On".

I can't recommend this album enough for someone who is wanting to get a good sampling of Ella Fitzgerald.

Mission Bay Jazz and Blues Fest

Yes, I was one of the thousands who attended this street festival last night. A great time had by all, I should think. Not only did it prove to be a great place to drink in snippets of a huge variety of music styles, but we also bumped into several people we knew milling about.

After the obiligatory hike from the car, we were very pleasantly surprised by the first offering we came across: "Shaken not Stirred". Other highlights included the "Off the Cuff" group from Avondale College, "Torch Songs", and the "Chris Mason-Battley Group". We finished with a great half hour with the sensational "Tuxedo Swing Orchestra", which was my favourite. Lovely moments to be had sitting under the stars in my husband's arms, drinking in the sweet sounds.

Time didn't allow us to visit all the bands, but there's always next year.


Lights on Tamaki Drive, leaving the festival


Fountain at Mission Bay

What I'm listening to: Coast

This radio station is at 105.4FM. It's great for people like me who are fans of jazz and pop classics. It's kind of a mix between Solid Gold (93.4FM), which plays 60's pop and the old Cool Blue (99.0FM) which was a mix of jazz/blues.

Coast is generally good value. A good mix of jazz (upbeat stuff plus ballads), early pop and musicals. The good thing is that it never has more than 60 seconds of ads at a time. I have however noticed that the breaks are getting more frequent as of late. Another niggle is the very frequent news, sports, and weather (all punctuated with ads). If I want news, I will listen to Newstalk ZB, or any other station. I listen to Coast for the music. The presenters are occasionally annoying too - that's why Cool Blue was so good - no presenters or news! The only other fault is the same thing you get with all radio stations - they do their promo, playing lots of little snippets of songs. You find yourself singing along to the snippets (especially if you've just tuned in at that point in time), and then they switch to another good song. But do you ever hear these high quality songs in the actual play list? Unfortunately not. I'd like to see a greater range of songs from the great artists - you can practically predict what Frank Sinatra song they'll play from a list of 3 - and some Ella Fitzgerald, please!!