The Jac (8-piece jazz ensemble from Wellington) – live at Hallertau, Thursday, April 2, 5.30pm – with DJ Paulie ‘Walnuts’ Walsh dropping the tastiest of tunes, the phattest of grooves on the Hallertau Technics 1210s.
Formed in 2011 in Wellington NZ, The Jac is an 8-piece ensemble playing original modern jazz. The band, led by alto saxophonist and composer Jake Baxendale, features some of New Zealand’s finest musical talent from the jazz, classical and metal scenes, and uses these broad musical influences to forge a unique, cohesive sound.
The Jac released their debut album Nerve on the Rattle Jazz label early in 2014. Comprised of 5 intricate and densely arranged original pieces, it has drawn considerable critical success. The release was quickly followed by a New Zealand tour, a packed Wellington Jazz Festival concert, and a tour of Australia. In February 2015 Nerve was nominated for the NZ Music Awards Best Jazz Album of the year, with the results announced at the National Jazz Festival in April, where they will perform.
Described in a recent review as being ‘on par with any global contemporary jazz bands (The Jac) is an exquisite slice of NZ jazz and one that deserves to be heard’, the band also features musicians bringing influences and expertise from outside the jazz spectrum. Notable among these are Matthew Allison, associate principal trombonist in the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and Shaun Anderson, drummer for metal bands Saving Grace and Depths. Completing the line-up are Alexis French, ex Black Seeds and leader of the Richter City Rebels, on trumpet; Nick Tipping, bass; Chris Buckland, tenor saxophone; Daniel Millward on piano; and Callum Allardice, guitarist, and alongside Jake the other chief composer for the band.
Sitting somewhere between a small combo and a full big band, the four horn, four rhythm instrumentation of The Jac is highly flexible, capable of both explosive power and also quiet intimacy. Reviewer John Fenton said of the line-up “It is all too rare to see such configurations in New Zealand and I wish more would surface.”
