McGlashan Jazz Takes Off

In recent years it seems jazz is having a bit of a comeback, gaining a lot of traction with young people across the globe - it's great to see our very own Dunedin Youth Jazz Festival now in it's 6th year with 12 bands entering from as far away as Cromwell and Oamaru.

Over the course of the year under the masterful baton of itinerant teacher Mr Ross Kane, our own McGlashan Big Band has grown to a whopping 17 members!

The big band were first up in the morning and although jazz is usually more of a late-night pursuit, the boys gave a strong performance - leading with a beautiful ballad 'Cinema Paradiso' featuring the dulcet tones of Ruan Hamman on Cornet:

From there it was time to pump up the energy with a Tank! - the theme from the anime series Cowboy Bebop. If you haven't heard it before, it's a particularly fast and challenging tune - the boys handled it well and with a lot of enthusiasm for the source material. We were pleased to hear the band got a silver award for their efforts!

Later in the afternoon the John McGlashan Small Combo took the stage - led by Saxophonist David Song, who introduced their two pieces, 'Misty' and 'Just the Two of Us'.

The boys did an incredible job on the two standards, soloing beautifully over the complex chord changes. You could really tell the rhythm section were having a lot of fun playing with the rhythm and feel that might traditionally be expected from these older standards - they brought a great injection of youthful energy which was much appreciated by judge Oscar Lavën, who awarded the band gold with an additional award for 'best contemporary feel'.

Each member of the combo was also recognised in their own right, with Nick and Emilio taking away most promising Guitarist and Drummer - and Adrian, Jack and David taking away best Piano, Bass and Saxophone respectively.

An incredible effort from the boys - well done to everyone involved!

Take a look at the photo gallery below for more shots of the Dunedin Youth Jazz Festival.