Cool jazz, warm day, hot band

Jazz and the heat of the sun created a goodtime feel at the Jazz on Bells outdoor concert on farmland west of Blenheim yesterday.

A gathering of around 800 relaxed in foldup chairs to enjoy a musical offering from salsa to the big-brass. Picnic hampers, glasses of wine and even a stylishly set table created a classy atmosphere at the early autumn event.

Feature act, Hot Club Sandwich was a crowd pleaser with an easy-listening style and humorous repartee. Original members Terry Crayford and Andrew London have played together for about 15 years, starting with a swing style of music popular in the 1930s and 40s. Recently they were joined by James Tait-Jamieson.

"We've always attracted an older audience," said Mr Crayford. A recent exception was featuring at a man's 70th birthday then being invited by his granddaughter to play at her 21st.

"It was a great night."

Self-confessed "middle class white boys who grew up in the leafy suburbs," they now mostly perform music written by London.

Hot Club Sandwich members were overwhelmed at the outstanding sound of the Marlborough Boys' and Girls' College jazz bands. A tutor at the annual New Zealand Jazz Foundation's New Zealand School of Jazz Musicians, Mr Tait-Jamieson said they performed to an exceptionally high standard.

The Salsa Cultural Band provided an exotic touch to the concert, playing the breaks between main act bands. Chilean brothers Manuel and Victor Galleguillos work in Blenheim tomato glasshouses by day and by night like to play salsa with compatriots Rodolfo Berland, Raul Oportus and Kiwi members Jono Nott and Robin Randall.

The Galleguillos said in Chile they played rock but a touch of homesickness led them to the Latin American salsa sound.

Mr Randall's invitation to join the band came via a text, "are you the man who plays the trumpet"? The Chileans were looking for a brass sound to add to their mix and the Marlborough Girls' College head of music was more than happy to oblige.

"I have always loved Latin American music," he explains. "I went to Cuba to learn about salsa on a scholarship from school."

Coordinator of Jazz on Bells for the Blenheim South Rotary Club, Phil Kennard, said the attendance of around 800 was similar to last year's.

Sponsorship had covered all costs meaning entry fees could all be donated to supporting jazz in Marlborough colleges, he said.

This was the third time the club had hosted the event.

- The Marlborough Express

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