Tommorow night on the Adventures of the CoffeeBar Kid

We celebrate Edmund Hillary's ascent to the top of the Wrold on 29 May 1953.  We look at a couple of books on the subject and play musc related to the times.  Also we interview Goldbeard guitars, who operate out of Owhiro Bay and learn all about their wonderful products.   See you at 7.30 Tommorow, Thursday only on www.groovefm.co.nz


Read the Book Reviews : http://adventuresofthecoffeebarkid.blogspot.co.nz/

Read about Goldbeard Guitars: http://www.goldbeard.co.nz/

The return of the 'Kid

Attention! "Public Sevice Broadcasting" - "after all what I want isn't all as easy as all that" "But the Lady is not for Turning" "Trains from Birmingham, Brisol and afar bring a 1000 bags of mail from the north" "I can't cant go on you know, it's the end this time"  Great quotes from vintage Brttish BBC propaganda sources are mixed into techno and represented as a soundbite sound track of the 20th Century.  This album has been turning heads lately, especially the track 'Spitfire' which comes with a pretty nifty video - Tonite the Kid features tracks from the new album Inform, Entertain, Educate (check the video below).

We also check out new music from Rattle Jazz and have a interview with Ruben Bradley about his wonderful MANTIS project (read more about the MANTIS Project below ....

See you at 7.30 - http://grooveradio.blogspot.co.nz/

MANTIS the live project will be performed at the Wellington Jazz Festival: Saturday 8 June 2013, 3pm - The Opera House

Click here for details http://jazzfestival.co.nz/shows/mantis-the-music-of-drew-menzies/

Rueben Bradley's MANTIS

Jazz and classical double-bassist Drew Menzies flew under the radar in life. Social media had yet to flourish and self-promotion was not in his nature.  Besides, says drummer and composer Reuben Bradley, ''he was the sort of guy who practised eight hours a day''.

He left New Zealand after he graduated with a Bachelor of Music degree to study for a master of music at Pennsylvania State University.
He played in the United States with classical and jazz orchestras and, in New Zealand, with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and others. He taught at Pennsylvania State University and as a guest lecturer in Wellington. He inspired. But at the age of 31, in 2007, at the top of his game, he died in the US.

Bradley, 35, saw him as one of New Zealand's premier double bass players, as an inspiration and a mate. He is in the final stages of arranging, recording and releasing a disc of Menzies' music for string quartet and jazz quartet, some of it discovered in Menzies' parents' Wellington home after his death.

Mantis: The Music of Drew Menzies, is being made with funding from Creative New Zealand.
Bradley's first disc, Resonator, won the Tui Jazz Album of the Year in 2011.

Mantis features the finest and most appropriate practitioners Bradley could corral - John Psathas (who taught Menzies in Wellington), the New Zealand String Quartet, Roger Manins (saxophone), Colin Hemmingsen, James Illingworth (piano, and a close friend of Menzies) and expatriate New Zealand Matt Penman, a bassist based in the US and a member of the San Francisco Jazz Collective. Bradley plays drums.

Penman, says Bradley, is ''the most fantastic double bass player there is'', but he was still ''the long shot'' in the lineup.

''The problem was who was going to play the bass. That was Drew's job.
''We played together a lot. You sit around afterwards and have a glass of wine and you don't say, 'Wow, that was great'. You don't do that as a musician.

''Working on the project has been cathartic. I feel as if I'm doing something really good for a mate.
''What's been really cool is to feel there's some really strong part of him still going.

''The music's still going and let's bring some recognition to his music. It's also a thank you to him for encouraging me and inspiring me.''

Bradley has spent a year on Mantis, although he has still managed teaching commitments at Scots College and the New Zealand School of Music and the occasional gig.
Bradley's own career has shades of Menzies' career. A few years ago, he contemplated study and a life in New York, encouraged by Menzies. In 2007, the year Menzies died, he caught up with him, and was accepted by two colleges to complete a master's degree, ''but you had to have $200,000 in a bank account before you even got a visa''. He abandoned the New York study idea, but took lessons with jazz great Barry Altschul. ''New York is really tough. He's 70 and a master, and does a gig once every two or three months. New York is saturated. I came back impatient to get into composition.''

Ad Feedback Resonator evolved from his New York experience. The subsequent Tui Award ''helped me get exposure and more performances'' and it established his credentials with Creative New Zealand for the Mantis project.
Mantis can be ordered from Bradley at reuben@reubenbradley.com or go to www.rattle.co.nz

The profits from the album will go to the Drew Menzies Memorial Scholarship, initially set up by Menzies' parents, to enable talented young bass players to receive intensive tuition from New Zealand Symphony Orchestra members at a week-long teaching camp held annually in Martinborough.

MANTIS the live project will be performed at the Wellington Jazz Festival: Saturday 8 June 2013, 3pm - The Opera House  

Click here for details http://jazzfestival.co.nz/shows/mantis-the-music-of-drew-menzies

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Also read more about the latest Rattle Releases on the Kid's site plus book reports etc at  http://adventuresofthecoffeebarkid.blogspot.co.nz/



The CoffeeBar Kid interviews Ali Harper

Click here to listen to the interview: http://coffeebarkid1.podomatic.com/entry/2013-05-11T01_41_02-07_00

One Show! Old St Pauls, Thorndon - 7.30 Tonight - Don't miss out!

Interview - Raybon Kan

The CoffeeBar Kid had a chat with veteren (and NOT just another Chinese) Comedian Raybon Kan.

 

Click here to listen to the interview: http://tim-gruar.podomatic.com/entry/2013-05-08T04_07_13-07_00.

He's playing at Floxglove from 7 -11 May (7.00 Book at www.Ticketek.co.nz)

How do you fix a fixation? How do you cure a curiosity? How hard should you suck for success? In this all-new show, Raybon plugs his finger into the false dichotomy, and whacks his lyrical. Remember, an apology a day keeps the dogma away. Expect to expectorate.

Best Comedian, Metro Reader’s Poll (1999, 2005)

Best Comedian, North & South (1999)

“The thinking woman’s comedian… Must-see, nerve-wrenching, white-knuckle comedy” Auckland Scene

http://www.comedyfestival.co.nz/

Saul Bass' 93rd Birthday

New Delhi: Google on Wednesday paid tribute to American graphic designer and Hollywood filmmaker Saul Bass on his 93rd birthday with an elaborate video sequence doodle showcasing some of the best works from his prolific career.

The 1 minute 20 seconds video is a mix of some of the Saul Bass’ best works set in sequence to the tunes of Unsquare Dance, a musical piece written by the American jazz composer Dave Brubeck.


Born on May 08, 1920, in the Bronx, New York, United States to Eastern European Jewish immigrant parents, Saul Bass became widely known in Hollywood after creating the title sequence for Otto Preminger's 'The Man with the Golden Arm' in 1955.

During his 40-year career, Bass worked for some of Hollywood's most prominent filmmakers, including Alfred Hitchcock, Otto Preminger, Billy Wilder, Stanley Kubrick and Martin Scorsese. Bass also designed some of the most iconic corporate logos in North America, including the AT&T "bell" logo in 1969, as well as AT&T's "globe" logo in 1983 after the breakup of the Bell System.

Watch this Space!!!!

To promote New Zealand Music Month Groove 107.7FM will be giving away a ticket to an upcoming show. Stay tuned (online through the Groove player) for more details and keep checking this page for updates.

In the mean time here's a few gigs you might be interested in, prepared especially for the NZ Music Month. 


3/05/2013 The Small Sounds Orchestra Ft Ms Lisa Tomlins The Small Sounds Orchestra, Lisa Tomlins Portlander Bar & Grill http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/2013/the-small-sounds-orchestra-ft-ms-lisa-tomlins3/wellington

5/05/2013 The Troubles The Troubles Meow http://www.mukuna.co.nz/auckland/central/gig75761.htm

Sundays with the sentimental sound system Thane Kirby & Dave Hull Chapel Bar and Bistro http://www.mukuna.co.nz/auckland/central/gig79193.htm


9/05/2013 Matt Langley & Band - Album Release and Tour Darren Watson Mighty Mighty http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/2013/matt-langley-band-album-release-and-tour/dunedin


Ballads & Badlands Tour - Nadia Reid & Luckless The Darkroom http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/concerts-gig-guide/events/new-zealand/page/37


11/05/2013 Ali Harper Naughty & Nice Actor Ali Harper Old St Pauls http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/2013/ali-harper-naughty-nice/wellington


17/05/2013 The Lark Ascending NZSO Michael Fowler Centre http://www.eventfinder.co.nz/2013/the-lark-ascending/wellington

NZ Music Month 2013: It's Here

It's the first day of May – that means NZ Music Month 2013 begins. Thirty-one days of music across our clubs, libraries, airwaves, screens of all sizes, schools, parks, and theaters starts today.

NZ Music Month Manager Simon Woods says "There is a wonderful array of music events across the country this May, celebrating our music and our music makers. After all, NZ Music Month is a cultural celebration."

Celebrations are kicking off in both islands today. At noon on the steps of the Auckland Central Library, Hon Nikki Kaye will officially launch the event, followed by students from the East Tamaki School Ukulele Band and Sistema Aotearoa players performing,

including their version of the single 'Come On Home' by Titanium – who will also be in attendance. Additionally performing is Waimarie Smith with her Hook, Line & Singalong winning song 'Paradise'.

From 7:00pm at the Christchurch Central Library, the Christchurch City Council are hosting a free show to launch their programme of events.

The Eastern, just home from their Australian tour, perform alongside Katie Thompson and Luckless.

There are other events up and down the country – check out your favourite radio station, gig guide and local papers for news about what is happening in your area!