Rodger Fox - NZ jazz legend, dies aged 71

Jazz legend Rodger Fox has died aged 71. Photo / NZME

Rodger Fox - synonymous with big band jazz in New Zealand - has died aged 71.

The jazz legend founded the Rodger Fox Big Band in 1973 and toured extensively here and overseas, playing at international jazz festivals including Montreaux, Monterey and New Orleans.

He was a huge part of the Tauranga Jazz Festival and completed his 50th anniversary tour in 2023.

Over the past 50 years, the Rodger Fox Big Band has become an institution, creating a unique and unrivalled contribution to the New Zealand arts and music scene, including the National Jazz Festival held in Tauranga each year.

“On a shoestring budget, we have performed throughout New Zealand along with some of the biggest names in jazz and blues,” Fox said in 2023.

“Many of these artists have also given much of themselves back to music, for example, presenting educational workshops.”

Fox also taught at the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington.

He was only 18 when he began playing with a dance band in the Wellington / Porirua area.

He was made a Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit (CNZM) in 2022.

He told RNZ that year that two of the biggest highlights were playing at Europe’s legendary Montreaux Jazz Festival in 1980 - the first-ever NZ band invited to play at an international jazz festival - and hosting American jazz saxophonist Michael Brecker’s visit to New Zealand to celebrate the Rodger Fox Big Band’s 30th anniversary.