Jack Claridge (centre back row, standing) with Dr. Jazz and Friends in 1985. Photo / file
A cabaret owner, a vibraphone player, a father, a nonagenarian, and far from done yet.
All these describe musician Jack Claridge, 97, who will be taking the stage at the Nectar bar on Saturday as part of the Tauranga jazz festival - the latest stop in more than 80 years of performing.
The National Jazz Festival Tauranga held annually at Easter was postponed for the first time this year until this month and will run until June 26.
Speaking through his daughter Jackie Nahi, Claridge told the Bay of Plenty Times about his storied career.
Claridge lived in Tauranga for 40 years, before moving to the Kapiti Coast in 2018 to be closer to his eldest daughters.
The 97-year-old first started playing music in his teens, when he bought himself a set of drums and taught himself to play.
He then joined a band, which needed a bass player, so he decided to learn that too.
"I've always loved Jazz music and have tunes running in my head all the time."
He now plays the drums, double bass, bass guitar, piano, keyboard, various percussion instruments, and the little-known vibraphone.
His musical pursuits led him to open the "Claridge's By Candlelight" cabaret in Lower Hutt, which ran for 15 years and featured jazz performers from around the world.
He has been a regular at the Tauranga Jazz Festival for more than 40 years and has also played in the Bay Big Band, Jazz-A-Plenty, and Dr Jazz and Friends.
Jackie said her father last participated in the festival 11 years ago.
Despite his experience, Claridge said he felt "rather nervous" about Saturday's performance.
He said it had "been quite a while since [he] last played publicly" because of Covid-19 restrictions.
"Performing can be nerve-wracking, especially now that I am older and can't remember notes as quickly as before; but I do still enjoy it when I play well."
Claridge said his family "tell me they are very proud of me and are happy for me to play as long as I am able".
He had a clear piece of advice for beginner musicians - "learn your chords".
"I've never been able to read music, but by knowing chords I was able to play piano in the Bay Big Band for a number of years. If you know your chords well, you can play any tune."
Now 80 years in, Claridge has no plans to slow down.
"I keep telling my daughters I plan to live for at least another 15 years, and playing music will always be part of my life."
Festival manager Marc Anderson said it felt "really good" to get the festival under way.
"It's been really good to get it up and running."
The first three days with the National Youth Jazz competition were, he said, featured performances "from the future music stars of New Zealand".
"The kids are so good...and some of them don't realise it yet."
The second event is the Bay Concert Series, the first show of which was a sold-out tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass.
He said the Jazz at the Mount event on Matariki Friday will feature "some of New Zealand's best jazz musicians playing, and it's all for free".
"It's not often when you get to see a lineup like this, and you don't have to pay any money for it, so we want to thank Mount Mainstreet for that."
He also wanted to say "hats off" to the bars and restaurants which supported the festival "because we couldn't do it without them".
He said the jazz festival "makes a lot of people very proud of being in Tauranga" and "creates a lot of business opportunity for the bars and restaurants and retailers".
"I believe the jazz festival is very good for the community, and for the businesses and the areas that we put shows on, and the statistics prove that it helps the local economy.
"It gives a boost to the CBD."
He said the festival not only benefits audiences but also musicians, who he said are "just so happy to be playing" after two years of Covid restrictions.
"People are driving up from Wellington and Auckland to be able to play for live audiences... it's just really good to be able to do it again.
"It's [the festival] bringing together the community."
JAZZ FESTIVAL EVENTS
June 20
• Here Come the Judge Concert: 8pm
• National Youth Jazz Competition: 8am-5:15pm
June 21
• National Youth Jazz Competition: 8.30am-6.00pm
June 22
• 'Ella and Joe' (a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass): 6pm
• Midge Marsden performance: 8pm
June 23
• Eva Cassidy performance: 6pm
• Tauranga's Black and Gold Big Band: 8pm
June 24
• Miles and Chet (music inspired by Miles Davis and Chet Baker): 6pm
• Jazz at the Mount: 9.30am-5pm
• Hurricane Party (featuring Miho's Jazz Orchestra): 8pm-11pm
• 'Frank Meets Peggy' (the songs of Frank Sinatra and Peggy Lee): 8pm
• New Jazz Cafe and VIP Bar: 9pm-11.30pm
June 25
• New Jazz Cafe and VIP Bar: 9pm-11.30pm
• Downtown Carnival: 11am-6pm
• The Joe Kaptein Quartet: 6pm
• Ali Harper performance: 8pm
June 26
• Downtown Carnival: 10am-6pm
• Tea Dance (music and buffet): 5pm-8pm.