New Zealand jazz legend Rodger Fox dies aged 71

NZ jazz legend Rodger Fox has died, aged 71. File photo / Rene Huemer

By RNZ

Rodger Fox - who has been 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 also taught at the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington.

The Rodger Fox Big Band Photo / RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King

The trombonist was honoured in 2022 for his services to music.

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

He told RNZ in 2022 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.

-RNZ