The spirituality and sexiness of jazz

HOT JAZZ IN WINTER: Made up of John Mackill (left), Bruce Cameron, Coralie Hunter, Laura Gilding, Kieran Irving, Ross Revington and Tim Donnell, John Mackill’s Jazz Collective present More Hot Jazz on a winter’s day, a Hospice Tairawhiti charity concert, on Sunday. Picture by Mark Moles

Compositions that bring out the spiritual nature of jazz music are a big part of the John Mackill’s Jazz Collective repertoire.

“Played by the right musicians, they can create moods of great joy, beauty, melancholy, or quirkiness,” says Mackill.

Those moods thread through the band’s repertoire for its Hospice Tairawhiti charity concert on Sunday. The More Hot Jazz on a Winter’s Day fundraiser includes original music and standards in styles such as funk, blues, Latin, bebop, waltzes, ballads and odd time signatures. A particular feature of this concert will be some new saxophone quartet pieces and John’s vocals.

“There’s a lot of smooth saxophone sound in this concert,” says Mackill.

“I mean, what instrument is more sexy than a sax?”

The band is fronted by wind players John Mackill, Tim Donnell, Laura Gilding and Kieran Irving with a rhythm section that includes Coralie Hunter on piano, Ross Revington on electric and acoustic basses, and Bruce Cameron on drums.

The John Mackill Sextet presents More Hot Jazz on a Winter’s Day in support of Hospice Tairawhiti. Gisborne Bowling Club, Wainui Road, Sunday at 2.30pm. Tickets are $15 on the door.

The John Mackill Sextet presents More Hot Jazz on a winter’s day in support of Hospice Tairawhiti, Gisborne Bowling Club, Wainui Road, Sunday at 2:30 pm. $15.