Riwai Hina leads the Whanganui Jazz Orchestra. Photo / Supplied
Jazz in Whanganui has gone from strength to strength this year. The Jazz Club has been able to hold all 10 monthly club meetings at the St John’s Club for the first time since 2019, and the quality of the performances has been outstanding. The membership of the club has
weathered the lockdowns and cancellations, and members have turned out in good numbers to support the music. The atmosphere in the club is enthusiastic and full of optimism as we move into the holiday season and the new year.
The final meeting of the year will be a celebration of the other influential jazz instrument in our town — the Whanganui Jazz Orchestra. This band of musicians is made up of local players with diverse backgrounds. Graduates of the brass band tradition feature in the orchestra. There are some trained in classical music and others who are immersed in blues, rock, popular and even experimental music. It is a tribute to the great jazz tradition that musicians from so many genres take pleasure in performing music from its repertoire.
The orchestra itself is experiencing a renaissance under the direction of Riwai Hina, a musician of impeccable standing who has returned to Whanganui following years of performing, composing and arranging music for the New Zealand Armed Forces. His pedigree includes 10 years with the Rodger Fox Big Band. Riwai brings all that experience to shape the orchestra, and he engages talent from throughout the Whanganui-Manawatu to contribute to the total sound. The resulting music is making an impression. For this concert, he has teamed up with Erna Ferry to include three student vocalists in a celebration of jazz music and the festive season that is approaching.
The Details
What: Whanganui Jazz Club with the Whanganui Jazz Orchestra
