Rodger Fox Announces Nationwide October

Rodger Fox Announces Nationwide October Tour Featuring Top US Artists

Legendary band leader and trombonist, Rodger Fox, can be likened to one of the good red wines he occasionally enjoys. That’s because he’s only getting better with age.

Following the success of his 40th Anniversary tour in September, in which his big band and international headline acts performed to large audiences of longtime fans – and standing ovations – throughout the North Island, he’s about to embark on another nationwide tour as part of his milestone celebrations.

“This time I’m also taking the band and three artists from the United States to the South Island, with performances in Nelson and my hometown of Christchurch; it’s important to me to return to where my career began,” says Rodger.

The tour will feature a wealth of top notch entertainment from the big band along with the world’s top recording trombonist, Bill Reichenbach, powerhouse trumpeter, Jon Papenbrook, and star of the World Blues Revue, Chris Cain.

“These artists are the best in the world with their respective instruments,” says Rodger.

“Their willingness to come here from busy schedules overseas shows their respect for the band. They’d normally tour with their own musicians but they have confidence in us to provide the level of performance they need,” he says.

Bill Reichenbach, who plays the tenor/bass trombone, euphonium and tuba, is one of few artists heading towards his 1000th album. He wrote the arrangements for Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’, played on Peter Jackson’s ‘King Kong’ album, and has performed with Earth, Wine and Fire, and Quincy Jones.

“He’s a skilled player who can perform in a wide range of genres, from classical to big band. He’s an ideal session musician because he’s a brilliant sight-reader, but he’s also an outstanding artist in his own right,” says Rodger.

“I’ve performed with him before and he’s looking forward to returning to New Zealand. He enjoys working with the band and loves the laidback lifestyle here,” he says.

Jon Papenbrook, who has played lead trumpet for everyone from Aerosmith and Rod Stewart to Buddy Rich and Frank Sinatra, is returning to New Zealand as a headline act in the October tour on the back of his popular performances as part of the band in the September tour. He toured with Tom Jones for three years and is currently the lead trumpeter for Natalie Cole.

“Jon has performed on seven of my recordings. He’s both a strong player and personality, which is infectious within the band,” says Rodger.

Rounding out the lineup of international artists for the October tour is guitarist and singer Chris Cain, a throwback to original Chicago electric blues with a quirky and dynamic stage presence. Cain will be performing songs from his album ‘Cain Does Kings’ which covers all the ‘Kings of Blues’ by name as well as reputation, including B.B.King and Albert King.

The good news for fans of Rodger Fox’s big band is that the band itself will play a bigger role in this tour than in September. In addition to being the backing group for the guest artists, instrumentalists from the band will feature in between the artists’ performances.

“People can expect to see some of the material that I will look at taking to Europe next year, including new ballad features and some originals written within the band,” says Rodger.

All funds raised from the tour will go towards taking the big band to the UK next year to record at the famous Abbey Road Studios and perform at major jazz festivals.

The dates and venues for the tour are:

October 24 – Palmerston North, Regent Theatre
October 25 – Wellington, Opera House
October 27 – Christchurch, Christ’s College Auditorium
October 28 – Nelson, Nelson School of Music

For more information please visit www.rfwjo.com

ENDS

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