Autumn Jazz Will Feature Fox in Fine Form

Autumn Jazz Will Feature Fox in Fine Form

March 2, 2014

Supremo trombonist, Rodger Fox, loves conducting, arranging and producing but, more than anything else, he loves playing.

At the Bay Of Many Coves’ Autumn Jazz with Taittinger, from April 11-13, 2014, Rodger gets his wish.

The Rodger Fox Combo will treat guests to an exquisite weekend of Swing with a touch of Latin with Rodger as accompanist, soloist and duettist and he even might throw in a few vocals as well.

Rodger is bringing a top class quartet to the Bay Of Many Coves, the five star lodge in the Marlborough Sounds. They include Nick Granville (guitar), Rowan Clark (bass) and sultry singer, Erna Ferry for a weekend of great jazz matched with fine wine and superb cuisine.

“I enjoy the combo. The small group gives me more scope and allows me to express myself as a trombonist,” Rodger explains. “It’s an intimate group in an intimate setting.”

“I get more out of it when I’m performing with a combo. It gives me the opportunity to duet with Erna which we do when she performs the Peggy Lee songbook.”

One of the standout numbers will be Rodger and Erna’s treatment of Lady Is A Tramp.

The Swing and Latin weekend will feature music from such legendaries as Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Brazilian, Antonio Carlos Jobim. Rodger explains that the music they composed can be played expertly by a combo through to a big band.

“Ellington and Basie were the kings of swing while Jobim was the driving force behind the bossa nova style. He influenced the world with his Latin compositions such as Girl From Ipanema,” Rodger says.

The combo will perform at the three course dinner for two on Friday, April 11, the specialty of the house degustation dinner on Saturday night and as the guests depart on the Sunday.

Rodger Fox is celebrating the 40th anniversary of his big band which included two national tours last year and he’s currently organising a tour to England and Europe later in 2014 with a recording session at the famous Abbey Road Studios.

Rodger, who’s a lecturer in jazz at the New Zealand School of Music, was awarded the New Zealand Order of Merit (ONZM) in 2003 and was honoured by Massey University with an Honorary Doctorate of Music two years later.

He’s performed with many of the world’s greats including Bill Cunliffe, Randy Crawford, Tom Warrington, Bill Reichenbach, Jon Papenbrook, Bruce Forman and John Scofield.

Leading jazz vocalist, Erna Ferry, has sung with Rodger Fox for the last 15 years and, last year, recorded her fourth CD in Los Angeles with Rodger and the Bill Cunliffe Quartet. A fifth CD, recorded with the Rodger Fox Big Band, late last year will be released in May.

Autumn JazzWith Taittinger is the first of six special weekends that the luxury lodge, Bay Of Many Coves, has planned for 2014.

Prices for Autumn Jazz with Taittinger start from $860 per person.

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