Jazz at The Realm – February 7th 2018 (7-9pm)
For those unable to make it, it can be purchased on iTunes. Discounted download cards available on the night to those who can.
Liner Notes
This is the third album by Wellington-based jazz drummer, Greg Crayford. The project was born out of a music technology study in 2014 on the fabulous music created by Blue Note Records, with particular emphasis on engineer, Rudy van Gelder, at his Englewood Studio in New Jersey.
Greg enlisted some of NZ’s finest jazz artists over three recording sessions:
1) Live concert for the Wellington Jazz Club (8/11/13), which eventually became “Rattledog!” (available to purchase right here on CD Baby, and other quality music retailers), yielding ‘Take The A Train’ and ‘I Get A Kick Out Of You’ – two excellent tracks which, for various reasons (unrelated to quality), didn’t make “Rattledog!”.
2) Home studio session emulating Englewood Studios (9/24/14), yielding ‘Lotus Blossom’, ‘Soulful Kiddy’, ‘Angel Eyes’ and ‘Sweet Georgia Brown’.
3) Victoria University School of Jazz studio session (10/9/14), yielding ‘Four on Six’, ‘Unit 7’ and the album’s only original, ‘Le Blues Sans Tête’.
Personnel:
Greg Crayford – musical director, drums
Nick Tipping/Tom Warrington/James Cameron – double bass
Ben Wilcock/Bruce Brown – piano
Nick Granville/Andrew London – guitar
Blair Latham/James Tait-Jamieson – tenor saxophone
Lex French – trumpet
James Tait-Jamieson/James Cameron/Bruce Brown/Tessa Quayle – vocals
Sessions were edited, mixed and mastered by the multiple award-winning Dick le Fort at his studio in Hataitai, Wellington, during the latter half of 2017.
Photo by John Fenton
Artwork by Greg Crayford & Nick Granville
Song Order:
1. Lotus Blossom
2. Soulful Kiddy
3. Angel Eyes
4. Four on Six
5. Sweet Georgia Brown
6. Unit 7
7. Take The “A” Train
8. Le Blues Sans Tête
9. I Get a Kick out of You
Hi there jazz lover,
On February 3rd, 2016 from 7-9pm, Pleasure Point & The Realm present an evening of show tune entertainment with the wonderful Matthew Pike. Come hear your favourites from the world’s most well-known musicals, plus his interpretations of such jazz & soul standards as Fly Me To The Moon, Take Five, Lady Is A Tramp, I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Fifty Ways To Leave Your Lover, and many more.
About Matthew:
With over a couple of decades professional performance behind, him Matty Pike is the über-versatile vocalist; From rich crooning to hard rocking he recently garnered much critical acclaim for his performance of the demanding role of Che Guevara in Evita late last year. Previously Matt excelled as Jesus in JC Superstar for Wellington Musical Theatre.
Quote from one Evita review:
“And it is the exceptional performance from Pike, weaving his way about the stage, always engaging the audience with great strength and clarity in his singing and the chorus, that holds the show together”
Another review here:
http://www.wellingtonnz.com/discover/word-on-the-street/events/evita-erupts-into-the-opera-house/
With:
Nick Granville – guitar
Pieter Bos – piano
Nick Tipping – double bass
Greg Crayford – drums
Jamming encouraged. Bring your instrument. Have a blow!
https://www.facebook.com/events/103503113369647/
7 Moxham Avenue, Hataitai, Wellington, 6021
Table bookings 04 386 3607
Great ambience, good company and stellar music. What more could a jazz fan want?
HEY JAZZ LOVER – Jazz at The Realm – for July, 2015.
Wednesday July 1, 7-9pm
with Nick Tipping on bass, Nick Granville on guitar, Greg Crayford on drums and very special guest, James Tait-Jamieson on saxophone/voice.
About James:
After graduating NZ School of Music with first class Honours in 2004, James left his beloved homeland to take up a graduate assistant position at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. James had the honour of performing with broadway icon Tommy Tune and some of America’s top modern jazz players including Joe La Barbara, Bob Shepherd, Rich Perry, Clay Jenkins, David Loeb, Bruce Paulson, Tim Hagans, and Tom Warrington.
Living in “The Entertainment Capital of the World”, James had the opportunity to perform regularly on the Las Vegas Strip and beyond; including Caesar’s Palace, the Bellagio, Wynn Las Vegas, Lake Las Vegas Resort, Four Seasons at the Mandalay Bay, the Rat Pack Show at the Greek Isles, the Green Valley Ranch, the Reno and Mount Charleston Jazz Festivals and gigs in St. George, Utah and Flagstaff and Phoenix, Arizona.
James graduated with a Master of Music degree from UNLV in 2006 and returned to New Zealand to live in 2007.
As well as touring the country with Hot Club Sandwich, James regularly works with groups ‘The Wellington Heads’, ‘Pleasure Point’, singers Mahia Blackmore and Tony McLaughlin and their respective groups, and leads his own jazz-funk band.
James’s own musical review show ‘Sons of Sinatra’ with musical director Rodger Fox has been highly received and is in popular demand at festivals around NZ. Promo clip here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xITryyXydfw
Monthly Jazz Night at The Realm
http://www.facebook.com/events/681031685338955
Feb 4 at 7:00pm to 9:00pm
Jazz at The Realm’s first night for 2015 features James Cameron (bass, vocals) and Nick Granville (guitar).
About James:
Well known for appearances with popular acts Hot Club Sandwich, The Andrew London Trio and The Cattlestops, plus his own group The Velox Brothers, James brings a chocolatey baritone and an insanity that is hard to match.
About Nick:
Nick Granville possesses an impressive palette of diverse sounds across a wide range of styles. As a professional musician for many years, he as recorded and performed with a vast array of artists in many parts of the world. Nick prominently leads his own ensembles, and has released a number of critically acclaimed albums, such as Wishful Thinking, Round the Bend, Refractions and Home.
With Greg Crayford on drums completing the trio, you’ll hear this fine band create sonic masterpieces, while you watch. Incredible!
Two for one meals, great prices on drinks, awesome ambience. Free entry.
Bring your friend and your horn. Jamming positively encouraged.
Wednesday 4/2/2015, 7-9pm
Lex French – trumpet
Blair Latham – tenor saxophone
Anita Schwabe – piano
Paul Mouncey – bass
Greg Crayford – drums
Rafael Ferrer Noel – congas
& very special guest, Terry Crayford on piano.Playing the hardest bop on the planet. Music by Woody Shaw, Freddie Hubbard, Donald Byrd, Horace Silver plus a couple of Crayford originals. And more. There’ll be fireworks!Don’t be shy! Come warm up that room with your yelpin’ and hollering’… :-)Two for one meals, great ambience, awesome sounds. What more could you want?Table bookings 04 386 8607
Pleasure Point Trio at The Lido
featuring Jess Murphy on vocals & piano. Greg Crayford on drums & cymbals. Bede Arbuckle on electric bass & amp.
Saturday, October 11th. 8:30-10:30pm
https://www.facebook.com/events/1478585785751268/?ref=22
Monthly Jazz Night at The Realm – Jam Night
featuring tenor saxophonist, Blair Latham.
Wednesday 1/10/2014, 7-9pm
http://www.facebook.com/events/849354485088852
About Blair
After over 5 years of sharing his unique sound and ideas with Mexican ears, eyes and souls, Blair has returned from the monstrous Mexico City to the sunny, windy and above all life-affirming climes of Wellington, New Zealand. Playing with the top jazz and creative minds in numerous projects large and small in ‘el D.F.’ had has its effect on Blair, more than anything helping to deepen his approach to the process of craating magic out of metal and reed and notes and sound, but also by providing him with a multitude of seeing and hearings which were distillled down to this set of tunes.
With Nick Tipping on double bass, Greg Crayford on drums and guitar superstar, Nick Granville, on geeeeeetar. Come hear this fine band.
Two for one meals, great prices on drinks, awesome ambience. Free entry.
Bring your friend and your horn. Jamming absolutely positively encouraged.
Jazz Festival Gigs – Manawatu and Wellington
Sat 31 May: PP Quartet will be at Manawatu Jazz Festival – The Gallery 11am – 2pm
Sun 1 June: PP Trio will be at Manawatu Jazz Festival – Brewer’s Apprentice – 5:30pm – 8:30pm
Tue 3 June: PP Trio will be at Latin Club at Meow
Wed 4 June: PP Sextet will be at Meow 6pm – 8pm
Sat 7 June: PP Sextet will be at The Realm 7pm – 9pm
Sun 8 June: PP Sextet will be back at Meow 4pm – 6pm
Pleasure Point’s Monthly Jam Night
7-9pm, May 7th, 2014, featuring Bruce Brown and Noel Clayton.
The Realm, 7 Moxham Avenue, Hataitai, Wellington
Phone 386 3607 for table bookings.
with Nick Tipping on bass, Greg Crayford on drums and very special guests, Bruce Brown piano/voice and Noel Clayton on guitar.
http://brucebrown.net/
Two for one meals, lovely warm fire, great prices on drinks, awesome ambience. Free entry. Isn’t life just dandy?
Bring your friends and your axe! Have a blow…
About Bruce:
Bruce Brown, originally from LA, USA, established himself as a highly regarded pianist, singer, and songwriter performing at all the major jazz clubs in Southern California.
His songs have been described as ‘original standards’ and reflect his love of the great American songbook. Holding all the lyrics in place is a beautiful, almost invisible architecture. His words flow in careful trickles, clever bursts and soulful yearns. His melodies dance and float over chord changes that provide daring colouration. As a performer, Bruce’s easygoing spontaneity establishes a natural rapport, always leaving his audience wanting more.
About Noel:
Noel is a Wellington guitar legend. He has performed with many bands in the last two decades, including his own fine trio (‘Eel’) with Patrick Bleakley and Chris O’Connor. Noel influenced a generation of guitar players through his astonishing performances at the Lido cafe during a long-time residency with the ‘Doodletown Boptet’. Noel has also been a frequent collaborator with Anthony Donaldson (in the ‘Razorblades’, also touring with the ‘Village of the Idiots’) as well as with Patrick Bleakley and Jonathan Crayford, and John Bell in ‘Sanctus’, performing around NZ and at the Melbourne and Wellington International Jazz Festivals.
https://www.facebook.com/events/1504145259808676/
Pleasure Point Trio
The Lido Cafe, Cnr Victoria & Wakefield Sts, Wellington
Saturday 19 April 2014, 8:30pm – 10:30pm
featuring Jess Murphy – vocals/keys, Simon Jones – vocals/guitar, Greg Crayford – drums/general idiocy
https://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Lido-Cafe-Wellington/199967786706440
