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August 21: Back to Basie with the Dunedin City Jazz Orchestra

The August edition of the DJC features the luscious sounds of the Dunedin City Jazz Orchestra performing arrangements of tunes made famous by the Count Basie Orchestra during the swing era. The theme of “Back to Basie” returns local audiences to the historical roots of this much loved group, as many of the arrangements were transcribed by Calder Prescott after founding the Big Band in 1989. Stepping into the giant shoes of the original band director is Nick Cornish, a jazz saxophonist and classical oboist well known to Dunedin audiences.

For this special performance, Cornish has curated two sets of Count Basie Classics that feature a range of soloists, including Mike Gaches (trumpet), Kevin Chen (alto sax), Ollie Meikle (tenor sax), Peter Claman (trombone) and Jack Ta (piano). Dunedin audiences will also be treated to a number of tunes arranged for Big Band that feature the talents of vocalist Jodi Benson. This will be a night to celebrate the legacy of Count Basie and Calder Prescott under the guidance of their inspirational new director, allowing the Dunedin City Jazz Orchestra to do what they do best – that is, to raise the roof with their sheer power, calm your soul with their gorgeous ballad sound, and swing the night away.

Support on the night will be provided by a quartet led by Dunedin jazz guitarist Jesse Kokaua, who will perform with Bill Martin on tenor Saxophone, Lloyd Williams on double bass and Kevin Finigan on drums. Kokaua and Martin perform regularly as a duo at the Inch Bar and now add a full rhythm section to explore a range of repertoire composed and performed by legends of the jazz guitar idiom, including Wes Montgomery, Kenny Burrell and João Gilberto. 

The Dunedin Jazz Club is a licensed venue that creates the atmosphere of a jazz club in a concert setting. We have a cash bar and have some tables available for seating on the ground level.

Tickets from Eventfinda

$20 General Admission, $15 University / Polytech Students, $10 Children

Approximate Timings:

7:15 Doors Open

7:45 The Jesse Kokaua Quartet

8:15 Interval

8:30 The Dunedin City Jazz Orchestra Set One

9:05 Interval

9:15 The Dunedin City Jazz Orchestra Set Two

10:00 Finish

Further information:

Nick Cornish is much in demand as a classical oboist and a jazz musician. He has been principal oboe for the Dunedin Symphony Orchestra since 2004 and is often called up to play with NZSO and Orchestra Wellington. As a jazz saxophone player, Nick has been a member of and has led several groups over the past 20 years. He was a member of the group Subject2change, a collaboration with Trevor Coleman, Rob Burns and Paul McLelland-Kissel which made numerous recordings in a range of jazz and fusion styles in the early 2000s. Nick and Trevor Coleman played together as a duo for a number of years in Dunedin appearing in many performances in Marama Hall and other venues. They collaborated with Heleen du Plessis, cello, to record Trevor Coleman’s polycyclic music on 3 albums which was the culmination of his DMa thesis. Nick led the sax section of the Dunedin City Jazz Orchestra for 10 years, and is successor to Calder Prescott in directing the band. Calder established the band in about 1989 and it has enjoyed entertaining Dunedin audiences ever since.

​​The Dunedin City Jazz Orchestra is a full 18 piece big band comprising 5 saxes, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, piano, guitar, bass and drums and leader. Calder Prescott established the band in about 1989 to keep jazz band experience available for Logan Park High School students after leaving school. Karl Sasse, trombone, is a founding member. Calder has left us a huge legacy of arrangements which the band still plays. The DCJO rehearses every Monday night and has done so for years. It is now made up of jazz enthusiasts who love playing big band jazz. There is a mix of students and working professionals in the band. The DCJO regularly gives performances in retirement villages and rest homes, as well as playing for various swing dances around Dunedin. The band attended the prestigious Montreux jazz festival in 2000 and enjoyed a trip to Australia in 2014.