Musician aiming to bring a touch of jazz
A Hautere-based man is hoping to bring a three-day jazz festival to Kapiti, and says the region is the perfect place for it.
Geoff Culverwell is the convenor of the inaugural Kapiti International Jazz Festival, to be held later in the year, subject to funding.
The festival is likely to be held on the weekend after Labour Weekend, but the venue is yet to be confirmed.
It will feature two hours of music education for all ages, to be held on Saturday and Sunday mornings.
Several local and international acts, including from Australia and Germany, have been ‘‘pencilled in’’ for performances, possibly in conjunction with restaurants and other businesses in the area, Culverwell said.
There was a lot of talent between Waikanae and Levin, he said.
‘‘There are really good musicians around. There’s interest, and there are a lot of kids around.’’
Culverwell had hosted events on an outdoor stage at his property in the past, but the chance of inclement weather made it too risky.
He wanted to make the festival an annual event.
‘‘If you do it properly the first time, you can go back to punters and say ‘it’s that time again’.
‘‘As good as Amsterdam or New York, right here on the Kapiti Coast.’’
Culverwell plays the trumpet and spends 90 minutes each day working on his craft.
It was the perfect discipline to teach young people, and to keep them out of trouble.
‘‘It’s a lifetime sort of work to get all these skills.
‘‘The big deal with jazz is it teachers all skills. You need to have a brain, it’s the baseline of all chord and composition work ... it teaches young people to get on with each other and build relationships. It teaches them to sell themselves.’’
Culverwell moved to Hautere 51⁄ years ago. He has performed around the world, including in the UK, US and Australia, and headlined the Wellington and Queenstown Jazz Festivals.