Delighted to belt out jazz standards at 90

AFTER taking a break from a lengthy musical career, 90yearold veteran Dunedin jazz drummer and singer Jack Allpress is delighted to be singing again.

‘‘The thing that I’ve missed most over the past four years is the music, no doubt about it,’’ Allpress said yesterday.

‘‘I’ve missed it like crazy.’’ From 1976, he performed as a drummer with Calder Prescott in various ensembles for 37 years, and in latter years was also a jazz singer.

He took a break from performing four years ago, partly because of family illness and changes at the then-quartet’s former venue.

But he has started to sing again in recent weeks, including at the Inch Bar last Sunday, where he sang jazz standards Summer Time (composed in 1934) and Autumn Leaves (1945) with a jazz band that performs there.

He has also recently sung with fellow musicians at the Dunedin Musicians Club, in Manse St.

‘‘I’ve done more playing in the last three to four weeks than I’ve done for the last four years. It’s marvellous if you’re with other jazz musicians — everything comes together.

‘‘The greatest feeling is a feeling of familiarity, and of doing something I used to do all the time.’’

He was also impressed by Logan Park High School pupil Abe Baillie (16), who was an ‘‘absolute natural’’ and a ‘‘very, very good drummer’’.

It was hard to explain exactly why he loved jazz, he said, but he enjoyed performing with others and ‘‘it’s something that happens naturally’’.

Establishing rapport with the audience was ‘‘the most important part of it’’.

He sometimes closed his eyes, and when he looked at the crowd after a song, could ‘‘see that’s what they wanted to hear’’.

When performing, he also often thought of his own life experiences.

‘‘It makes it quite real — otherwise you’re just singing syllables.’’

Craig Sinclair, who leads the unnamed jazz band at the bar, said he enjoyed performing with Allpress, who was a witty ‘‘encyclopedia of jazz’’.

‘‘It’s just nice to hear someone completely different — not many people sing like that,’’ Mr Sinclair said.

PHOTO: PETER MCINTOSH Good to be back . . . Veteran jazz musician Jack Allpress provides the vocals at the Inch Bar, Dunedin, backed by band leader Craig Sinclair on bass, Abe Baillie on drums, and Jesse Kokaua (right) on guitar.