Cosmic Jam to close Jazzfest
Shifting the perception of jazz being ‘‘music that grandad listens to’’ is at the heart of an upcoming summer dance event by music columnist and DJ Grant Smithies.
Smithies was in San Francisco when he received an email asking him to do a gig on the final evening of this years Nelson Jazzfest, which begins on January 3.
Immersed in the eclectic vibe that the city elicits while picking up a few new vinyl records for his collection, Smithies found the invitation too good to turn down.
The resulting event is Cosmic Jam, a night of jazz dance vinyl classics held at Deville Cafe on January 6.
Smithies has collected thousands of jazz and other music records through the years and said it disappointed him when people write off jazz as being ancient stuff from New Orleans in the 1930s that had no relevance to their lives.
‘‘If you listen to a lot of music you just hear that heavy jazz influences in funk, soul, jamaican, african music, disco, house music – jazz just informs all those things so I thought doing a DJ gig where you play all those different styles with a strong jazz undercurrent would be great,’’ he said.
‘‘People that never listen to it much think its music that’s too tricky, complicated and difficult for your average punter to get into and that it’s a specialist thing, but I think that’s really not the case.’’
Smithies insists that Cosmic Jam will be far from old men playing saxophones, funny time signatures and undanceable rhythms.
First and foremost, the event is a dance party, united with a jazz undercurrent to show the range of the genre.
Cosmic Jam will draw largely on the soul and funk aspects of jazz from around the world.
Opening up for Smithies is local DJ and musician TuneSifter, who will get the evening underway from 8:30pm.
Following that, Hardy St Brass Council, will play a short live improvised set before Smithies puts the needle down on several hours of dance floor filling tunes.
Smithies pointed to Wellington as one example of a New Zealand city where jazz had been embraced by all ages to the extent that many bars now echoed with the sounds of horns on a regular basis.
He hoped that Cosmic Jam would bring a broader appreciation of the genre to Nelson music lovers.
Tickets are available for $20 pre-sale from DeVille Cafe, New Street. Limited door sales are available.
To find out more www.nelsonjazzfest.co.nz. visit