Unfortunately, tonight’s concert has been cancelled due to Covid Level 4 restrictions.

Fresh from headlining at the 2021 Wellington Jazz Festival, Umar Zakaria is a Tui award-winning New Zealand bassist and composer filled with hope for the future. His music unites diverse musical traditions to inspire communication and cooperation across boundaries.

Umar has given performances across Europe, Asia and the USA alongside Myele Manzanza, Norio Maeda, Snorre Kirk and Ben Wendel among others. He is a student of legendary jazz bassists Cecil McBee and Lynn Seaton as well as NZ’s own Paul Dyne, and received the 1st runner-up prize at the BASS2014 International Jazz Bass Competition. He was named ‘Best Jazz Artist by Recorded Music New Zealand in 2018 and was awarded a scholarship to attend the renowned Banff International Workshop for Jazz and Creative Music the following year under the artistic direction of Vijay Iyer and Tyshawn Sorey.

Having developed a reputation for emotionally stirring performances, Umar now seeks to share heartfelt original music with his trio to audiences across New Zealand and internationally, spreading a message of courage and unity through the powerful sound of the double bass.

The Umar Zakaria Trio features Duncan Haynes on piano and Luther Hunt on drums, presenting a vibrant programme of American jazz classics as well as original pieces based on Malay influences and Kiwi experiences.

Umar Zakaria Trio
Date: Thur 19 August 2021, 7.30pm
Venue: Lovebite, 2 Forresters Lane

Since returning to Wellington two years ago after living abroad in Edinburgh, Mike has proved to be one of the city’s most prolific and exciting trumpet players. Over the course of his career, he has played music with the likes of The Wellington City Shake-‘Em-On Downers, TOI, the Rodger Fox big band, Louis Baker, and The Black Seeds, as well as writing music for the RNZAF Jazz Orchestra, The Arthur Street Loft Orchestra, and the Loemis Winter Festival.

Joining Mike for this fantastic concert  will be Thomas Friggens on drums, Ayrton Foote on keys, Phoebe Johnson on bass and Jake Baxendale on sax

Mike Costello Quintet
Date: Thur 5 August 2021, 7.30pm
Venue: Lovebite, 2 Forresters Lane
Price: Tickets available on Eventfinda.co.nz

Dan Beban (guitar), Tom Callwood (bass), & Anthony Donaldson (drums) plan to play their idea of jazz, drawing from the colourful art of improvised composition. They have been playing in most of the seminal bands in Wellington for the last 20 years. Their experience though, really goes back to the beginning of time.

Date: Thur 22 July 2021, 7.30pm
Venue: Lovebite, 2 Forresters Lane
Price: Tickets available on Eventfinda.co.nz

Due to circumstances beyond our control, tonight’s performance has been cancelled.

This July Andy Sugg returns for his third tour of New Zealand. Andy’s musical connection with New Zealand has grown strong in recent years with his last tour featuring his Australasian project three tenor sax band, TTTenor (lookout for a possible TTTenor tour in September).

For this concert the group will play originals from the last three of these albums, all recorded in New York City. Making the WJC gig even more special, Andy gets to play this music with New Zealand’s best jazz musicians. His stellar group features Duncan Haynes on piano, Umar Zakaria on bass and Mark Lockett on drums. The music is contemporary acoustic fusion at its best.

“Brilliant, sparkling, strongly surging… Sugg is a high order musician.” Sydney Morning Herald

Andy Sugg Group
Featuring: Andy Sugg (p), Duncan Haynes (p), Umar Zakaria (b), Mark Lockett d)
Date: Thur 15 July 2021, 7.30pm
Venue: Lovebite, 2 Forresters Lane
Price: Tickets available on Eventfinda.co.nz

Having arranged music for the Roger Fox New Zealand Jazz Orchestra, Orchestra Wellington and the infamous Crown Law concerts at St Andrews, Daniel Hayles is surely one of Wellingtons most sort after musician/arrangers.

Playing a range of styles from stomping New Orleans rhythm and blues with Gold Nugget Pawn Shop, raging party times with the unstoppable Richter City Rebels, ripping organ hits with JB3, the occasional piano chair with Orchestra Wellington, to international touring with the likes of Lord Echo, Louis Baker and Hollie Smith.

Daniel Hayles Trio
Featuring: Daniel Hayles (piano) will be Johnny Lawrence (bass) and Cory Champion (drums)
Date: Thur 08 July 2021, 7.30pm
Venue: Lovebite, 2 Forresters Lane
Price: Tickets available on Eventfinda.co.nz

Soul-jazz and boogaloo beat with Wellington staples Chris Yeabsley (organ), Cory Champion (drumset), and Whanganui rising star, James “Guitar” Paul (guitar).

Tickets available on Eventfinda.co.nz

May is NZ Music month and this year WJC is pleased to present two promising emerging artists Nicolas Baucke-Mausell and Elizabeth Hocking.

Nicholas Baucke-Maunsell will be performing with Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa on Drums, Seth Boy on Bass, and Leonardo Coghini on Keys. They will be performing some of Nicholas’s original music as well as some music from his recent mentors and heroes Immanuel Wilkins and Giveton Gelin.

Alto saxophonist Elizabeth Hocking joins long-time friends and collaborators Seth Boy (bass) and Alexander Boulton (guitar) in her newly-formed trio. The group will play a selection of Elizabeth’s original compositions, which are inspired by the “chamber jazz” approach of the Jimmy Guiffre 3 trio. 

Doors open at 6.30pm. Pre-purchasing tickets highly recommended.

Saxophonist Louisa Williamson presents a concert of original compositions with a stellar line up of some of Wellington’s finest. 

Louisa is driven to compose music that is meaningful and reflective of the world around her, embracing a selfless attitude towards composing and performing. Creating music with strong intentions and purpose is at the forefront of Louisa’s mind as a musician. Louisa hopes to release her debut album this year, featuring some of the music presented at this concert.

Louisa Williamson Quartet
Featuring: Louisa Williamson – Saxophone, Daniel Hayles – Piano, Johnny Lawrence – Bass, Cory Champion – Drums
Date: Thur 13 May 2021, 7.30pm
Venue: Lovebite, 2 Forresters Lane
Price: Tickets available on Eventfinda, Door sales: General $20, WJC members $15, and Students with ID $10