With humankind and its dogs confined to their homes, I set up a Zoom call for JazzLocal32 with innovative Wellington-based jazz musician John Rae.
I knew instinctively that he was the right person to initiate the Lockdown interview series with. Rae is an important musician; here and well beyond these shores. He is a natural story teller.
Born in Edinburgh to a musical family, he began gigging at age 16. Accompanying him on those youthful gigs was his friend, saxophonist Tommy Smith. Later Rae worked with Smith in the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra. Rae’s recording output is prodigious and here is much to bring a listener joy among those offerings. See links below.
(By the way: Wellington is the Capital city of New Zealand. In NZ we are blessed with isolation and a wonderful young female PM, so we shut down everything very early and our cases are leveling off at 1000 + one death only. We have at least three weeks of isolation left and with no jets above or cars on the roads it’s peaceful. My wife, cats and I are well.
(And, just for context: Yes, Wellington is also the name of a town in New South Wales, the southeastern part of Australia closest to New Zealand, which was up until 1860 an Australian province, administered by NSW. We have been distancing our selves from Australian politics ever since the break. We are nuclear-free and have independent foreign policy, which puts us on the naughty step as far as Aus and the US are concerned).
Back to John Rae, who in his former land is something of a jazz celebrity. While those in Scotland or England will associate Rae with his two BBC albums of the year or his ‘Herald Angel Award’ from the Edinburgh Festival, New Zealanders will love him for his work with The Troubles, a joyous, anarchic, Mingus-like ensemble telling it like it is.
Rae’s compositional work looks out toward the world and frequently blends with ethnic music; Celtic, Japanese Koto, Middle Eastern. As a drummer he exhorts the band, standing up and urging them on, while his beats roil beneath them like a gathering storm cloud supporting the sky above. In an off-camera moment I was not surprised to learn that he had frequently visited New Orleans (and played there). I can hear that unique influence in his drumming. The perfect cushion and always conversational.
So we spoke:
John Rae: Composer, bandleader, arranger, educator, drummer, Celtic Fidler ~ improviser in all styles from swing to free
The good news is, he has a number of albums ready for release or re-release. The re-releases include his Best of John Rae’s Celtic Feet from the 1990s and amongst his newer offerings The Troubles album KAPOW (live at Meow). Go to Thick Records at www.thickrecords.co.nz, Rattle Records at rattle.co.nz. Please buy these albums and help to keep this significant, enjoyable, original music alive.
