As with most years, we farewelled some great jazz band members who moved on to study at university. 

2014 saw us assembling a completely new rhythm section; Mitchell Innes on drums, Bryn McKerracher on piano and Hanna Ott on bass. These musicians have fitted in really well and are a great asset to the band.

At the start of the year we enjoyed performing at the St. Leonard’s Primary School Fair on a beautiful summer’s day with lots of families and children enjoying our music. We received lots of compliments and good feedback about our Jazz Band. We also played to an appreciative crowd at the St. Clair Women’s Club later in the year.

A highlight for the year was performing in the Mass Combined Schools’ Jazz Band at the Secondary Schools’ Music Festival in the Dunedin Town Hall – a great night of great music. Performing live is a fun and rewarding experience for all of our band members, gaining confidence and building team spirit. Our final performance will be at the Senior Prize Giving in November which we are rehearsing for at the moment.

Huge thanks go to our conductor Calder Prescott who has devoted many hours in sharing his invaluable knowledge and expertise about playing jazz with our band members. We really do appreciate the time and energy he has given us over the year.