Breaking language barriers
A jazz band with te reo Māori singers performed at the 2022 Christchurch Big Band Festival.
A vision to meld the languages of jazz and te reo Māori in a full big band setting came to fruition when Ngā Reo Tīoriori took the stage at the Christchurch Big Band Festival 2022, performing many loved songs as they’ve never been heard before. Led by Ara Te Pūkenga Music Arts alumni Lisa Davies (Kāi Tahu) and Senior Academic Staff Member Gwyn Reynolds, the kaupapa and name of the band represent the fusion of jazz and Māori languages, and the voices of each musician involved.
Lisa Davies says it’s a dream realised, thanks to the mahi of current Ara | Te Pūkenga staff - Scott Taitoko, Cameron Pearce, Harry Harrison, Darren Pickering as well as Gwyn Reynolds - and alumni who composed completely new arrangements of each waiata performed. The performance genres ranged from pop to jazz, to traditional, and original waiata.
Gwyn Reynolds managed the project and arranged rehearsals, seizing the opportunity to perform as part of the Christchurch Big Band Festival 2022 after a false start in 2021 due to COVID-19. Both the MCing by Lisa Davies and the song lyrics were entirely in te reo Māori. It is believed to be the first big band concert entirely in te reo Māori.
Ara | Te Pūkenga Head of Creative Industries, Hazel Barrer, says the event is a showcase of the institute’s intrinsic support for Ōtautahi’s vibrant music community:
“The ensemble is almost fully populated by our tutors, graduates and students, and the event has received financial support from both the Ara Research Office and the Ara Foundation. From its humble beginning as CPIT Jazz School, through Ara Music and into the brave new frontier of Te Pūkenga, we will continue to enjoy creating these experiences.”