Live Jazz with John Leigh Calder

Musician John Leigh Calder has returned to Whangarei after leaving 45 years ago to forge a career in the hard-to-crack London industry. He's back for summer and playing at Butters once a month!

Since the mid-1970s, the composer, vocalist and double-bass player has worked in London and Sydney as a backing and session musician, recorded four albums of his own jazzy bluesy funky music, been a songwriter and movie score writer.

Before his international journey, John Calder was in the famous-in-Whangarei and known-elsewhere band The Clan and played with several other groups in Northland and beyond.

''After hustling around London for a few years as a musician,'' his break into what he describes as ''slightly famous'' came when his band's single American Echoes hit the Record of the Week spot.