Bullfrog Rata & The Elegant Wastrels

Live music: there is nothing quite like it!

Bullfrog Rata is has been sitting in his muddy pond for far too long and is absolutely stoked to splash upstream for a jaunt to the Telegraph Hotel in Otaki.

He will be presenting a set of Footstomping blues tunes many of which were self-penned during the lockdown.

As yet his songs remain unreleased with an album almost ready to go and another CD’s worth already written, so he is looking forward to giving these songs an airing in a live situation.

He is joined by the Elegant Wastrels which consists of Patrick Bleakley on Double Bass John Rae on Drums, Duncan Haines on Piano and Geoff Culverwell on Trumpet & Flute.

Patrick and John are Wellington-based with long experience both hear and in foreign parts, most interestingly a number of appearances at the Edinburgh Arts Festival, and one of their current projects is the Troubles sprawling free jazz infused collective that defies category, they have played with many notable NZ Icons, Bruno Lawrence, Jonathan Crayford, Rick Bryant and Lisa Tomlin among others.

Duncan has had an international jazz career in places like New York & Paris and we are so lucky to be able to snap him up while he waits out the Covid Pandemic here in Aotearoa.

Last but not least we have Aotearoa’s premier Trumpet player Geoff Culverwell who will simply astound you with the many moods he can evoke and his ability to transport you to the whiskey-soaked jazz and blues bars that can be found in Harlem or New Orleans.

So, you can expect that Bullfrog will be on his game as he has some heavyweight hombres to keep in line as he presents his new songs, which cover a wide gamut of styles and moods, delivered with a pastiche of commentary and humour.