The Nathan Haines Octet

A "modern musical fusionista” (Witchdoctor.co.nz) and one of Aotearoa’s most well-known jazz exports, Nathan Haines combines his love of dance music with jazz harmony, vocals and his trademark saxophone and flute work in this two-hour Wellington Jazz Festival headline performance.

From his landmark 1994 debut album Shift Left (still New Zealand’s biggest selling jazz release), to his certified Gold, UK-produced classic Squire For Hire and his many more recent collaborations, Nathan Haines has redefined what jazz is and can be.

His new 2021 band draws on a younger generation of musicians who have grown up listening to his well-loved albums, and it’s this interjection of new talent that Nathan is excited to bring to the Festival. “With this band we can go places we have never gone before. We are mixing the new and the not so new and improvising into bold new territory,” says Haines.

Nathan is internationally recognised as a musician who deftly combines jazz, soul and dance music into new exciting forms. His albums with UK producer Phil Asher (who sadly passed away early 2021) remain classics to this day. Nathan is keeping Phil’s legacy alive by playing some of the material they lovingly made in London together, some of which has never been heard before!

Be the first to hear brand new material from his 11th studio record due for release later this year and a selection of songs from his many previous releases.

Joining Nathan on stage will be:

Rachel Clarke - vocals
Jess Penson - vocals
Joel Haines - guitar
Michal Martyniuk - keyboards
Alan Brown - keyboards
Ben Turua - bass
Elijah Whyte - drums
Richard Cesan - percussion