Jamie Pye Quartet and the Dunedin Youth Jazz Orchestra

The May edition of the Dunedin Jazz Club Hanover Hall Concert Series features the Jamie Pye quartet with support from the Dunedin Youth Jazz Orchestra. Jamie is a Melbourne/Wellington-based guitarist and composer who is currently touring Aotearoa with some of the country’s finest jazz musicians, including Ayrton Foote (piano), Seth Boy (double bass) and Shaun Anderson (drums).

Jamie Pye studied at the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne and the New Zealand School of Music in Wellington and in recent times has been a regular performer on the Wellington scene. Inspired by the piano/guitar quartet sound from band leaders Mike Moreno, Aaron Parks and Petros Klampanis, Jamie’s ensemble will be performing original jazz compositions written over the past two years. Melodies are tied together in unison between both piano and guitar, with a driving rhythm section on standby for musical interplay. Expect an eclectic melting pot of genres, delivered in the form of a modern jazz quartet.

Jamie’s band comprises some of the most distinguished jazz musicians from the Wellington scene. Double bassist Seth Boy is a composer in his own right and recently won a commission to perform his original compositions at the Wellington Jazz Festival in 2022. Ayrton Foote is a busy pianist on the Wellington scene, performing regularly with giants such as Geoff Culverwell and Oscar Laven. Shaun Anderson is the drummer for the Richter Rebels and the Jac, a group well known to Dunedin audiences after their stunning performance at Hanover Hall in 2021.

Support on the night will be provided by the Dunedin Youth Jazz Orchestra, directed by Bill Martin. The band has been exploring new music by LA based trombonist Jon Hatamiya, who composes contemporary music for Big Bands in a range of styles, including swing, funk and metal-jazz-rock fusion. The rhythms in Hatamiya’s music are complex but infectious, creating interesting grooves and textures characteristic of the best Big Band jazz being performed and written today. Soloists on the night will include Jack Ta (alto), Finn McKinlay (trombone), Bill Martin (tenor saxophone), Matthew Tait (piano), Hamish Philips (guitar) and Paxton Hall.

The Dunedin Jazz Club is a licensed venue with a cash bar. Tickets are available from Eventfinda for $25 (plus booking fees) or $30 cash on the door. A range of concessions are also available.

Personnel:

Jamie Pye (guitar)
Seth Boy (bass)
Ayrton Foote (piano)
Shaun Anderson (drums)

Bio:

Jamie Pye is a Melbourne/Wellington-based jazz guitarist and composer. Having already graduated from
The Victorian College of the Arts in 2018, Jamie relocated to Pōneke to continue up-skilling at the New
Zealand School of Music—Te Kōkī. Since then, he has been busy playing in various ensembles and line
ups; from intimate jazz duo residencies, to headline performances as part of the Wellington Jazz
Cooperative. He is often part of the house band for jam sessions around the city, or as a sideman on
other bills.

Jamie’s playing style has undoubtedly been shaped by modern jazz giants such as Gilad Hekselman, Kurt
Rosenwinkel and Mike Moreno, with European influence also from Tom Ollendorff and Romain Pilon. As
a composer, Jamie creates music that conveys an honest sense of storytelling and narrative. His
compositions are complex and harmonically rich, while remaining musically accessible to all audiences.
Drawing influence from all genres and musical traditions, he draws particular attention towards the
work of composers and bandleaders Brian Blade, Kendrick Scott, Petros Klampanis and Aaron Parks.