John Rae Trio
Saturday 11 October
John Rae, drums
Ben Wilcock, piano
Patrick Bleakley, double bass
New Zealand composers, musicians and jazz legends John Rae, Patrick Bleakley and Ben Wilcock have come together to form the John Rae Trio for this unmissable Warkworth Music concert. The trio will play work from the album Splendid Isolation, (“beguiling” - PBS, The Modernist), new material and music from John Rae's previous albums.
Programme - the trio will play a selection of these tunes
Apple Road (Rae)
The Butterfly (Rae)
March of the Octopus (Wilcock)
Tak' a minute (Rae)
The Expanse (Wilcock)
PSFJ (Wilcock)
Archie's Rumble! (Wilcock)
Position Normal (Bleakley)
Brainiac (Wilcock)
Nardis (Miles Davis)
Fly with the Wind (McCoy Tyner)
Where or When (Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart)
Their story
John Rae is a jazz drummer and award winning composer. In 2009/10 he was the first ever jazz Composer-in-Residence at Victoria University Wellington. His writing incorporates a global perspective and his use of traditional instruments along with strings and jazz instruments can only be described as 21st century music". John recorded his first album at the age of sixteen with the Scottish saxophonist Tommy Smith and has subsequently recorded over 70 albums both as a leader and side man, including two BBC Jazz Albums of the Year. Awarded a ‘Herald Angel Award’ at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and leader and composer for the New Zealand jazz group, The Troubles. From 2000-2003 drummer for the Scottish National Jazz Orchestra and has performed and recorded with many world renowned jazz musicians including Ethan Iverson, Vijay Iyer and Mike Nock. Originally from Scotland, John has been a New Zealand citizen since 2016.
Ben Wilcock is a New Zealand pianist, composer, and recording artist known for his distinctive voice in contemporary jazz. After years of work as a sought-after session musician, Wilcock shifted his focus toward original composition, launching a prolific solo career defined by creative risk and stylistic range. Wilcock has since released five albums as a leader. His latest release, Splendid Isolation (2024), is a 14-track album of original material co-written with John Rae, continuing their innovative partnership and further solidifying Wilcock's place as a leading voice in New Zealand jazz. In addition to his recording career, Ben Wilcock is a senior music tutor at Toi Ohomai Institute of Technology in Rotorua, where he mentors the next generation of musicians.
Patrick Bleakley is one of the busiest and most loved musicians in the New Zealand music scene and his dynamic rhythms on the double bass have been underpinning the New Zealand music since the seventies. He began his bass playing career with legendary Kiwi group Blerta and has since performed and recorded with a who’s who of New Zealand jazz including Jonathan Crayford, Alda Rezende, The Troubles, Ben Wilcock and many more.