Dan Costa and The Bill Martin Big Band

The Dunedin Jazz Club and the Christchurch Big Band Festival present a unique artistic collaboration between internationally acclaimed Latin jazz pianist and composer Dan Costa and Dunedin-based musical director Bill Martin. Building on the success of Costa's 2024 Chamber Music New Zealand tour of Aotearoa, Costa and Martin will further develop their creative partnership through performances of six compositions from Costa's critically acclaimed album Suite Três Rios, arranged for big band by Martin. The programme will feature newly commissioned big band arrangements of the movements Alba, Samba, Bossa Nova, Baião, Modinha and Aria, which all feature distinctive rhythms that shape Costa's unique melodic ideas. Taken together, these movements make up a Latin Jazz Suite that features the various sections of a Big Band while remaining faithful to Costa's artistic vision. As part of his New Zealand tour, Costa will also present educational workshops at the University of Otago and the Ara Institute of Canterbury Jazz School. These workshops will provide local musicians with a unique opportunity to explore and perform Latin jazz rhythms within a big band setting, fostering artistic development and cross-cultural musical exchange. Venue: The Piano Time: 5pm - 6pm Sign up to the Festival newsletter and follow us on social media to keep up with all the Festival action, including free events and ticketed shows. The Christchurch Big Band Jazz Festival is a charitable, community-run festival, and donations from music lovers help us keep the majority of our performances free for everyone to enjoy. If you love live music and would like to help keep the jazz playing, please consider making a donation.