Photo: Supplied / Rodger Fox Workshops
There's no doubt the death of jazz big band leader Rodger Fox has left a huge gap in the New Zealand music scene.
Not only did Fox make great music, he taught generations of other musicians to do the same.
His annual youth jazz workshops have helped countless musicians to move to their own beat, both in jazz and beyond.
Which just happens to be the title of the workshops Dave Wilson and Eilish Wilson are helping to set up this December in Wellington.
As Eilish Wilson pointed out to RNZ Concert host Bryan Crump, the entire horn section of the chart-topping band LAB was part of a Fox-led workshop.
Eilish was herself a Rodger Fox workshopper, while Dave Wilson became one of the teachers and organisers after moving to New Zealand from the United States.
The late Rodger Fox: you can't keep a good idea down. Photo: Supplied
Both are keen to point out they're part of a team of talented jazz performers helping to keep Fox's mentoring spirit alive. Lance Philip, Daniel Hayles and Chris Beernink make up the rest of the team coordinating the December workshops, in association with Aotearoa Jazz Education and Performance Trust.
Dave describes the new sessions as a "rebirth" - there's stuff that Fox did and stuff that's new, including new jam sessions with an emphasis on collaboration, rather than each soloist trying to outdo each other.
