Gigs
NZ Music Month
DUELLING PIANOS AT THE WELLINGTON RAILWAY STATION
28 April 2009
Award winning singer/songwriter and one of New Zealand’s top boogie woogie piano players, Wayne Mason, along with musician Cameron Crawford, will be presenting a ‘duelling piano’ performance at the majestic Wellington Railway Station on Friday 1st May at 5pm as their salute to New Zealand Music Month.
Mason, well known as the writer of “Nature” (voted by APRA – Australasian Performing Rights Association – as the number one song for the past 75 years in 2001) and one of New Zealand’s most respected songwriters, says he’s a huge fan of this style of music and the idea of performing at such a unique venue is a great opportunity.
“The ‘smile’ spirit of the music is so infectious; audiences are uplifted by its pounding rhythms. It’s the history of rock ‘n roll and people really get it.”
Check these websites out to get an idea of two performing boogie woogie players
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3_J1ARdmGI <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3_J1ARdmGI> and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3xNGJ2MEBk <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R3xNGJ2MEBk>
“I’m pretty sure this is a unique event for the railway station, which coincidentally opened in the thirties, the heyday for boogie woogie. Cameron is the Managing Director of the Piano Shop in Plimmerton and is providing the pianos. I’m on a 1904 New York Steinway concert grand, an amazing piano with quite a history and Cam will be playing a rebuilt 1897 concert Bechstein.”
Though Mason will be playing some traditional boogie woogie, you will also hear some of his own songs with a boogie twist. “Hands of My Heart”, a song written prior to co-founding The Warratahs, was their first top ten hit.
“Turning it into a boogie woogie feel has given it a new lease of life and people love it” says Mason.
The history of boogie woogie has links to the rail. Mason says in the late twenties in the United States there would be piano players on trains between Chicago and New Orleans playing on stripped out baggage cars.
“Recently I performed on a Steam Train excursion at the Tauranga Jazz Festival and it proved incredibly popular. I’ve also done house concerts; it’s all about connecting to an audience in an intimate space. Being close to this type of music is a great experience.”
For a unique New Zealand Music Month experience check out Wayne Mason and Cameron Crawford at the Wellington Railway Station, Friday 1st May at 5pm.
