Nathan Haines takes home third Jazz Tui

Nathan Haines takes home third Jazz Tui

Celebrated jazz saxophonist Nathan Haines has his third career Tui with Vermillion Skies announced by Recorded Music NZ as Best Jazz Album for 2014.

Haines’ previous Tuis were for The Poet’s Embrace in 2013 and Shift Left, his first album release in 1996.

The winning album has been announced tonight (March 18) at the National Jazz Festival in Tauranga.

Vermillion Skies was released in March 2013 and debuted at #5 on the Official NZ Top 40 Album Charts. It is Haines’ 10th solo album and it builds on the classic sounds of The Poet’s Embrace.

Most of the album was written in London where Haines and his wife relocated last year.

Recorded Music NZ CEO Damian Vaughan says he has great respect for what Haines has achieved over the years.

“Nathan has cemented his status as an icon of New Zealand jazz with back-to-back wins in the Best Jazz Album category,” says Vaughan.

“Jazz is a difficult and beautiful music genre. Haines has proven he is a true master.”

The National Jazz Festival in Tauranga has been running for more than 50 years and attracts more than 60,000 jazz enthusiasts during the Easter break.

Jazz Festival president Darryl Haigh says Vermillion Skies stands out amongst a fantastic crop of jazz albums.

"Nathan has produced a fresh and vibrant album with some of the finest musicians you could wish for."

The other finalists for the 2014 Best Jazz Album were Phil Broadhurst for Flaubert’s Dance and Reuben Bradley for Mantis: The Music of Drew Menzies.

Recent previous winners of the Tui for Best Jazz Album
2010 – New Zealand School of Music Big Band for Run for Cover
2011 – Reuben Bradley for Resonator
2012 – Rodger Fox’s Wellington Jazz Orchestra for Journey Home
2013 – Nathan Haines for The Poet’s Embrace

For more about Nathan Haines see: www.nathanhaines.com

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