Described during Antipodes recent tour of Australia as “a great blowing band with dense heads, occasional free and floating segments, room for solos and some great grooves” (Canberra Jazz) this is music drawn from diverse influences ‒ modern New York jazz meets Swedish indie pop and European free improvised music. Audiences are first drawn in by introspective, timbral improvisations and then set to foot-tapping with danceable beats, songlike melodies and fiery solos.

Having extensively toured Australia and New Zealand, Antipodes are touring a new album commissioned by the Arts Council of New Zealand. The band originally formed after Jake Baxendale met Luke Sweeting at a jam session in Berlin in 2013. Their musical connection became immediately apparent and they began writing and performing original compositions together. Sweeting, from Sydney, is a pianist known for his indelible work with jazz-improv group the Grey Wing Trio and was featured in the Freedman Jazz finals in 2016. Saxophonist Baxendale, a key force behind the burgeoning Kiwi band The Jac, is one of the most energetic forces coming from the underground Wellington jazz scene. The band features the highly celebrated kiwi guitarist-composer Callum Allardice who recently won the ANPRA best jazz competition, double bassist Tom Botting who was a finalist at the 2016 and the formidably creative force of hard-grooving Sydney drummer Tim Geldens.

Tickets: $27 adult | $17 concession | $10 RCM student