Inverted Auckland Jazz Orchestra feat. Phil Broadhurst

• 1 Inverted 05:54
• 2 Pukeko 05:17
• 3 Pat 07:30
• 4 Positif 06:15
• 5 Black Suede Boots 05:05
• 6 Scoreless 11:00
• 7 First Shot 04:29
• 8 Flaubert's Dance 04:46
• 9 Drive 06:35
• 10 Straight and Narrow 05:21
• Total Runtime 01:02:12

Info for Inverted

"Inverted: The Music of Phil Broadhurst", a tribute to late New Zealand jazz pianist Phil Broadhurst, through new arrangements of his original compositions, with an accompanying album. Phil Broadhurst was an iconic, award-winning pianist & composer, band leader, educator and promoter of jazz in New Zealand. At his suggestion, Auckland Jazz Orchestra undertook to record a collection of works from his storied career.

Phil Broadhurst’s impact on jazz in New Zealand cannot be overstated. A pianist, composer and band-leader, broadcaster, and educator with New Zealand School of Music Te Kōkī, he championed original kiwi music and musicians, and was awarded an ONZM in 2001 for services to jazz music. Inverted recording sessions began with Phil's enthusiastic participation, but sadly he passed away in 2020 before completion.

A full 17-piece contemporary jazz big band, the Auckland Jazz Orchestra features an array of well-seasoned professionals and young talent, including arrangers Tim Atkinson, Mike Booth and Andrew Hall, all of whom had connections playing with or studying under Phil.

As Norman Meehan observes in the liner notes, Broadhurst was a man driven by melodies and these could be tender and thoughtful, more measured and considered than the jazz world sometimes is in thrall of.

But what that meant was he left a legacy of material ideally suited to a jazz orchestra which could arrange itself around the memorable tunes here: the ballads Pat (one of the two tracks Broadhurst played on before his death in 2020) and Scoreless; the punchy and slightly funky Black Suede Boots (with appropriately rock solo by guitarist Michael Gianan); Positif featuring pianist Julie Mason and tenor player Roger Manins; the Latin energy of Drive (Broadhurst again with an extremely clever solo, and altoist Joel Griffin) . . .

Auckland Jazz Orchestra
Phil Broadhurst, piano, bandleader

Recorded at the Kenneth Myres Centre (Auckland University) by John Jungseok Kim
Mixed by Steve Garden, Mike Booth and Andrew Hall
Mastered by Steve Garden
Produced by Mike Booth and Steve Garden

Auckland Jazz Orchestra
Formed in 2009, the Auckland Jazz Orchestra has the unique mission of playing solely New Zealand composed or arranged music, in a contemporary jazz style.

Comprised of professional musicians and talented graduates, the band is a co-operative led by two founding members, musical director Tim Atkinson, and band leader Mike Booth.

Phil Broadhurst
was one of New Zealand’s leading jazz artists. Pianist, composer and educator, he became the first jazz musician to be awarded the MNZM for services to jazz in 2001.

He was Head of Jazz Studies at the New Zealand School of Music (Massey University, Auckland) from 2000 to 2016, and in 2008 was awarded an MPhil for his thesis on French jazz pianist Michel Petrucciani. A well-known broadcaster, he presented the weekly jazz programme The Art of Jazz on Radio New Zealand Concert for over 20 years. His numerous credits include performing at major jazz festivals and events in New Zealand, Australia, the USA, UK and France, and collaborating with many jazz greats visiting NZ, such as Johnny Griffin, Ronnie Scott, and Scott Hamilton.

Phil was a regular player around the Auckland jazz scene, notably at the one-time premiere jazz venue the London Bar (a residency he held for many years), and as organiser and frequent performer at the annual Winter Jazz Series at the Auckland Art Gallery during the 80s and 90. Phil was also a well-known broadcaster, presenting his own programme “The Art Of Jazz” weekly on Concert FM for more than twenty years.

He released five albums on Rattle, the first three he loosely described as his “Dedication” trilogy: Delayed Reaction (2011 Jazz Album of the Year nominee) was dedicated to French pianist Michel Petrucciani, and was the subject of his Master’s thesis; Flaubert’s Dance (2013 Jazz Album of the Year nominee) was dedicated to some of Phil’s ‘international jazz heroes’; and Panacea (2015, Jazz Album of the Year WINNER) was dedicated to some of his ‘jazz heroes’ here in New Zealand.

While undergoing treatment for cancer in 2019, Phil staged a weekend-long series of concerts for friends and family that was also recorded and released as Positif, an heroic act of artistic determination that, in our view, marked the strength and character of the man.

Sadly, Phil passed away in April, 2020, but not before completing an intimate set of solo piano recordings, Soliloquy. The music was recorded in November 2019 on the grand piano in his home, then edited and mixed in the summer of 2020. The album was finished just a few weeks before Phil’s passing. He loved the end result, and we do too.

"As a writer Broadhurst avoids cliches, but at the same time he manages to avoid the obtuse. At the heart of his writing is a real warmth. The tunes take you to a familiar place even though you’ve never been there before; carried by rich harmonies and well crafted heads." John Fenton – Jazzlocal32

"Prolific and sensitive, hard-working and curious, Broadhurst is a model of the jazz musician in full bloom. Flaubert's Dance is an abundant work bursting with beauty and tenderness, with just the right notes throughout." all.about.jazz

"…there’s a tenderness and clarity of thought throughout that’s lovingly celebratory. The soloing is exceptional, the compositions robust and full of possibility." - Panacea review, Mike Alexander, Sunday Star Times

Booklet for Inverted