Whirimako Black at the Opera House, Wellington Jazz Festival 2021. Photo: Stephen A'Court
Whirimako Black is one of Aotearoa's first ladies of song. She’s been described as the Soul Daughter of Tūhoe, and hails from the Ruatoki Valley near Whakatane. She’s sung with everyone from the NZSO to REM’s Michael Stipe, Dave Dobbyn and Salmonella Dub.
Hear her performing at the 2021 Wellington Jazz Festival here:
Whirimako Black is a champion of te reo Māori and uses it in almost all of her recordings. In 2006 she broke new ground by recording the first of three albums in which she sang jazz standards translated into te reo. In her albums Soul Sessions, Whirimako Black Sings, and the Te Reo Māori Sessions, she collaborated with top Auckland jazz musicians to bring a new linguistic spin to songs like 'Misty', 'Summertime', and 'Willow Weep for Me'.
In this Wellington Jazz Festival concert, Whirimako Black reprised some of her unique performances from those three jazz albums, plus favourites from right across her stellar recording career.
Whirimako Black was joined on stage by Hope Fuimaono and Lisa Tomlins (backing vocals), Ben Hunt (trumpet), Eilish Wilson and Louisa Williamson (saxophones), Hikurangi Schaverien-Kaa (drums), Johnny Lawrence (bass), Eugene Fuimaono (guitar) and Daniel Hayles (piano).
Producer/Engineer: Darryl Stack
Script: Nick Tipping
Music Alive Producer: Ryan Smith
Recorded by RNZ at the Opera House, Wellington
