Palmerston North has a rich musical heritage: Mayor Grant Smith

Rodger Fox may have left the bandstand, but his selfless dedication will preserve his inspiring legacy. This photo was taken in 2004. Photo / Dean Purcell

Grant Smith is the mayor of Palmerston North.

OPINION

The sad passing last week in Palmerston North of Kiwi jazz maestro Rodger Fox prompts this month’s column. The celebrated band leader, musician, composer, arranger, promoter, educator and larger-than-life enthusiast for all things jazz enjoyed a long association with our city.

While he was not a permanent resident – more a weekend Palmerstonian – he spent plenty of time here. Rodger had been musical director of the Manawatū Jazz & Blues Festival since 2000 when he changed its format by bringing in big names from overseas as headline acts.

The trombonist took advantage of his connections and standing with the international jazz community to bring famous performers to play on Palmy stages and conduct jazz workshops, making him an unofficial ambassador for the city.

Rodger’s association with local jazz goes back to 1974. As a 19-year-old and member of jazz-rock group Quincy Conserve, he formed his own big band in 1973. The Manawatū Jazz Club then invited this new musical outfit to make its first New Zealand festival appearance here, and Rodger was happily disposed towards the city ever since.

Despite his death on the eve of this year’s jazz festival, the 57th event went ahead, culminating in a special performance by the Rodger Fox Big Band on Saturday night. In front of a sell-out crowd with Palmy vocalist Erna Ferry and American jazz musicians Matt Harris, Clay Jenkins and Corey Christiansen, the band so recently bereft of its leader put on a wonderful performance that earned a standing ovation.

Rodger’s funeral was held in the city on Tuesday, and Palmerston North can proudly lay claim to him as an adopted son.

Reflections on his passing underscore the rich musical heritage that Palmerston North has acquired during its 160-odd years of history.

For mana whenua Rangitāne kapa haka and waiata were part of everyday life. After 1864, European settlers trickling into the recently purchased and surveyed Te Ahu a Turanga block surrounding the Papaiōea clearing brought their own musical traditions.

In 1868 a local militia was raised along with its brass band – now Palmerston North Brass.

By 1875 there was a concert venue. Foresters Hall, later known as the Theatre Royal, remained the principal performance palace until the Municipal Opera House opened in 1905. By 1894 there was enough interest to form an orchestral society. In 1900, Palmerston North Operatic, now Act Three Productions, performed its first production The Pirates of Penzance.

During the 1900s there were concerts by home-grown international diva Rosina Buckman and local 7-year-old violin prodigy Victor Harris. The proliferation of church choirs led to the formation of the Palmerston North Choral Society in 1919.

In 1922, the Manawatū Performing Arts Competitions Society was established and in 1925 the Manawatū Scottish Pipe Band, which has been ranked among the world’s top 10 bands, was founded.

In the 1960s came the Manawatū Youth Orchestra and Manawatū Sinfonia, with pop music’s Mr Lee Grant and Larry Morris hailing from Palmerston North. The 1970s opened with the city centennial production of Jenny McLeod’s Under the Sun, which involved four local orchestras and four massed choirs.

In the same decade, singer Angela Ayers became a household name and the Renaissance Singers made its debut. In 1988, recording studio The Stomach, supported by the council, opened on Lombard St.

Choirs, orchestras, bands, groups and solo performers - the outpouring of local musical talent continues unabated, with music another area where the city performs well above its size. Rodger Fox may have left the bandstand, but his selfless dedication – especially to schools, youth jazz and up-and-coming musicians - will preserve his inspiring legacy.