jazzpiano.co.nz

Georgia Funk – An exciting and dynamic groove quartet! Georgia Funk is a retro-based funk, soul and old school RnB outfit playing songs by Aretha Franklin, Stevie Wonder, Herbie Hancock, Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers and more!

An evening with Georgia Funk will get you dancing and grooving your socks off! But that’s not all, Georgia Wood’s powerhouse vocals cut through the air leaving listeners with no doubt to her vocal prowess.

Jazz pianist Mark Baynes and 6-string bassist Alex Griffith also carve up exciting and tasteful improvisation, the end result is uplifting as these classic songs take on a new lease of life. The Lineup includes (but is not limited to) Georgia Wood (Vox), Mark Baynes (Keys), Alex Griffith (Bass) and Lance Bentley (Drums). Currently residing at the Grand Central Bar (126 Ponsonby Road) every Friday 10pm till late.

ABRSM Professional Development Day 2007

Jazz Workshop (a transcript of above)

The Jazz Workshop will be designed specifically to give participants an understanding of improvisation and jazz performance. The workshop is geared towards bridging the gap between traditional education and the ABRSM Jazz Course. It is ideal for teachers with students who wish to experiment with jazz and need help knowing how to approach the topic. The session will be interactive, with Mark demonstrating on the piano and attendees trying some of the topics first hand on keyboards provided. By the end of the class you will be able to play at least one lead sheet and will understand swing rhythms and common jazz scales.
Mark Baynes is a British born jazz pianist who has been living in Auckland for two years, performing nearly every day at venues around the city. Mark is a “Schools Link Organisation” member, liaising with the Education Department of the Auckland Philharmonia, and providing teaching solutions aimed at satisfying Music Technology school education requirements set out in the New Zealand Arts Curriculum. He regularly receives referrals from the New Zealand School of Music, helping students prepare for the BMus Jazz Performance Degree offered in Albany and Wellington.

I can’t take all of the credit for this, my talented fiancee Arianwen Thomas designed the original logo and we had help from Glen French (www.glenfrench.co.nz) who helped me settle on a final design.  It will appear on the website as soon as I can work out how!

Jazz Piano Logo

Now maybe I’m just getting too flash for my own boots! Ha

New Business Card

A 1500 word essay.  Dark Side of the Moon – A Critique

Dark Side Critique

A 3000 word essay discussing the characteristics of the true Pink Floyd sound.  Albums compared are Meddle, Wish You Were Here, and Final Cut.

Pink Floyd Middle Years Essay

A 1500 word analysis of one of Pink Floyds most successful songs, and a dedication to the late Syd Barrett.

Shine on you Crazy Diamond

A university essay comparing Brazilian Like and Brazilian Suite.  Both compositions were written by the french jazz pianist Michel Petrucciani and contain many musical similarities.

Michel Petrucciani Essay – The Two Brazilians

I am a reading and improvising professional Pianist / Keyboard Player, and have over 10 years of international experience playing for blue chip clients such as the Hilton Chain, Seabourn Luxury Yachts, the ‘All Blacks’ Rugby Team, Hayley Westrena, and the BBC. I regularly play with of some Aucklands leading jazz outfits and have enjoyed working with quality acts such as Battucada Sound Machine, King Kapisi, Don McGlashan, Anika Moa, Annie Crummer, and Tama Waipara.  I have been broadcast on Homegrown on C4, Juice and Alt TV.  I have taught piano and jazz for 5 years for institutions such as the New Zealand School of Music, ABRSM, Corelli School of the Arts, and privately, from my home.