One of the things about moving house is that you get to see everything you own, an occasion of mixed feelings at the very least.
What it confirmed to me is that I seem to have a helluva lot of CDs, more than any sensible person could ever claim a need for.

So I've been having a crack at sorting them out, putting them into some sort of comprehensible array where there is at least a vague chance of finding something specific. For the first time I decided to bung a whole lot of them in a New Zealand Music area, and I was amazed by quite how many Kiwi albums there were amongst the chaos.
What particularly surprised me, seeing them in one place, were the number of albums from the Bay of Plenty – Tauranga and Mount bands from over the years, music in a huge variety of styles.
Just a quick glance now and I can see everything from Carol Storey's Mokomoko album of songs in Te Reo to The Tauranga Big Band, light opera from Sharon Elizabeth, country music from the good ol' Kaimai Cowboys, Redwood's alt folk, heavy rock from Stormfish and Stardrunk and even heavier rock from Metal Tower and From The Dark. There's rockabilly from the B-Side Band, acoustic guitar stylings from Knox Welsh and electric guitar artistry from Sean Bodley.
And that's without the usual suspects: Brilleaux, John Michaelz, Dave Roy, Tracie de Jong, Torch Songs and Kokomo, all of whom have multiple albums to their name.
There are a lot more, because I'm lucky enough to get given CDs to review, but mainly because I make a point of buying any local CD I see for sale at any local gig. I'm proud to have them in my collection, be they from Luke Thompson, Terra Firma, Abstract Thought or Mellow Drops. (And let me apologise to anyone right now if I got a CD from you and promised to review it… and then forgot. It wasn't intended as a slight on your music, merely an indication of my rotten organisational skills.)
One person who appears several times on the Kiwi Music shelves is Marion Arts, folk singer, jazz singer, songwriter, and splendid guitarist, who is always challenging herself with complex new musical projects: currently she is playing in a gypsy-swing duo with her husband Robbie Laven, exploring the dizzying precision of Django Reinhardt's music. A few week's ago I wrote of a concert launching an album she has just made with their son Oscar – a horn and woodwind wizard – and I've finally had a chance to listen to the disc itself, a thoughtful collection of classical and original pieces arranged by Marion for nylon string guitar and bassoon called Bassoon & Guitar Al Fresco.
And it's a lovely bit of work. The big classical pieces are Telemann's 'Sonatina in A Minor” and Vivaldi's 'Concerto in A Minor”. Both transfer beautifully to the combination of woodwind and classical guitar and are poised and well played. There are also two Bach pieces. Most striking for me though are three tunes of Marion's, her two-part 'Dervish Set” and the solo guitar outing 'Swan on Pacific Basin”.
Hat's off to Tim Julian at Colourfield Studio in Welcome Bay for a lovely recording: the bassoon sounds occasionally distant but the classical guitar has a vibrant warmth and presence, and the album is a fine listening experience. You probably won't find it in the shops – try [email protected]
And one last thing…
After a couple of weeks' worth of columns about internet woes, I thought you might be interested in a happy ending, so to speak. Here's some good news. I had an email from Louise, who was mentioned in last week's column, one of the many people in Tauranga (Welcome Bay this time), unable to receive broadband. Out of the blue – given that the date previously given for connection was 2011 – she got a call from Telecom last week to say she would be connected immediately.
Much as I would like to claim some sort of Fair Go-like ability to solve consumer woes, I think it more likely that we chalk this one up to the gods of coincidence. But, credit where credit's due – good work Telecom, one more happy customer.