A true New Zealand jazz legend will be remembered this year at the 58th National Jazz Festival in Tauranga, with Saturday and Sunday nights at the festival promising some poignant and emotional moments.

Phil Broadhurst, who passed away in April 2020 after battling cancer for almost two years, is widely acknowledged as one of the country's leading jazz artists.

A pianist, composer and educator, Phil became the first jazz musician to be awarded the MNZM for services to jazz in 2001.

During his prolific career he performed in London and Paris, and enjoyed collaborations with many jazz greats, including saxophonists Ronnie Scott, Johnny Griffin and Scott Hamilton. In 2016, Phil won a NZ Music Awards Jazz Tui for the third album in his trilogy, Panacea, and in 2019 he released his fourth album Positif.

The Kiwi Jazz Legends and the Auckland Jazz Orchestra will be celebrating the music of this widely respected and much loved composer and pianist on Saturday, April 3, at the Addison Theatre, Baycourt.

Julie Mason.

Phil's wife Julie Mason will lead the Kiwi Jazz Legends, performing Phil's favourite standards. The group is made up of Kim Paterson on trumpet, Brian Smith on tenor saxophone, Frank Gibson on drums, Julie Mason on piano and vocals, and Alberto Santarelli on bass.

Following this, the Auckland Jazz Orchestra will perform a selection of Phil's recorded works. Led by musical director Tim Atkinson, the orchestra has five saxophonists, four trumpet players, four playing trombones, as well as a guitarist, pianist, bass player and a drummer.

Kevin Field.

On Sunday night, in the X Space Theatre at Baycourt, Kevin Field's Supergroup bring the ultimate star line-up with saxophonist Nathan Haines, bass clarinetist Lewis McCallum and guitarist Keith Price – all respected bandleaders in their own right. Completing the virtuoso ensemble will be Kevin Field on piano, Cameron McArthur on bass and Steve Thomas on drums.

Kevin, a composer as well as a jazz pianist, has collaborated with some of the top international names in jazz, including Grammy-nominated guitarists Mike Moreno and Nir Felder, bassists Matt Penman, Orlando le Fleming and Charles Haynes – the drummer/producer for Kanye West and Lady Gaga.

He has featured on over 40 albums, is a senior lecturer in jazz studies at the University of Auckland and holds a doctorate in musical arts, awarded for research into the development of new and innovative approaches to jazz improvisation and composition.

To Phil Broadhurst with Love will be performed at the Addison Theatre, Baycourt at 8pm on Saturday, April 3.

Kevin Field's Supergroup will be performing at 8pm on Sunday, April 4, at X Space Theatre, Baycourt.

Tickets are available via Ticketek.

Lewis McCallum.