Where is the jazz in New Zealand?

Having spent a thousand years wondering about this I have arrived at no definitive answer - not one that will satisfy anyone out there looking for it. Of course there is every chance that no one particularly cares. I can say that JAZZ in its various forms is alive and well in the Land of the Long White Cloud, however, there is a prevailing wisdom that says nothing existed of this nature prior to 1950 (an oft cited date for the first JAZZ concert at the Town Hall in Auckland). Ask Dennis Huggard about JAZZ prior to this - he is one of the few that we know about who has collected ephemera from the past century on Kiwi Jazz. Luckily if you don't know Dennis personally you can access some of his vast archive at the Alexander Turnbull Library - www.tapuhi.natlib.govt.nz - not that accessing New Zealand archives is particularly easy or cost effective from a distance. But what of all those private collections stored in dusty boxes of old musicians' basements. Wouldn't it be nice to get them out in the sunshine for everyone to look at. I just wanted to let those old collections and collectors know that I care and if they feel the need to expose themselves I am happy to hear from them.

With three years of writing and research under my belt I have much more to say on this topic - and more - so as I enter into my first online blogspot I look forward to expounding theories, venting spleen and JAZZing in this space. More later...