The Brotherman Project: The Rodger Fox Big Band featuring King Kapisi with Erna Ferry

Jazz and hip-hop combine for a concert with a distinctly Kiwi twist. The Rodger Fox Big Band celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2023. Widely considered New Zealand’s leading exponent of big band music, it joins forces with multi-award-winning hip-hop legend King Kapisi for the Wellington Jazz Festival.

King Kapisi was the first hip-hop artist in New Zealand to receive the prestigious Silver Scroll Award at the APRA Awards. The award, for Songwriter of the Year, was for his 1999 single ‘Reverse Resistance’. He focuses on rapping about his Pacific heritage and ‘keeping it real’ through learning his language and knowing ‘where you are from’.

The Roger Fox Big Band has a history of collaborating with Kiwi musicians beyond the jazz world. Previous collaborators include opera singer Simon O’Neill, and concert pianist Michael Houstoun. Its interest in fusing big band music with other styles has introduced new audiences to jazz.

Premiering new arrangements of Kapisi’s back catalogue this performance will combine hip hop’s driving rhythms with a fat brass sound.