Presented by: Meow Nui, Wellington Jazz Festival, & Jonathan Crayford
Mambo Macoco Mambo Macoco was started and set on course by the late great bass player and band leader Bobby Vidal renown for his work with Louis Hayes, Hank Mobely and Carlos ‘Patato’ Valdez to mention a few. Brewing in the undergrowth of New York’s Lower East Side at the St Marks Bar, the Parkside Lounge and Bayamo on Broadway, Mambo Macoco in it’s eight years has attracted a loyal following to it’s charged blend of AfroCuban jazz, folkloric tradition and progressive improvisation and is a common call for touring Cuban bands such as Grupo Afro Cuba and Los Van Vans who, when in town, drop by to sit in or just to listen. It’s members include some of the most respected artists in music today and it’s heritage boasts the likes of Mario Bauza, Machito, Cachao and Dizzy Gillespie.
Upon being asked by Damian Jones, who is currently fitting out the old Salvation Army citadel on Vivian St to become Meow Nui, Wellington’s new mid-sized concert hall, to present a concert that will attract listeners and dancers alike to a performance for the Wellington Jazz Festival, Jonathan Crayford immediately thought of bringing the book of tunes from New York’s Mambo Macoco which he played with in the 90s to the Nui stage.
He has assembled an Aotearoan version of the band to play the book and the line-up features: