The First Jazz concert to be held in Wellington for a considerable time struggled to life in the Concert Chamber on June 13. Local jazz musicians of the Wellington Musicians, Club provided almost three hours of jazz which afforded followers with another disillusionment with local talent.

The evening provided nine groups ranging from Chuck Fowler's big band with 10 members to a collection of quartets and quintets. The jazz produced, however, was generally lifeless, uninspired, unoriginal and amateurish. Only on two occasions was there any music that could qualify as average jazz.

The best performance was by the Stan Lewis Quartet, and the honours taken by leader Stan Lewis on tenor backed by a competent rhythm section headed by a competent, though unexciting drummer, Dave Parsons. Lewis on tenor was the only horn man who swung. Although the squeaks and grunts from his tenor were not of the Archie Shepp class, they indicated Lewis's attempt to play freely without being overly concerned by technical inadequacies.

Lewis was melodically pleasant and by utilising the whole range of his instrument he produced more than one solo in which he wandered around the melody with refreshing originality. The swing and freshness of the Lewis Quartet was the feature of the concert.

The rhythm sections were stilted and amateurishly behind the leaders; but their general low standard, especially in drumming, was only one of the contributing factors to the failure of the groups to play good, or even average jazz.

Another more successful effort was the Keith Evans Group—a four trombone section with rhythm section— who made well-drilled and original attempts to explore the range of harmony in this unusual combination.