Jazzy Nerves, Aching Feet, and Foxtrots: New Zealand’s Jazz Age
Come and hear Dr Aleisha Ward, the 2017 Douglas Lilburn Research Fellow, explore facets of ‘jazz’ in New Zealand’s Jazz Age. Contrary to popular belief, 1920s New Zealand was not a quiet, staid society that ‘closed at 5’. Hear about a flourishing, vibrant, urban landscape and a burgeoning jazz scene.
The 1920s were a period of musical and cultural turmoil around the world. In cultural histories of New Zealand, much of this is absent. In fact, reading many of these histories you might wonder if New Zealand even had jazz, let alone a Jazz Age.
Dr Ward will explore facets of ‘jazz’ in the Jazz Age, including how:
- jazz as both music and dance, were imported and propagated in New Zealand
- jazz was conceived of extra-musically, and
- the extra-musical concepts of jazz affected New Zealand society in the inter-war period.
Date: Wednesday, 2 May, 2018
Time: 12:10 to 1:00pm
Cost: Free. Booking is not required.
Location: Programme Rooms, Te Ahumairangi (ground floor), National Library, corner Molesworth and Aitken Streets, Thorndon.