An EXPLOSIVE mix of Reo Māori & Big Band Jazz

Te Tira Nui Tautito Reo Māori Project

About TNT!

TNT! is a musical project incorporating the explosive power of big band jazz with the mana, rhythmic pizazz and beautiful lyricism of waiata Māori.
It features Wellington’s Capital City Big Band and a team of top-notch musical personalities, led by Vaughn Roberts, fronted by Lisa Tomlins, Greg Crayford, and special guest Jeremy Hantler — combining to do something creative and new, where big band meets te ao Māori.

The programme features bespoke musical arrangements, presented bilingually and sung in Te Reo Māori in a friendly and accessible format. It involves newly commissioned works, stage music, kaupapa Māori, big heart, and great excitement!

Gigs are booked from late 2025 through 2026, including the National Jazz Festival Youth Jazz Competition in Tauranga at Easter. Any major music or cultural festival is an ideal vehicle for the project here in our home base of Te Whanganui-a-Tara, or anywhere around the motu.

This symbiosis of big band jazz and Te Ao Puoro Māori combines:

• Traditional waiata Māori showband repertoire such as Me He Manurere, Hoki Mai, Tōku Reo Tōku Ohooho

• Great American Songbook jazz standards translated into te reo Māori and arranged for big band, dubbed ‘Te Tino Pukawaiata Māori’

This combination is unique in its scope — no one has presented these diverse areas in such a way before.

Key People

Lisa Tomlins — Singer/Frontperson
(Ngāti Kahungunu ki Heretaunga, Ngai Tahu, Ngāti Toa)
One of New Zealand’s most in-demand session singers. Performed with Rhombus, Shaken Not Stirred, Hollie Smith, Deva Mahal, ShapeShifter, Fat Freddy’s Drop, TrinityRoots, Little Bushman, and many more.

Vaughn Roberts — Musical Director/Arranger
(Ngāti Pākehā)
Internationally recognised composer, arranger, and trumpet player. Worked with Tim Finn, Norah Jones, Steve Gadd, Dave Weckl, Robben Ford, James Carter, and others. Musical Director of Capital City Big Band. Winner of Jazz Album of the Year at the 2006 NZ Music Awards.

Jeremy Hantler — Singer/Frontperson
(Kai Tahu, Ngāti Pākehā)
An educator, facilitator, and musician widely known for his work with The Harmonic Resonators, he has long collaborated with Māori communities to bring waiata and Te Ao Māori concepts into mainstream education and musical spaces. Jeremy found resonance with the CCBB kaupapa by liaising with whānau to ensure appropriate permissions for waiata Māori and by contributing his own Te Reo translations to the repertoire.

Greg Crayford — Assistant Musical Director, Māngai Māori, Key Organiser, Drummer
(Ngāti Kahungunu ki Te Wairoa, Ngāti Raukawa ki te Tonga, Ngāti Tūwharetoa)
Tui-nominated musician, creative force behind Wellington’s longest-running jazz residency. Fluent reo speaker and educator. Has performed with The Drifters, The Coasters, Buddy Rich Big Band alumni, Bruce Paulson, Mike Brignola, Rodger Fox, Roger Manins, Bret McKenzie, and many others. Former member of London-based kapa haka group Ngāti Rānana, performing waiata Māori to the royal family.

Liam Boyle — Assistant Musical Director/Cultural Adviser/Musician
Jeromie Clark — Assistant Musical Director/Finance/Musician
Candace Smith — Funding/Promotion

About Capital City Big Band

CCBB has been a fixture of the Wellington jazz scene for 15+ years, performing hundreds of gigs at festivals and events across the motu.

Technical & Show Details

• Duration: 90 minutes (two sets, flexible format)

• Stage: Fixed stage large enough for a full big band

• Ideal for: Kaupapa Māori festivals, jazz festivals

• Instrumentation: 5 saxophones, 5 trombones, 5 trumpets, piano, guitar, bass, drums, vocals

• Technical requirements: Keyboard, amplifiers, drums, mics for all sections (or just vocals/soloists)

Contact

Greg Crayford
📧 info@ccbb.nz