International jazz supergroup lvdf bring their genre-bending, globally informed sound to New Zealand for an exclusive appearance at the Wellington Jazz Festival.
All acclaimed bandleaders in their own right, lvdf is a cross-cultural quartet featuring Myele Manzanza (NZ/UK) on drums, Alex Hitchcock (USA/UK) on saxophone, Michelangelo Scandroglio (ITALY) on double bass and special guest Daniel Hayles (NZ) on piano and synths (stepping in for Maria Chiara Argirò). Their fresh sound fuses jazz with electronic textures, global rhythms and raw improvisation.
With Wellington-raised Myele Manzanza returning from London for this special hometown performance, lvdf will perform his groundbreaking Festival commission Music for a Multi-Polar World. This bold new work explores shifting global narratives through sound and draws on events from Brexit to the conflicts in Gaza, Sudan and Congo. Manzanza reflects “I’ve noticed how much the geopolitical shifts have unsettled and angered me, as well as shifting and widening my views on the world, and giving me some things to be hopeful for amidst change.” The work channels both the uncertainty and hope of a rapidly changing world.
The set will also feature tracks from lvdf’s upcoming self-titled EP - a bold and electric statement from a group as diverse in experience as it is unified in vision.
Only in Wellington - don’t miss the debut of one of modern jazz’s most exciting new ensembles, live at Meow Nui.
Commissioned by Wellington Jazz Festival
This lvdf performance is supported by Help Musicians UK, Embassy of Italy, Wellington & Comites Nuova Zelanda