Yarn

How cool is this?! Just stumbled across it and fell in love with the idea. I don't know quite how long it would last in Kings Cross though...

I'm off

 

Come get boozed, boogie and say so long to me at Mighty Mighty tomorrow night. I'm debuting some originals and also doing some of my favorite tunes including music by Erykah Badu, Gnarls Barkley, Little Dragon and The Temptations.

Wallace xxx

Blast from the past

Thought I'd post something in anticipation of Kurt Elling heading to our shores. I've been listening to him since about 13.

At the age of 16 I performed "In The Winelight" at our national jazz competition in Tauranga which was judged by Tom Warrington, Joe La Barbera and Larry Koonse. I was lucky enough to receive the "Most Outstanding Musician" award that year.

"In The Winelight" is a tune written by Grover Washington. Kurt Elling wrote lyrics to it and recorded it on his 5th studio album "Man In The Air".

Jean-Michel Basquiat

My mum and I watched, when I was younger, a film about Basquiat (The one where David Bowie plays Warhol) and we instantly fell in love with his wild art. More recently we watched "Jean-Michel Basquiat : The Radiant Child" a documentary which covers his younger years as a graffiti artist working under the name samo up until he died of a drug overdose and joined the 27 club in 1988.

Possibly one of the coolest photos I've come across. Found it in the form of a postcard at The Tate Modern shop.

Basquiat & Warhol

I seem to be drawn to artists who at some stage have used jazz as a subject in their work (funny that).

The piece below depicts a duel between Dizzy and Bird (Charlie Parker) while playing the tune "Salt Peanuts". Basquiat was an avid bebop fan and often played it while he was painting. He poured coffee over this piece before commencing to paint. Jazz, art and coffee, three of my favorite things.

Worthy Constituant, Jean-Michel Basquiat

Jazz, Jean-Michel Basquiat

Not really jazz inspired but how could I leave out a painting with such a sweet colour palette.

In Italian, Jean-Michel Basquiat - 1983

Live @ WOW

Live @ WOW by Wallace Gollan

Wallace Gollan - Vocals
Reuben Bradley - Drums
Nick Tipping - Bass
Dan Hayles - Keys

Tracks recorded by Soundpit soundpit.co.nz
 

Carmen McRae

Love this woman. So very hip!

Larry Rivers

 

Just recently been getting back into painting. Thought it was about time to start posting up a little bit of art as well as music to this blog. 

I was introduced to Larry Rivers at high school, where he was extremely influential in my art. Larry Rivers is somewhere in between Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art and regarded as one of the founders of Pop Art.

Larry Rivers, was, not only an exceptional artist but also an accomplished jazz musician (among many other things). The fact that he was a saxophone player and was friends with Miles Davis makes him even cooler (if that's even possible) in this jazz cat's eyes.

 Larry Rivers, Daniel Webster on a Flesh Field II, 1979

Money, 1965
Mixed media: color serigraph, plexiglass and paperboard

"Three Camels" (1962)