Ben at The London Bar
November 2002
Profile of Ben McNicoll - Saxophone Teacher in Auckland
Ben McNicoll plays jazz and teaches the saxophone in Auckland, New Zealand.
Since beginning to learn the alto sax at age 12, Ben has picked up tenor and soprano saxophones, which are now his main instruments for performance.
Ben studied the saxophone at Massey University's Wellington Conservatorium of Music, New Zealand's longest running jazz performance program.
Ben plays regularly around Auckland and New Zealand with several bands:
Gahu - original Afro-Jazz-Soul Fusion
Gahu have released several albums of original music to critical acclaim, and have toured the length and breadth of New Zealand. A recent highlight was opening for James Brown on his "Seven decades of Funk" tour in February 2006. Having held a residency at The London Bar for almost 2 years until it closed down, Gahu can now be seen most Fridays at The Crib on Ponsonby Rd.
The Hot Grits - more Funk, Soul and Afrobeat than you can shake a (funky) chicken at.
The Hot Grits are taking NZ by storm, and have just released the new Championship Sounds EP in late 2006.
The De Vine Trio - Cocktail jazz for functions and parties
The De Vine Trio are a perfect choice of background cocktail jazz for weddings, corporate events and parties.
For more information check out the Live Jazz section of this site.