Jaz Coleman


To the world at large, Jaz Coleman is the fiery leader of UK post-punk rock group Killing Joke, but to New Zealand’s music community, he is something else altogether. Since choosing Aotearoa as his sanctuary in the early 90s, Coleman’s impact on our music scene has been far greater than he is typically credited for.

It was Jaz Coleman who created one of our best studios (with engineer Martin Williams and producer Malcolm Welsford); Coleman who produced the seminal early work of our best mainstream hard rock band, Shihad; and Coleman who nourished some of the most fertile threads of our Māori talent through his work with Emma Paki and Hinewehi Mohi. And it was Coleman who would write a symphony about his adopted homeland, and take it to the world.

Jaz Coleman, Phil Knight, Tom Larkin, Malcolm Welsford - York St studio
Photo credit: Photo by Murray Cammick
Jaz Coleman, Karl Kippenberger, Malcolm Welsford - Churn sessions at York St studio
Photo credit: Photo by Murray Cammick
The blessing and lifting of Tapu at the official opening of York Street Studios in 1993. The original partners are behind - Martin Williams, Malcolm Welsford and Jaz Coleman.
Jaz Coleman with Emma Paki (on the right) at the NZ Music Awards 1995
Thre producers at York Street Studios circa 1993 - George Hubbard, Jaz Coleman and (at the rear) Malcolm Welsford
Jaz in the studio, 1993
Jaz Coleman, Malcolm Welsford and Shihad's Phil Knight during the Churn sessions at York Street Studios, 1993
Malcolm Welsford, Jaz Coleman, Phil Knight - Churn sessions at York St studio
Photo credit: Photo by Murray Cammick
Labels:

Virgin


E.G. Records


Cooking Vinyl


Sony

Trivia:

Coleman’s great uncle was Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of India, “the architect” of modern India.

In 1996 Coleman was commissioned to make 15 minutes of music for a computer game, and the Auckland Philharmonia was hired for the job. Because the orchestra would do only do four-and-a-half hour sessions, he decided "to write a quick symphony", and recorded it on the back of the commission.

Strange enough? Here’s strange: “There’s a classical guitar part in the symphony, and it just so happened that the guitarist from Yes was here on holiday, so I grabbed Steve Howe and he played classical guitar on it and he was absolutely amazing.”

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