What happens when two Māori, a Brit, and three Latin-Americans walk into a Chicago bar? They form a band, go to Memphis and record an album that mixes psychedelia with pop, jazz and rock. Then, the band promptly stops trading.
The New Zealand Trading Company album was released in the US in 1970, but only a few copies made it to New Zealand. On the back of the album the musicians stand beside the Mississippi River, resplendent in flared trousers and heavy sideburns. To get to Memphis, the members of the band took long, strange journeys.
Memphis Records
Thomas Kini - guitar
Eddie Nuku - bass
Lynn Alvarez - vocals
Kawana Waitere - vocals, piano
Neville Turner - drums
Maurice Moore - keyboards
Gonchi Sifre - drums
Jorge Casas - guitar
Alberto Carrion - piano, vocals