Nathan Haines

With eight solo albums, four of those released internationally, and guests spots on hundreds of releases, Nathan Haines has been at the forefront of modern soul, jazz and electronic music for over 20 years.

His albums Squire for Hire and Soundtravels produced in London by Phil Asher have remained classics, and featured an incredible array of talent including US soul legend Marlena Shaw, UK diva Vanessa Freeman, US poet Rich Medina, Damon Albarn in his D2 guise singing a Steely Dan cover, plus the hit singles Earth is the Place (released on Francois Kervorkian's US label) and Squire for Hire.

Nathan has also recorded an album with the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, with arrangements by the Grammy award winning Alan Broadbent, and has played many major festivals and clubs throughout the world including the 2010 Java Jazz Festival, Tokyo Blue Note, the North Sea Jazz Festival, London's Jazz Cafe and Ronnie Scotts, and the UK's Southport Weekender. Collaborations and album sessions include Marlena Shaw, Reel People, Jamiroquai, Marco di Marco, 4-Hero, Da Lata, Masters at Work, Louie Vega, and many more.

Heaven and Earth, Nathan's seventh studio album was released on Warner Music in March 2010 to critical acclaim, and the band recently played the main stage at Java Jazz Festival in Jakarta over three nights. Vanessa Freeman once again features on the single It's Alright, and guitarist brother Joel features strongly on material the pair have written together. Recorded between Nathan and Joel's studios and Neil Finn's superb Roundhead Studios in Auckland, drummer Mickey Ututaonga is captured to good old fashioned tape, and UK vocalist Kevin Mark Trail features on the dub-heavy single Pathway. Vanessa shares vocal duties with Mike Patto and Nathan for the 8-minute epic Etched Into Gold, and Nathan sings the title track Heaven and Earth. Much more experimental than previous releases, this album also features artwork by iconic New Zealand artist Martin Poppelwell.

Nathan and his new line-up titled "The Dream Band" supported Roxy Music at the Villa Maria Estate in Auckland in Feb 2011, and Nathan joined the Auckland Philharmonic Orchestra in early May 2011, after also appearing at the iconic Waiheke Island Jazz Festival over Easter Weekend.

- NathanHaines.com