Malcolm McNeill

"That's my kinda music" said Bill Clinton when Malcolm McNeill sang at a Presidential dinner in Christchurch during the President's New Zealand visit. "A terrific singer and a really great voice". Malcolm McNeill has a way of getting inside a great song and handing it to you as fresh as the day it was written. That's what President Clinton heard: not just a superb voice but also a natural interpreter. Give this masterly performer a Cole Porter standard or a Jobim Bossa Nova and he'll sing it so you've got it under your skin. Malcolm McNeill has long been considered New Zealand's finest jazz singer. For over 30 years his unique artistry and intelligent approach have earned him the enthusiastic and loyal following of aficionados both in his own country and around the world. Growing up in Christchurch, New Zealand, he sought out from an early age the recordings that caught his ear: singers such as Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Mel Torme and instrumentalists like Bird, Dizzy, Oscar Peterson and other jazz greats. On New Zealand radio, jazz was not often heard or played back then, and Malcolm became, literally, a unique voice - pioneering the sound of vocal jazz in New Zealand's music scene. Repertoire Malcolm seeks out what he calls "songs with staying power, which don't reveal it all in the first hearing". His repertoire ranges from songs of George Gershwin, Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hart, Harold Arlen, Hoagy Carmichael, Cy Coleman, etc, to contemporary material by New Zealand and international composers. He consistently demonstrates that, whatever the style, good songs are here to stay. Malcolm's talent has taken him all over the world. In England, singer Mark Murphy and composer/pianist/singer Richard Rodney Bennett helped Malcolm to get established in London. He formed a long lasting friendship and musical association with Cleo Laine and John Dankworth who regard Malcolm as one their "all-time favourite singers". As well as touring the UK with their orchestra, he has performed at festivals in Holland, France, Italy, Bombay, Australia and New Zealand. He has toured Japan on several occasions, where his own song " Melissa" was a hit. Malcolm performs with all the major orchestras in New Zealand. He has been a soloist for Britain's BBC orchestra's, and has performed with the Symphony of Nice for a Gershwin festival in the south of France. He has recorded with the ABC orchestra in Sydney and in a concert recording for the ABC with Sir William Southgate and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. With 9 recordings to his credit - Malcolm is a top selling New Zealand artist. He is the only artist to have recorded a popular duet album with acclaimed Opera Diva Kiri Te Kanawa - for which he wrote the title song "HEART TO HEART". The album made the American Billboard best seller list for a "cross-over" recording. Dame Kiri says of Malcolm that "he is in his own right - a great artist". In New York Malcolm performed at the 11th Mabel Mercer Foundation New York Cabaret Convention in 2000. 2002 He toured New Zealand with USA Guitarist Bruce Forman. Pianist/arranger Alan Broadbent and Malcolm performed in concert together as part of the 2002 Christchurch International Jazz Festival. In October 2002 Malcolm will run vocal workshops at Magnetic Island jazz week and then in concerts Sydney. A concert with the Christchurch City Choir in October Malcolm newest CD was recorded with Dave Frishberg and trio in Portland Oregon. Increasingly Malcolm has become involved in teaching and production. He is a dedicated supporter of local artists, frequently producing shows that create opportunities for new young performers. He is the visiting senior tutor for jazz vocal studies at Massey University in Wellington. Recognition for his achievements include the 1990 New Zealand Commemoration Medal for services to music and the Trust Bank Arts Excellence Award.