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Mark de Clive-Lowe

© Anne-Marie de Bruin

Auckland jazz pianist Mark de Clive-Lowe is one of the leading lights in the New Zealand music scene, as his hectic schedule attests to. Twenty-three year old Mark (mother Japanese, father New Zealand European), released two albums last year (First Thoughts and Vision), co-owns independent jazz label,Tap Records and plays most nights in bars.

Mark's current work includes playing with the live drum and bass project FLOOD (with DJs Manuel Bundy, ShortFuse and Stinky Jim.) Mark also has an album release on a major label planned for mid-year, which will be released under his own name. He is also busy with MOZAMBIQUE, which specialises in Afro-Caribbean rhythms.

I spoke to Mark to get the low-down on his "projects" and hoping to get an insider look on what really goes down in notorious Auckland celeb hangout the Dragon Bar!

What were the main differences between the two albums, First Thoughts and Vision?

"The first album was just documenting the few tunes I'd written over the year, and some music I wanted to get recorded. It was a really casual session. We just went to a private little concert lounge in Remuera and did a mobile recording. The second album was a lot more planned."

Which is your favourite project?

"I love them all! I'm really enjoying the drum and bass thing at the moment, the live project, FLOOD and also working on the new studio album at Uptown Studios, with Alan Jansson (who produced OMC and Nathan Haines). The whole vibe of creating music that's not so much about cerebral art, as just getting through to people my age and younger, playing to club audiences that are all dancing and stuff, that's a lot of fun. Playing jazz concerts where everyone's sitting down, being very mature and drinking their wine, that's great too, but its really a different kind of buzz playing to a vibing, jumping club audience."

What about CHIAROSCURO (Afro-Eurasian jazz explorations) at the Maidment Theatre on January 30?

"It's an acoustic jazz concert, but bringing together different influences. We've got one guy from Ghana, a bass player from New York, a sax player from San Francisco. Its to get a global sound to my music- its kind of like world music meets jazz."

What's the band MOZAMBIQUE about?

"I really dig a lot of Afro-Cuban music and Caribbean music. MOZAMBIQUE is the vehicle to develop that and understand more about it. It's jazz music with a Caribbean musical foundation, so all the rhythms are kind of Afro-Cuban and Salsa."

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