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The members of this trio are certainly no strangers to each other. Over the years,
they have been a mainstay of the acclaimed Rua Collective and have collaborated
together on many occasions. Their recent performance at the annual Summertimes Festival's Lazy Sunday event, held in the Botanic Gardens of Christchurch was so warmly received that they felt, in the musical sense of things, there was definitely some unfinished business to fulfil.
When forming the trio, there remained the problem of what to call it. '3 Piece Lounge', 'Stanway Three' and 'Unfinished Business' were all quickly dismissed in favour of their individual surnames.
On first name terms, Denny is well known for her ability to engage the audience and
draw the listener in, with her expressive interpretations of great songs. Ever since her
seminal work with the band 'Acoustic Confusion', she has developed a vocal style
that is assured in delivery and portrays warmth, together with a distinctive edge. She
has appeared on recordings by Folk luminaries, Wayne Gillespie and Martin Curtis
and on the work of singer/songwriters Shona Laing and the late Mahinarangi Tocker.
Jon has gained renown for his incisive fingerpicking style, which has all the hallmarks
of the British influence but is also underpinned by American Rag and Blues techniques. Since his arrival in New Zealand in 1986, he has been in demand as an accompanist,soloist, band member and guitar teacher. His recordings include those with Blues artists Izzy Miller Bell and Billy Vallance and more recently with contemporary band, Emeralds
and Greenstone.
James, who completes the trio is a highly intuitive musician. He plays the guitar, fretless bass and sings, all with great invention. For this reason, he is much in demand as a studio and performing artist. His list of credits is extensive and includes work in Shona Laing's 'Sparrow Band', as part of Mahinarangi Tocker's 'Mongrel Mob' and in the very popular duo ‘The Jimmies’ pairing with Piper, Jimmy Young. |
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