More in Manuka

Minque is now featuring live jazz, usually in duo format, on Saturday afternoons. I dropped in to hear Austin Benjamin and Andy Campbell, but I ended up chatting and listened too little. I caught some familiar melodies, Solar was one, and the others were similarly recognisable. Austin’s a wonderful player, but I hadn’t caught him in a standards setting. This was both subdued and perhaps more simply swinging. Andy was at home, with a serious look on his visage, and some nice, clear, and lengthy solos. Blame mates for a poor report, but it was warm and the beers went down well, and sometimes jazz is just like that. Like that for some others too, I thought, as a young patron made some obviously uninterested motions, suggesting she preferred something simpler and with a bigger beat, and perhaps double drum pedals (anyone for Dirty Pop?). Whatever, Minque has a huge window and it was opened to Manuka and the swinging tones were echoing up and down the local bars. For a warm day, it was a cool and very beer-friendly atmosphere.

Austin Benjamin (piano) and Andy Campbell (guitar) played a standards set at Minque Bar in Manuka.