Nathan Haines & Jonathan Crayford

Two of New Zealand's most respected and Internationally acclaimed musicians are joining forces for a special Australian tour.

Nathan Haines and Jonathan Crayford first started playing together in the early '90s in New York. They forged a friendship and started to play with local musicians and forming bands, as well as immersing themselves in many different styles of music.

While Nathan moved to London in the mid '90s and forged his own international path recording several albums and playing many International festivals, Jonathan remained mostly in New York where he worked with bands Groove Collective and musicians such as Kurt Rosenwinkel and saxophonist David Murray.

Both multiple recipients of the Tui Award for Jazz album of the year in their native New Zealand, and both having had multiple albums released in the UK and Europe, this electric duo bring both of their respective careers and love of music to the fore with an incredible symbiosis forged from a deep friendship lasting almost 30 years.

Their most recent collaboration "Adagio" saw Jonathan arranging the works of Mahler, Satie, Samuel Barber and more in a string trio setting, with Nathan on flutes and soprano sax. This group played both the Wellington and Christchurch Festival of the Arts to standing ovations.

"Through all the sets, it was obvious that Crayford and Haines have a great working relationship, both in harmony with each other, understanding impeccably their styles to produce a wonderful musical sound." - Simon Sweetman, Stuff NZ