Chris Sang

Chris has been playing the bass guitar since the age of 14, and has been a part of the music scenes in Hawkes Bay, Bay of Plenty, Waikato, Northland and Auckland.

One of his first gigs was playing bass at a small Napier restaurant in a jazz trio at the age of 15 and he has not looked back since then. Chris is comfortable playing bass in small bands as well larger big bands and has played bass in bands for a number of stage productions. He has played in various jazz combos at the Jazz Festivals in Tauranga, Rotorua and Hamilton and has also played bass in jazz / swing Big Bands based in Hawkes Bay, Tauranga and Auckland. He was one of the early members of Auckland’s Queen City Big Band soon after it formed in the late 1970’s.

Chris played bass with the well known Bay of Plenty based Jazz Band - Dr Jaz, over a period of 20 years. The Dr Jaz band played weekly at venues in Rotorua and Tauranga and became well known for its Dixieland jazz music and for inviting visiting musicians up to play a number or two. Many local and overseas musicians took up this opportunity.

The Bay of Islands Jazz Festivals became an annual pilgrimage for the Dr Jaz band and even when Chris shifted north to Whangarei, he would still join up with the band coming up from Bay of Plenty to play bass with them at the festival. The Dr Jaz band was the supporting band that backed many visiting musicians from New Orleans such as: Oliver Jones (piano), Art Hodes (piano), Tim Laughlin (clarinet), Steamboat Willie (trumpet), Duke Heitger (trumpet), and Robert Harris (trombone).

The highlight of Chris’s music career is was when the Dr Jaz band was invited to play at the New Orleans Heritage Jazz and Heritage Festival in 2002. Band Leader Dr Neil McKenzie had a long association with the music scene in New Orleans and used to take groups of people for tours there. While at the festival, the band played at number of venues – local bars, on the Mississippi steamers Natchez and Creole Queen and on an open stage in the middle of Bourbon St, New Orleans - the “Birthplace of Jazz”.

Now days Chris enjoys playing the relaxing, laid-back jazz / easy listening music of the band “Good Oil”. He says …“Good Music plus Good Company with some Good Wine gives you Good Oil”.

Chris hopes you that if you get a chance to see/listen to the band live, that you will take up the opportunity !!