Floating Head

Recorded live during the 2020 Wellington Jazz Festival, this performance marked a point in time when most of the world’s human population was under some kind of lockdown. Restriction and uncertainty were the norm. Live performance was prohibited.

Aotearoa was unusual, in a window of calm, with no cases and no restrictions on gatherings. This concert was a rare event.

The music itself was a celebration of connection, empathy and beauty. Largely improvised, it explored the connection between artists and audience, dancing from one endless possibility to the next, connected in the moment. The beauty and joy in the performance stands in contrast to the global doom of the time.

Dayle Jellyman’s synthesizer melts together with Cory Champion’s vibraphone and Tyson Smith’s guitar forming mesmerizing rhythmic interactions which define the overall sound. Bridget Kelly and Lucien Johnson and Darren Mathiassen provide a hypnotic grounding on bass and drums.

A one chance only moment in time, happily captured, this album is a celebration of connection and beauty, a reminder that we can and do create love and beauty in even the most chaotic of times. 

Dayle Jellyman - synth, piano

Lucien Johnson - saxophones

Bridget Kelly - clarinets

Tyson Smith - guitar

Cory Champion - vibes, percussion

Patrick Bleakley - upright bass

Darren Mathiassen - drums

All compositions by Dayle Jellyman

Live recording engineer - Warwick Donald

Mixed by Dayle Jellyman

Mastered by Mike Gibson

Painting Elio1 by Kate Yesberg

Special shout out to Lee Prebble for his wisdom and kindness