“Winner of the Tui 2006 Best Jazz Album, and quite rightly so. The compositions are very very strong on this CD but even more spectacular is the playing of the big band.” (Mark Robinson George FM)
Vaughn Roberts is one of New Zealand's finest composers and arrangers. His album "Grrreat Stuff!" composed and arranged for Big Band was recognised as Jazz Album of the Year at the 2006 New Zealand Music Awards. His arrangements have been performed and recorded by the likes of Will Martin, Midge Marsden, Frankie Stevens, The Beatgirls, The Ladykillers (Tina Cross, Jackie Clarke, Taisha and Suzanne Lynch), and heard on shows such as TVNZ's "Singing Bee" and TV3's "Coca Cola Christmas in the Park". His music is regularly featured on Air New Zealand in-flight entertainment.
Vaughn is one of the country's prominent jazz trumpeters. He is lead trumpet on the live band for TVNZ's award winning series "Dancing With The Stars". He has performed worldwide with such artists as Norah Jones, Kiri Te Kanawa, Rob Guest, Hayley Westenra, and Gerry Mulligan. While musical director aboard Norwegian Cruise Line he was recognised as Musician of the Year for his services to the company.
Vaughn received a Masters degree in Music Performance from the prestigious University of North Texas, where he was a teaching fellow and member of the Grammy nominated "One O'Clock Lab Band". He has served on the faculty of the New Zealand School of Music, teaching theory, improvisation, composition and arranging, and instrumental lessons. His experience has also been shared with the New Zealand Jazz Foundation where he was a committee member for several years, twice directing the New Zealand High School Jazz Orchestra in 2006 and 2007. He is currently co-ordinator of the New Zealand School of Music Jazz Academy - a programme for gifted high school students.
