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| Moanna And The Tribe Live in Moscow  Ethno-jazz group from New Zealand Moanna And The Tribe plays in Moscow Le Club on 7 November 2005. As a performing and recording artist, Moana has consistently pushed the boundaries of Maori music with her unique blend of traditional Maori musical elements and contemporary western grooves. In the 1990s, Moana & the Moahunters stamped their mark across the New Zealand music scene, releasing 2 CDs and taking their music to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Cultural Olympiad and Womadelaide (Australia). With a gold album and chart-topping single under her belt, Moana retired her band after headlining at the prestigious Vancouver Folk Festival, 1998. In 2002, she formed Moana & the Tribe, and took her music to Europe on the back of the CD Toru which entered the European World Charts at 17. Since then, the group has played over 100 concerts alongside artists such as Patrice, Seeed and Youssou N'Dour. In 2003, Moana & the Tribe launched the NZ feature film The Whale Rider into Germany. They were also the first N.Z band to release a Music DVD into Germany, Live & Proud. Through their recordings and live performances, the band has quickly cemented its reputation as one of the most successful indigenous groups to emerge from Aotearoa. In 2004, Moana became the first non-American to win a major USA based songwriting contest with her song Moko, beating over 11, 000 composers to win the Grand Jury Prize of the International Songwriting Competition. Offstage, Moana is one half of an award-winning documentary team with partner Toby Mills, operating as Tawera & Black Pearl Productions. She is a former television presenter, actor, radio talkback host, law graduate and advocate. She is also Trustee of the Black Pearl National Trust, a volunteer group which works to empower and motivate Maori women. In 2004, Moana was recognised by her country for her services to both Maori and Music, receiving the New Zealand Order of Merit. She was made a Lifetime Honorary Recipient of the Toi Iho-Maori Made Mark, denoting work of high quality and authenticity. And in 2005, was awarded Te Tohu Mahi Hou a Te Waka Toi, in recognition of outstanding leadership and contribution to the development of new directions in Maori art.write your comments about the article :: © 2005 Jazz News :: home page |