Allana Goldsmith
“In many ways she is reminiscent of the great singers of the past. What is not redolent of past singers, however, is her preparedness to tackle adventurous modern projects.”
– Gig review, the Creative Jazz Club.
Allana Goldsmith is a Māori contemporary jazz artist that hails from the Tairawhiti region, East Coast of the North Island of Aotearoa/NZ.
Her iwi (tribes) are Ngati Porou and Ngai Tai.
Allana comes from a solid tradition of jazz singing with a love of the great standards. Allana has a unique approach to her original music, often written in Te Reo Māori. She naturally weaves together both traditions, maintaining and claiming the integrity and authenticity of them.
Allana has featured at many of the major festivals around New Zealand, including most recently at the Tauranga National Jazz Festival (2019) where she sold out her Tribute show to Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. She also featured in Waiheke International Festival (2017) and Queenstown Jazz Festival (2015) with her former band Wakakura.
Allana has released an Ep of five original waiata/songs in Te Reo Māori from 2015 to 2018. Three of which were funded by Te Māngai Pāho, the Māori Broadcasting Authority.