October 7, 2025 • 8 mins
This week on Music Time Nick and James revisit the guitar gods list and controversially add a worst list to the equation.
Plus, buckle yourself in for an eclectic journey of the best gigs to head to at The Wellington Jazz Festival.
LISTEN ABOVE
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talks, Biggs, new releases, and keeping tabs on
local artists. It's music time on Wellington Mornings.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Okay, it's the time that I always look forward to.
We're doing it on a Wednesday instead of a Tuesday
because we had the hot meural candidates on yesterday. James E. Irwin,
good morning, I'm welcome. I had better use your surname.
I mean, most famous people that were of your note
only used their first note first name. But JAMESI, how
you going? What's good?
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Hey?
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Look, I've had a lot of hate in the last
week a up. You know how last time we spent
we spoke about guitar gods. You know who do we have?
We had we had all the kings there. We had
Jimmy Hendrix, we had Jeff bet we had Carlos Santana,
m Page, Eric Clapton, we had a whole Prince Prince
we had that was our ultimate, wasn't it?
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Prince Prince so so?
Speaker 4 (01:05):
And I've had a lot a lot of people stopped me.
I was at the Tammy Nelson gig the other night
and a listener who I didn't even know who they were,
but they knew me. Came up and talked to me
about it. My dentist John Singleton, and Carrori he he
actually came into my surgery last week and said Slash
was the greatest guitarist, which cracked me up. He interrupted,
I was with the other guy. Alex came and interrupted me.
That was good fun. So we got a lot of track.
(01:28):
We've got a heap of traffic on the old text machine.
In fact, I'm just standing up. I'm turning off the
text I'm turning off the text machine because I won't hear.
I won't have any nonsense today. Nick us the worst
I'm going to go because I did say last time,
and people have been chipping me that we never went
through the bad list. We talked about it, let's not,
you know, and we gave a lot of delusional praise
(01:48):
last time to some pretty amazing guitarists in the unofficial
official news talks there b list, but you know.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
In the guitar gods.
Speaker 4 (01:57):
So every mention, every guitarist we mentioned last time, they were,
you know, undeniably talented.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
This is undeniably talented day with a great satus.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
So This isn't a hit piece, but you're going to
think it's a hit piece.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
We're not here to say this guy's trash or launch
into a James E rant. We're not going to dock
points from the likes of Angus Young, Jack Whieter, Keith
Richards just because the big riff heavy guys or Eddie
van Halen with his finger tapping nonsense that he does.
You know, So today I'm going to hit that list,
and some might be controversial because they might have been
in the greatest list.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
The worst guitar you this.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
First one when he when he first hit the scene
in the late sixties, the fusion of electric blues and
Latin rhythm was electric. He found his groove early, but
he never really left it. Fifty years later, he's recycling
the same old licks. What was groundbreaking now feels like
reheated leftovers. And you're going to be mad about this one.
Carlos Santana.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Has he done anything new? Has he done any new?
Speaker 4 (02:54):
Nick?
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Okay? Who else? Okay? This one?
Speaker 4 (02:59):
This guy would noodle away for hours. He didn't make
the hot list. Let's not pretend he was always captivating.
Most of the audience were pretty much much blissed out
on whatever they used to take at their shows to
notice when he drifted off, of course, and of course
that would be Jerry Garcia and all I can already
hear the text machine pinging.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
People are getting mad.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
And then controversially, this man is a legend for sure,
also kind of the blueprint for the overly serious, self
important guitarists. He had worked with the birds Cream Derek, And.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
You're going to bring this up because because he's the
elitist of the elite guitarist. Correct, But every guitarist would
put every great guitarist in the world would put him
in their top three or four. And he's that's why.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
You're I know you're getting mad at me.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
No, no, no, I know you're bagging him because he's elitist.
He is, but let's be real.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
His creative spark fizzled out ages ago. He's been churning
out bland, safe material ever since. Who would that be,
Eric Callapton.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Well, he's got to be close to eighty, close to
eighty years. I think he's actually even turned out.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
And then there's one that has to be in there
for only one reason, and Pete Townshend and everyone's screaming
at the radio throwing it into the bin. Not a
bad player by any stretch in fact, and completely incredible.
But I'm putting him in this list for one reason.
The amount of gorgeous GUITARSI smashed up.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Oh go, So there you go.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
So we're gonna head on. Let's hit some music with
the Jazz Festival. This guy's coming to play.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Down and take the dream. This is Gregory Porter.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
We've got the Jazz Festival starting on Saturday, going right
through the following Sunday week.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Now, if you are into jazz.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Don't freak out.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
But don't freak out. If you're not into jazz, you think,
oh jazz, that's not my thing. It is your thing
because there is gonna be jazz, hip hop, there's gonna
be fusion, there's gonna be funk, there's gonna be sold
there's gonna be blues. There is everything across the spectrum
at the Wellington Jazz Festival.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
It is one of the greatest shows.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
I know people from Australia who come over to it.
There is over two hundred shows in an eight day
period and there's gonna be some goodies to be stuff
at the you know, like there's gonna bey Hancock has
been in the past. Yeah, and I mean there's gonna
be you know, things on JB. Morrison's office. Rooftop is
(05:18):
playing a gig. Rogan Vagabond will be doing classic albums.
If you're out in Levin, don't worry, we got something
for you. That fire Bird Cafe is going to be
putting on a show if you want to go to.
There's some cool venues like Burger Liquor is doing is
doing jazz shows. The Roxy Cinema, Sea Tun Bowling Club.
That's gonna be great. Who knows what the gig is? Yeah, yeah,
(05:38):
that's gonna be a ripper. Probably your local, was it, Nick?
You go down for a rolldown on a Sunday a
bowling a roll up, roll down. Saint Paul's Cathedral, they're
going to be doing stuff bed Moss. Hey, actually, Nick,
I don't even know if you know your own venue
is going to be doing something. At Hummingbird, there's gonna
be a jazz night dinner dinner next Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
That's gonna be a cracker.
Speaker 4 (06:01):
Now, who we got here? We've got Bumpy Oh, great
taste of music. She's she is from Melbourne. She is
rising up the ranks. She's played with legends like Herbie
Hancock and Marcus Miller who produced two to two for
Miles Davis. She's playing Wednesday, October fifteenth. That's San fran
I'm going to that because it's a bit of an
unknown to me, that one. I don't know Bumpy, but
(06:23):
everything I'm hearing and seeing awesome. I'll be quiet for
a second. Her name is Bumpy Bumpy and let's have
a listen to a hometown hero, Lisa Tomlins.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
You know about Lisa Tomlins.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Right, Lisa? You know what for all the talent and
beauty she has in a beauty, she's an amazing, amazing person.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
She is one of the greatest here.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
She is playing with Lord Eito, who's Mike Fabulous Seeds,
Lisa's played with them all everyone Fat Freddie's Drop, Louis
Baker Shapeshifters commercial. She played the gig with shape Shift
the other week that Coops was at I mean Trinity Route.
She's played with everyone. She's doing a really cool night
(07:14):
at the Thistle Win Sunday Sunday weeks so it must
be I've forgot the date. Now, sixteenth or nineteenth Sunday week. Yeah,
and it's it's She'll be great. She's they're doing a
dinner at the thistle Win. You can go and listen
to Lisa Tomlins. So whatever you like with gigs, this
is gonna be This is really good fun. And I
roll around the town every jazz fest and it drives
(07:36):
my wife crazy because I go to three o'clock gigs
and then I run out and I go to the
five o'clock gig at Mao and then I try and
get down to the classic albums at Rogan Bagamon. Heaps
are free gigs. You don't have to pay for a
whole lot of gigs. Heaps are highlights. My Miali Manzanza
is back in town after being playing all over Europe.
He's bringing his international quartet Roger Fox. We love Roger
(07:58):
Fox on the show. So Roger his big band is
playing and they're doing a tribute to Ray Charles. You know,
obviously Roger's not with us. We love Roger. I'm not saying,
you know, but they're bringing out.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
What I've seen Ray Charles twice in New Zealand when
he was alive twice, really amazing. I saw him a
in Auckland and I saw him at the big festival
they have out in Hawks Bay.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
They've got I've got to say as well, they've got
Grammy Award winning singer Tony, the singer from Santana coming
out to do the Ray Charles tribute with Roger Fox
and URSA.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
I'm fear it's going to be great.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Oh thanks, Jamie, take it, take a break. We'll take
a break. We've got so many gigs on in Wellington.
Isn't it great to be able to keep up to
date with the man himself, James Irwin.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills. Listen live
to news Talks It'd Be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
You're listening to the Wellington Mornings podcast with Nick Mills
from News Talks, Biggs, new releases, and keeping tabs on
local artists. It's music time on Wellington Mornings.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Okay, it's the time that I always look forward to.
We're doing it on a Wednesday instead of a Tuesday
because we had the hot meural candidates on yesterday. James E. Irwin,
good morning, I'm welcome. I had better use your surname.
I mean, most famous people that were of your note
only used their first note first name. But JAMESI, how
you going? What's good?
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Hey?
Speaker 4 (00:45):
Look, I've had a lot of hate in the last
week a up. You know how last time we spent
we spoke about guitar gods. You know who do we have?
We had we had all the kings there. We had
Jimmy Hendrix, we had Jeff bet we had Carlos Santana,
m Page, Eric Clapton, we had a whole Prince Prince
we had that was our ultimate, wasn't it?
Speaker 3 (01:04):
Prince Prince so so?
Speaker 4 (01:05):
And I've had a lot a lot of people stopped me.
I was at the Tammy Nelson gig the other night
and a listener who I didn't even know who they were,
but they knew me. Came up and talked to me
about it. My dentist John Singleton, and Carrori he he
actually came into my surgery last week and said Slash
was the greatest guitarist, which cracked me up. He interrupted,
I was with the other guy. Alex came and interrupted me.
That was good fun. So we got a lot of track.
(01:28):
We've got a heap of traffic on the old text machine.
In fact, I'm just standing up. I'm turning off the
text I'm turning off the text machine because I won't hear.
I won't have any nonsense today. Nick us the worst
I'm going to go because I did say last time,
and people have been chipping me that we never went
through the bad list. We talked about it, let's not,
you know, and we gave a lot of delusional praise
(01:48):
last time to some pretty amazing guitarists in the unofficial
official news talks there b list, but you know.
Speaker 3 (01:55):
In the guitar gods.
Speaker 4 (01:57):
So every mention, every guitarist we mentioned last time, they were,
you know, undeniably talented.
Speaker 2 (02:02):
This is undeniably talented day with a great satus.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
So This isn't a hit piece, but you're going to
think it's a hit piece.
Speaker 4 (02:09):
We're not here to say this guy's trash or launch
into a James E rant. We're not going to dock
points from the likes of Angus Young, Jack Whieter, Keith
Richards just because the big riff heavy guys or Eddie
van Halen with his finger tapping nonsense that he does.
You know, So today I'm going to hit that list,
and some might be controversial because they might have been
in the greatest list.
Speaker 2 (02:30):
The worst guitar you this.
Speaker 4 (02:34):
First one when he when he first hit the scene
in the late sixties, the fusion of electric blues and
Latin rhythm was electric. He found his groove early, but
he never really left it. Fifty years later, he's recycling
the same old licks. What was groundbreaking now feels like
reheated leftovers. And you're going to be mad about this one.
Carlos Santana.
Speaker 3 (02:52):
Has he done anything new? Has he done any new?
Speaker 4 (02:54):
Nick?
Speaker 1 (02:55):
Oh?
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Okay? Who else? Okay? This one?
Speaker 4 (02:59):
This guy would noodle away for hours. He didn't make
the hot list. Let's not pretend he was always captivating.
Most of the audience were pretty much much blissed out
on whatever they used to take at their shows to
notice when he drifted off, of course, and of course
that would be Jerry Garcia and all I can already
hear the text machine pinging.
Speaker 3 (03:15):
People are getting mad.
Speaker 4 (03:16):
And then controversially, this man is a legend for sure,
also kind of the blueprint for the overly serious, self
important guitarists. He had worked with the birds Cream Derek, And.
Speaker 2 (03:30):
You're going to bring this up because because he's the
elitist of the elite guitarist. Correct, But every guitarist would
put every great guitarist in the world would put him
in their top three or four. And he's that's why.
Speaker 3 (03:42):
You're I know you're getting mad at me.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
No, no, no, I know you're bagging him because he's elitist.
He is, but let's be real.
Speaker 3 (03:49):
His creative spark fizzled out ages ago. He's been churning
out bland, safe material ever since. Who would that be,
Eric Callapton.
Speaker 2 (03:56):
Well, he's got to be close to eighty, close to
eighty years. I think he's actually even turned out.
Speaker 4 (04:01):
And then there's one that has to be in there
for only one reason, and Pete Townshend and everyone's screaming
at the radio throwing it into the bin. Not a
bad player by any stretch in fact, and completely incredible.
But I'm putting him in this list for one reason.
The amount of gorgeous GUITARSI smashed up.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
Oh go, So there you go.
Speaker 2 (04:19):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (04:19):
So we're gonna head on. Let's hit some music with
the Jazz Festival. This guy's coming to play.
Speaker 3 (04:27):
Down and take the dream. This is Gregory Porter.
Speaker 4 (04:31):
We've got the Jazz Festival starting on Saturday, going right
through the following Sunday week.
Speaker 3 (04:35):
Now, if you are into jazz.
Speaker 2 (04:38):
Don't freak out.
Speaker 4 (04:39):
But don't freak out. If you're not into jazz, you think,
oh jazz, that's not my thing. It is your thing
because there is gonna be jazz, hip hop, there's gonna
be fusion, there's gonna be funk, there's gonna be sold
there's gonna be blues. There is everything across the spectrum
at the Wellington Jazz Festival.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
It is one of the greatest shows.
Speaker 4 (04:57):
I know people from Australia who come over to it.
There is over two hundred shows in an eight day
period and there's gonna be some goodies to be stuff
at the you know, like there's gonna bey Hancock has
been in the past. Yeah, and I mean there's gonna
be you know, things on JB. Morrison's office. Rooftop is
(05:18):
playing a gig. Rogan Vagabond will be doing classic albums.
If you're out in Levin, don't worry, we got something
for you. That fire Bird Cafe is going to be
putting on a show if you want to go to.
There's some cool venues like Burger Liquor is doing is
doing jazz shows. The Roxy Cinema, Sea Tun Bowling Club.
That's gonna be great. Who knows what the gig is? Yeah, yeah,
(05:38):
that's gonna be a ripper. Probably your local, was it, Nick?
You go down for a rolldown on a Sunday a
bowling a roll up, roll down. Saint Paul's Cathedral, they're
going to be doing stuff bed Moss. Hey, actually, Nick,
I don't even know if you know your own venue
is going to be doing something. At Hummingbird, there's gonna
be a jazz night dinner dinner next Wednesday.
Speaker 3 (05:59):
That's gonna be a cracker.
Speaker 4 (06:01):
Now, who we got here? We've got Bumpy Oh, great
taste of music. She's she is from Melbourne. She is
rising up the ranks. She's played with legends like Herbie
Hancock and Marcus Miller who produced two to two for
Miles Davis. She's playing Wednesday, October fifteenth. That's San fran
I'm going to that because it's a bit of an
unknown to me, that one. I don't know Bumpy, but
(06:23):
everything I'm hearing and seeing awesome. I'll be quiet for
a second. Her name is Bumpy Bumpy and let's have
a listen to a hometown hero, Lisa Tomlins.
Speaker 3 (06:41):
You know about Lisa Tomlins.
Speaker 2 (06:43):
Right, Lisa? You know what for all the talent and
beauty she has in a beauty, she's an amazing, amazing person.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
She is one of the greatest here.
Speaker 4 (06:52):
She is playing with Lord Eito, who's Mike Fabulous Seeds,
Lisa's played with them all everyone Fat Freddie's Drop, Louis
Baker Shapeshifters commercial. She played the gig with shape Shift
the other week that Coops was at I mean Trinity Route.
She's played with everyone. She's doing a really cool night
(07:14):
at the Thistle Win Sunday Sunday weeks so it must
be I've forgot the date. Now, sixteenth or nineteenth Sunday week. Yeah,
and it's it's She'll be great. She's they're doing a
dinner at the thistle Win. You can go and listen
to Lisa Tomlins. So whatever you like with gigs, this
is gonna be This is really good fun. And I
roll around the town every jazz fest and it drives
(07:36):
my wife crazy because I go to three o'clock gigs
and then I run out and I go to the
five o'clock gig at Mao and then I try and
get down to the classic albums at Rogan Bagamon. Heaps
are free gigs. You don't have to pay for a
whole lot of gigs. Heaps are highlights. My Miali Manzanza
is back in town after being playing all over Europe.
He's bringing his international quartet Roger Fox. We love Roger
(07:58):
Fox on the show. So Roger his big band is
playing and they're doing a tribute to Ray Charles. You know,
obviously Roger's not with us. We love Roger. I'm not saying,
you know, but they're bringing out.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
What I've seen Ray Charles twice in New Zealand when
he was alive twice, really amazing. I saw him a
in Auckland and I saw him at the big festival
they have out in Hawks Bay.
Speaker 4 (08:21):
They've got I've got to say as well, they've got
Grammy Award winning singer Tony, the singer from Santana coming
out to do the Ray Charles tribute with Roger Fox
and URSA.
Speaker 3 (08:31):
I'm fear it's going to be great.
Speaker 2 (08:32):
Oh thanks, Jamie, take it, take a break. We'll take
a break. We've got so many gigs on in Wellington.
Isn't it great to be able to keep up to
date with the man himself, James Irwin.
Speaker 1 (08:42):
For more from Wellington Mornings with Nick Mills. Listen live
to news Talks It'd Be Wellington from nine am weekdays,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The Joe Rogan Experience
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.