Ella & Joe

Ali Harper, vocal & Harry Harrison, guitar 

  Award winning singer Ali Harper and guitarist Harry Harrison reimagine the legendary partnership between Ella Fitzgerald and distinguished guitarist Joe Pass. From sultry standards to playful scat, this show pays tribute to their extraordinary chemistry as they perform classics from the Great American Songbook including Misty, I Ain’t Got Nothing But The Blues, Stormy Weather and Ain’t Misbehavin’.   

Artist biographies 

Award-winning Entertainer Ali Harper is a graduate of Toi Whakaari: The New Zealand Drama School. With her career spanning 30+ years, Ali wears many hats as a singer, actor, producer, writer, MC, singing coach and yoga teacher.     Highlights include The Court Theatre production of the one-woman show Songs for Nobodies where Ali was awarded ‘Best One Woman Show’ at New York’s United Solo Festival on 42nd Street in 2018 as well as Bombshells where Ali was awarded ‘Best Actress’ at New York’s United Solo Festival in 2014 and ‘Chapman Tripp Best Actress’ in Wellington in 2008.     Ali has performed her cabaret show in A Down Under Diva! in New York’s prolific cabaret venues; Don’t Tell Mama and at The Metropolitan Room.     Ali’s production company Ali-Cat Productions produces and tours her shows; A Natural Woman, The Look of Love, Songs for Nobodies, A Doris Day Special, Legendary Divas, A Down-Under Diva!, Bombshells and Tell Me On A Sunday.  Ali’s seven albums are A Natural Woman, The Look of Love, A Doris Day Special, Legendary Divas, Naughty and Nice, Songs for Everybody and Something So Right.    Originally from Glasgow Scotland, Harry Harrison has been performing and composing music in Christchurch New Zealand since 1985 and currently teaches on the Bachelor of Music Arts programme at Ara Institute of Canterbury.    Harry’s recording portfolio is comprised of a large body original music crossing jazz and roots genres, and a collection of audio-visual collaborations with iconic New Zealand artists.    A regular festival performer, Harry has worked throughout New Zealand and Australia performing and recording with national and international artists such as Hayley Westenra, Mary Coughlan, Dave Dobbyn, Bic Runga, Midge Marsden, Julia Deans and many more.    Harry’s stringed instruments incorporate all of the guitar family, electric, steel string acoustic, nylon string, lapsteel, bottle neck resonator and dobro. Adding to this are four and five string banjo, mandolin and ukelele.