Dr Aleisha Ward

@nzjazzhistory

NZ Jazz Historian; Lilburn Fellow 2017; Professional Teaching Fellow Music at Auckland Uni. Come for the music, stay for everything else. Opinions definitely my own! She/her

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Ist das dein Profil?Übernimm es — dann gehört dir nzjazzhistory.dirty.social.Profil übernehmen

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Jun 3

also very cool. Ngutu Kākā gallery St Paul st CBD. The exhibition is in two spaces across the road from each other and open 4-6 June only.

Image is of a closet with LGBTQIA+ taonga in the form of photos, bookmarks, a knitted cap, locket, some poi and other replicated objects. On the open doors are posters and flyers replicated from original images. The theme is queer taonga coming out of the closet.

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Apr 27

I mean, given that everything in Australia is actively trying to kill you this seems like a reasonable reaction to me. You can't (and shouldn't) get rid of life-long conditioning like that. Have a photo of not-my-cat The Scamp doing an 'ooh big stretch' on my bed to soothe the nerves.

A tuxedo cat doing a 'ooh big stretch' twisty edition on a teal coloured blanket

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Apr 21

Why yes Winston, this is a good time to throw oil on the fire 🍿

Screenshot from Stuff's Live page on the PM drama. Headline states: Peters calls National's vote 'egotistical rubbish', and claims to know how many MP's backed Luxon. The photo below the headline shows Luton and Peters in earlier times sitting in the front benches of Parliament laughing together before Luxon realised what sort of shit Winston was going to pull during his term...ah...schadenfreude...

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Apr 8

About last night: Jake Baxendale Laypeople album release at Creative Jazz Club Aotearoa

Waypeople band- a group of 6 men (drummer is hidden) and 3 women performing in front of a lapis lazuli blue brick wall. Left to right we have a man on trombone, a man on piano, a woman on flute, a man on alto saxophone, a male drummer hidden behind everyone, a man (the bandleader Jake who is wearing a fedora) on bass clarinet, a man on bass, a woman singing and a woman playing the guzheng a type of 21 string zither.

A partial shot of the same group featuring (left to right) Jake holding his bass clarinet, a male bass player whose name I didn't get, Chelsea Prastiti singing and Jia (Jessie) Ling on guzheng

Another partial band shot with (left to right) Francesca Parussini now holding her tenor saxophone (in the first image she's playing flute), an alto player whose name I didn't get, Jake playing bass clarinet and the bass player (whose name I also can't remember)

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Mar 23

Walking to the bus and on the bus this morning:

The very first vestiges of sunrise in a moody looking sky. The foreground is a road going downhill there are many trees in the middle distance all silouhetted against a vibrant pinky blue sky with indigo clouds.

A photo of sunrise taken from the bus. A little more light in the sky now but the trees on the left and centre of the picture are still in silouhette and the powerlines really stand out in contrast to the vibrant pink-orange sky with indigo clouds.

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Jan 20

@musicologyduck.bsky.social some timeline synchronicity for you

Images is of two skeets. The top from Sarah Jeong talking about the viral bus thread as an allegory for global economy and politics. The bottom from Musicology Duck who was the writer of said viral bus thread noting that Bluesky has made it when your mother sends you screenshots of jokes people are making about your viral thread.

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Dec 31

Happy 2026

First light of 2026. Sunbeams peeping from behind a cloudy horizon with sea in the foreground. The sun gilds the edges of clouds making them glow

The same view, but now with the sun peeping out from behind the clouds

A slightly different view of the same scene: The sun is now risen and the clouds have dissipated. In the foreground is a young person standing on a pontoon floating in the bay (they have watched the whole sunrise from there), in the middle ground is a yacht at anchor and further back is a small flotilla of paddle boarders who paddled out at first light to watch the sunrise from the bay.

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Dec 24

Meri Kirihimete e te whānau hope you all have a wonderful relaxing day whether you celebrate or not.

A peaceful image of sand and shallow estuary running through the middle with a variety of trees surrounding and being reflected in the water.

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Dec 8

A quick conference morning tea wander while the weather is so nice (I never take that for granted in Dunedin!):

Iconic Otago uni building in dark stone with creamy white accents with a clocktower and the Waters of Leith in the foreground

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Dec 8

Hello Ōtepoti Dunedin, I am in you (very briefly for the International Association for the Study of Popular Music A-NZ conference)

Picture of an old dark stone building with creamy white window frames and accents and lots of greenery taken from a bridge over the Waters of Leith

Looking up the Waters of Leith, mostly all you can see are all the plants. In the background on the right is a old dark stone building and a tower, both have creamy white stone accents

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Sep 3

Unintended (?) consequences of actions:

Banner from the University of Auckland library results page stating: Due to the implementation of US tariffs and subsequent halt on deliveries by postage providers, the Library will be temporarily suspending the requesting of physical items from the United States for the purpose of interlibrary loans. Please be aware that this may impact the availability of some interlibrary loan requests. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Apr 20

Meanwhile, this is the scale I've used since 2021. Most days it's 1-2, but there's always something. Pain meds don't even come into it until Van Gogh.

A pain scale using different artists's works beginning with Vermeer's Girl with a Pearl Earring as 1 (I feel a twinge now and then) through to Dali's Soft Self Portrait as 10 (Not. Even. Human. Any. More.)

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Dec 31

Happy 2025 everyone!

Photo of the moment the sun peeps over Rakino and Rangitoto Islands. The foreground is of a calm ocean, with a cliff and pohutakawa tree to the right. The sky is still mostly indigo, with pink edges to the cloud bank, the horizon is a glow of yellow, orange and blush pink.

Image is of the sun rising above Rakino and Rangitoto islands, the foreground is the beach with a stone water break wall mid-frame and a cliff and pohutakawa tree to the right. The sky is a lighter blue now, and the scattered clouds are a mix of grey, white and shaded with pink and orange.

Looking at the sunrise over the ocean through a harekeke (flax) bush with Rakino and Rangitoto islands in the background, and the Tor to the left of frame with some boats anchored in the middle of frame. There are a few people scattered in the foreground watching the sunrise.

The sun is over the horizon now, again looking out over the ocean at the Tor, Rakino and Rangitoto. There is a man carrying a small child standing in the shallows looking at the sunrise and a kayaker in the mid-frame (in front of some boats) having a morning paddle.

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Dec 24

Meri Kirihimete e te whānau

Image is a pohutakawa tree with vibrant red blossoms

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Nov 6

Bringing this back from the other site:

Tweet from Danial Abraham back in 2018: In an age of performative cruelty, kindness is punk as fuck. Be punk as fuck.

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Sep 17

Bluesky now has over 10 million users, and I was #206,199! I'm guessing a good portion of formerly NZ Tweeps are the 100 and 200,000s

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Jul 18

A fiery sunset picture with clouds illuminated by the suns last rays, all allow with reds, oranges, pinks and some shadowy indigo. Taken from a bus window.

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· May 25

If you see this, quote post with a famous landmark you've seen.

Photo of the Riff Riff Statue in Hamilton

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Mar 16

The pink roses that live on my deck (and delight me by flowering in winter as well thanks to the deck being sheltered and a sun trap)

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Feb 9

This is what she's seeing when she logs in (screen shot from her mobile app, but she says it's the same in the website).

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Feb 6

My day in a nutshell: reference checking and writing an op ed about that Tina Turner lyric at Waitangi (will definitely let everyone know if/where I get it published)

Image is of a pile of books (bottom to top: Chris Bourke 'Blue Smoke'; Georgina White 'Light Fantastic'; J.M. Thomson 'The Oxford History of NZ Music'; Bruce Johnson 'The Inaudible Music') framed by a vase of crocheted roses on the left and a dictionary on the right.

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Jan 1

A couple of panorama photos from yesterday morning's sunrise photo session that I'm quite chuffed with (after editing out the acres of sand, because perspective)

Photo of a beach with cliffs covered in greenery to left and right in the pre-sunrise light, with the moon hovering above a pōhutukawa tree on the foreground left, while the light gold dawn glow lights the scene just right of centre.

A panorama of a beach with cliffs covered in greenery to left and right and a small islet on the left at sunrise with scattered fish scale clouds covering the centre of the sky. The sun is peeping through a cloud bank on the far horizon causing the clouds to glow gold, pink, and purple, and there are a few yachts moored in the bay.

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Dec 31

First light 2024. Ngā mihi o te Tau Hou.

Photo of pre-sunrise at a beach with a boat ramp in the foreground and an islet (The Tor) and Rangitoto Island in the background

Photo of sunrise looking over the ocean with a yacht in the centre of the picture

Photo of sunrise looking over the ocean with eh sun reflecting off the water, with yachts to the left of centre and a silhouetted photographer in the centre of the frame

Photo of sunrise from a rocky outcrop with rock pools in the immediate foreground that reflect the light and the cloudy marbled sky. Rangitoto Island is in the background

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Dec 31

Sending much aroha- these are neighbour cats who believe they live at my place: The grey tabby (left) is Sammy, who fell in love with my old cat Lucy and still visits and the tuxie (right) is The Scamp, who uses my place as an escape from some active young kids at home.

A grey tabby cat called Sammy flirting about on a purple yoga mat.

A black and white tuxedo cat called the Scamp who has made himself at home on a bed.

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Dec 31

Last morning of 2023- making the most of the sunshine while it was here (swim not pictured)

Picture of a beach with a cliff covered in greenery and islet in the background, with the water at about half tide and a sunny blue sky (it was hot!)

Picture of a beach with Rangitoto Island in the distance and cliffs to the distant right of the picture

Picture of trees, including a pōhutukawa tree in full blossom hanging over an estuary with sunlight shining on the water

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Nov 21

You might want to try some neuroplasticity techniques to help calm your brain. I was recommended this website (neuroplastix.com ) by my pain doc when I was recovering from CRPS and it really helped me. Meanwhile, have some pics of not my cat, The Scamp making himself very much at home

The Scamp: a long black and white tuxedo camp making himself at home on a bed looking directly into the camera

The Scamp playing with a yellow Duckie catnip toy and getting the catnip zooms

Dr Aleisha Ward@nzjazzhistory· Sep 20

Something hinky might be going on- this is from just now: