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Te reo Maori is giving an Auckland jazz singer a wider audience and a new enthusiasm for her craft.
Allana Goldsmith from Ngai Tai teamed up with west Auckland guitarist Ed Taylor to form Wakakura, bringing into the mix some of his previous band Akoustic Express as well as Puerto Rican percussion.
Their song Matariki came third in a nation-wide song competition run by Te Papa Tongarewa.
Ms Goldsmith says they each bring something important to the collaboration.
"Working with him (Ed Taylor) and writing these songs I found was a great vehicle for our language to reach a wider population, not everyone is into jazz so it's been a fun new journey for us to work together. We get on pretty well. Our children play together at the skate park while we get to write some songs together" says Allana Goldsmith from the group Wakakura.
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