It would be fair to say I am probably not pianist Michael Houstoun's biggest fan.
During an interview with Houstoun at St Paul's Cathedral a couple of years ago I played Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the grand piano.
Then I said something like "Now I can say Michael Houstoun has followed me on the piano".
Well, actually, that's exactly what I said.
Houstoun was rather unimpressed with that.
Although, I am not sure whether it was my irreverence or piano-playing which got under his skin.
In fact, he was so unimpressed that he did not want a lift back to his hotel with the ODT photographer and myself afterwards, leaving him with a bit of a walk, as we had picked him up from the hotel for the interview.
But, to see the maestro in action in St Paul's Cathedral yesterday was absolutely mesmerising.
Houstoun's fingers floated over the piano keys like butterflies one second and attacked them like locusts the next.
The hour-long recital was a journey through international jazz, featuring works by Ukrainian Nikolai Kapustin, Austrian Friedrich Gulda and American George Anthiel.
To see and a hear a piano used like that was a real privilege.
The St Paul's at One concert series continues at 1pm today with Canada's Montreal Guitar Trio and concludes tomorrow with jazz pianist Mike Nock.
Houstoun and Nock then team up at 8pm tomorrow in St Paul's Cathedral.
One of the acts I have been most looking forward to at this year's festival takes the stage at the Regent Theatre tonight.
Antal Szalai and his Gypsy Orchestra have been playing together for more than 40 years and are a household name in their native Hungary.
The evening of Hungarian gypsy music will feature virtuoso solos on ethnic instruments like the cimbalon, the tarogato and the Hungarian pan pipe.
Diva Helen Medlyn will be equally eclectic tonight, playing a glamour girl, a call girl, a proprietress and a murderess in Hotel at the Glenroy Auditorium.
The cabaret was inspired by noctural naughtiness in hotels and would feature "strong, sophisticated, seedy and sexy songs ... and maybe just a glimpse of trash", Medlyn said.
Dunedin jazz maestro Trevor Coleman's debuts his new ensemble, the Coleman Quartet, with Australian jazz singer Megan Corson at the Montana Festival Club tonight.
Although the Coleman Quartet is more of an alter ego for Entropy Trio members saxophonist Paul Young, bassist Scott Campbell and drummer Paul McLennan-Kissel.
"We put the quartet together just for the festival and we had to come up with a new name," Coleman told me yesterday.
"It will be jazz-based, but we'll be putting our own takes on it with everything from gospel through to rock influences.
"We're really looking forward to this. I have played with a lot of singers and Megan's got one of the most amazing voices I have heard. She's got that X-factor that just makes people stop and listen."
Meg Corson and the Coleman Quartet play from 10pm until midnight.
