TEAM KOKOMO

Derek Jacombs has done all sorts of musical things over the past thirty years, from producing and mixing many albums to writing music for theatre and television to a decade long stint as Artistic Director of the NZ National Jazz Festival. He co-founded Kokomo with Grant Bullot and his brother Roger in 1991 and continues to be the band's main singer and songwriter.



Grant Bullot co-founded Kokomo in 1991 and has provided dynamic harmonica on stage and in the studio ever since. He has also played many sessions on other artists albums and in 2007 he was featured on the Harmonica Masters of New Zealand CD. Grant is also an artist, well-known for his work on corrugated iron and his portraits of NZ musicians. 

 




A veteran of eighties Wellington new wave band The Puppetz, bassist Nigel Masters joined Kokomo in 1998 as the band were preparing to record their Little Heroes album. Since the early nineties Nigel has been the owner/operator of Tauranga's Boatshed Recording Studio where he has produced and recorded albums for numberless artists. He is a multi-instrumentalist who also plays guitar, keyboards, and drums.

 


The Kokomo boys first met trumpeter Sonia Trappitt (as she was then) in the early nineties at the Bay of Islands Jazz Festival where she was performing with her legendary Wellington jazz band Flibbertyjibbet. After guesting with Kokomo on several tours she joined the band officially in 2001 and became Sonia Bullot after marrying Grant. In 2009 Sonia released a solo album Tonight on Trumpet. 

 

While Kokomo occasionally play with other drummers when on tour their main man behind the skins is Ian “Beano” Gilpin who has drummed with the band since 2004, dividing his time between Kokomo and Bay of Plenty proponents of maximum R 'n' B, Brilleaux. He is also heavily in demand as a studio drummer.




 
Guitarist Mike Kirk's association with Kokomo goes way back (Mike filmed video footage of Kokomo's very first album release in 1992) and he started playing regularly with the band in 2004. He is currently on a sabbatical as of June 2020.