The Circling Sun

The Circling Sun is a spiritual jazz collective from Tamaki Makaurau, New Zealand. Their music is inspired by Sun Ra, Alice Coltrane, Yusef Lateef, and Pharoah Sanders, among others. They explore African, Latin, and modern and vanguard music from across the globe, and mix it with a South Pacific aesthetic. While the band's members have vast experience, the birth of TCS resulted after four of their seven members left the hip-hop jazz group Avantdale Bowling Club. TCS was greeted with enthusiasm by the jazz community. They played throughout New Zealand and Australia, including a gig on the mainstage of the Wellington Jazz Festival. The septet signed with Soundway for 2023's Spirits (band drummer Julien Dyne is a label alumnus). Following tours of the South Pacific region, they played summer music and jazz festivals in Europe. After returning to the studio, they released their sophomore Soundway album, Orbits, in 2025.