AprilCadence2013

Short Takes Canada: Calgary
Right off the top, 2013 took on the appearance of a transformative year for
live jazz music performance in Calgary. The cautious steps taken toward
renewing the jazz scene in 2012 had moved to full stride by the beginning of
this year, and are now gaining momentum. Jazz is popping up all over--in clubs,
community centers, cafes, restaurants and on the stages of our major concert halls.
New venues are being tried; whether they succeed or fail, the point is that the scene
is building. The proliferation of jazz is in some ways as strong as it was in the '80.
The transformation almost seems to be propelling itself. What is really happening
is that such challenges as the venue shortage are being solved more creatively,
and that the performers themselves are taking the impetus to produce new shows
in a greater variety of contexts than ever before. Collaboration is huge among the
artists, whether producing a concert of Calgary musicians or collaborating with
international leaders in the genre. And collaboration among artists and presenters
is being strongly supported by our year-old community jazz organization JazzYYC.
The variety of live jazz available to us fans has been rich so far this year, and the next
three months will be richer still. Our concert halls have been graced by the presence
of the Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour's Dee Dee Bridgewater, vocals, Christian
McBride, bass, Benny Green, piano, Lewis Nash, drums, Chris Potter, saxophone
and Ambrose Akinmusire, trumpet, by Diana Krall experimenting with her new
style on her Glad Rag Doll tour, by Canadian baritone Denzal Sinclaire and
the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra's Unforgettable concert of Nat King
Cole's hits, and more. We've had surprise visits from the likes of Mulgrew
Miller, whose exquisite, elegant piano virtuosity has rare exposure to
Canadian audiences. The veteran of 400 recordings with such ensembles as
Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, the Woody Shaw and Tony Williams
quintets and the Mercer Ellington Orchestra was touring with award
winning Calgary-raised alto saxophonist Fraser Calhoun, a rising talent
in the jazz world who knows how to make a sax sing. The local rhythm section of
Jon McCaslin on drums and Rubim de Toledo on bass enhanced the presentations
of the evening, especially the best version of Skylark that I have ever heard.
Some of Canada's best musicians have come to the clubs and the National
Music Centre during the first quarter of 2013. Two-time winner of
the Montréal Jazz Festival Grand Prix du Jazz, Morgan Childs, who
makes a drum kit sound like a whole other instrument (which one, I
do not know) arrived with a trio of fellow top Toronto musicians--the
multi-award-winning saxophonist Kelly Jefferson, former Boss Brass
pianist Dave Restivo and one of TO's most in-demand bassists, Jon Maharaj-- for
a one-nighter at Wine-Ohs Cellar. A few weeks later, Toronto's Peripheral Vision,
comprised of Don Scott, guitar, Trevor Hogg, tenor sax, Michael Herring,
bass, and Nick Fraser, drums, displayed their teamwork in innovative style.
I had my introduction to chamber jazz when Canadian guitarist Alex Goodman,
who currently resides in New York, brought his quartet of vocalist Felicity Williams,
cellist Andrew Downing and vibraphonist Michael Davidson to the National Music
Centre for a March concert that included several of his own compositions. Goodman
55 | CadenCe Magazine | april May June 2013