Jaclyn Guillou Quintet at Centre 64

Third Concert in the Fall Jazz Series: The Jaclyn Guillou Quintet, at Centre 64. October 18, 2013, 8pm  Jaclyn Guillou website

 Jaclyn GuilloIn a departure from the previous Jazz concerts the Jaclyn Guillo Quintet was presented in a cabaret format in the downstairs studio in Centre 64. The sound and style of the quintet lent itself to the ambience of a cabaret and the opportunity to partake of wine and beverages also helped create a more relaxed informal atmosphere. Also the piano in the studio was a top quality Kawai that begs to be played. Apart from the obvious advantages of the venue and Ray Gareau’s light and sound enhancements, there was pay back for the use of the grand piano. Bruno Hubert, the quintet’s pianist was more than willing to spend many pre-concert hours tuning this marvelous instrument. So when Bruno sat down to accompany Jaclyn Guillou (vocals), David Blake (guitar), Andrew Millar (drums) and James Megen (bass) all the ingredients were in place for a night of fine music. By this time the expectations were high and the quintet did not disappoint. Somewhat similar to the Norbet Kogging jazz performance of a few weeks previously the musical emphasis was on original material done in a jazz style. Although there was a sprinkling of familiar tunes, such as Cry Me River (Dinah Washington),  No Moon at All, Wayne Shorter’s Yes and No, Billy Strayhorn’s Lush Life, a Joni Mitchell song (from her album Blue), a blues and a Brazilian tune,  the normal jazz staples of the  “great American songbook” were largely put aside. I was caught in cultural limbo when one song was introduced as one that every Canadian knows. It turned out to be The Land of the Silver Birch. I was not born or raised in Canada. Apparently every Canadian kid that’s been to summer camp knows the words to this tune. The band works as a collective with contribution from all members in arranging the tunes. There was lots of straight ahead jazz with solos by Bruno Hubert on piano and David Blake on guitar. David sprinkled his solos with some lively Wes Montgomery “octave riffs”, a musical spice that we never get to hear in this area. David is a student of Vancouver’s ace guitarist Bill Coon and it shows in his playing. Andrew Millar’s deft handling of brushes and Brazilian rhythms is also another little spicy tit-bit that is not heard too often in this area.  Classic rock does not lend itself to these types of explorations. This is a band of dedicated professional musicians. Jaclyn is the only member with a “day job” – she teaches music.

Jaclyn Guillo  David Blake   Jaclyn Guillo  Keith Nicholas  Jaclyn Guillo  James Megen Jaclyn Guillo   Bruno Hubert  Jaclyn Guillo  Andrew Millar   Jaclyn Guillo  Andrew Millar  Jaclyn Guillo  Feet  Jaclyn Guillo Keith Nicholas  James Megen  Bruno Hubert  Jaclyn Guillo  David Blake  Jaclyn Guillo    Andrew Millar  Jaclyn Guillo  Bruno Hubert Jaclyn Guillo   Feet  Jaclyn Guillo    David Blake   Bruno Hubert  David BlakeJaclyn GuilloDavid BlakeThe organizers of the event would like to thank the following sponsors The Burrito Grill, Pedal and Tap, Our Place and Mountain Spirit  for their generous support and contributions. I would like to thank Laurel Ralston, Keith Nicholas and all the staff and volunteers at Centre 64 for their dedication in presenting this fine evening of music.

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Kogging at Centre 64

KOGGING – THE SECOND CONCERT IN THE FALL JAZZ SERIES, The Dutch Jazz combo Kogging at Centre 64, Kimberley , Saturday September 28, 2013, 8pm

Norbert KoggingKogging website

Back in the early 1980s the Australian Director Peter Weir made a film called The Year of Living Dangerously. Set in turbulent times in Indonesia in 1965 it was one of Mel Gibson’s early roles and also starred Sigourney Weaver and the amazing Linda Hunt. Linda won an Academy Award for her performance in this film. One of the sub themes in the movie revolved around the ancient Indonesian Wayang Kulit shadow plays. These plays are essentially silhouettes of especially designed puppets projected onto walls to portray traditional epic stories. So here we are are 50 years later and half a world away from tropical Indonesia with the Dutch Jazz Singer Norbert Kogging on a cool September evening in Kimberley B.C. Norbert is  The Triorelating his experience of a sunny Sunday morning watching the early morning shadows of kids playing in the yard dancing across his wall. It prompted him to write the song Wajang Scenes. This song was one of a collection of original pieces presented by KOGGING , a Dutch jazz quartet of Folkert Oosterbeek on piano, Tobias Nyboer on bass, Felix Schlarman on drums and Norbert Kogging on vocals. From almost the first note it was evident that this is a quartet of well schooled and disciplined musicians. The control of dynamics, pacing, phrasing and their general approach was definitely a cut well above most musicians.There was a time when a descriptor of “well schooled” had negative connotations in certain styles of music. The popular image of a classically trained musician was of one completely captive to the printed page an unable to play without a printed score. That has changed and a lot of jazz and popular musicians can flash the fairly significant academic credentials they have acquired to enable them to perform in  diverse fields of music. Wynton Marsalis, Keith Jarrett are just two jazz musicians who immediately come to mind who have significant statue in both classical and jazz realms. A little digging around in the background of any number of pop musicians can also reveal some unexpected surprises.  Newer approaches to musical education and a willingness of musicians of all stripes to experiment and broaden their horizons has made for a richer and more diverse musical landscape. Even within this quartet there is evidence of a very different approach to jazz vocals. Usually a  jazz vocalist relies heavily on interpretations of material from “The Great American Songbook”. Not this time out of the gate. There was only one cover tune during the entire evening and that was Joni Mitchell’s Edith and the King Pin – not exactly a jazz standard. Rather, taking a cue from popular music, Norbert featured wholly original material that had hardly anything in common with the “moon, spoon, June” motives of a bygone jazz vocal era. With songs like Holding the Line, Daydreaming, Our Freedom, Night Train, Craters Song and Silent Scream it was a refreshing departure from the norm, and, according to Norbert, not such an unusual approach in European jazz circles. Judging by some of Diana Krall’s recent recordings the practice may have also crossed to this side of the Atlantic. Like Diana Krall (particularly in her earlier work) Kogging also has a strong instrumental component. The  bass / drums combination of Tobias Nyboer and Felix Schlarmann deserve special mention. They are a rock solid rhythmic foundation for the music. I particularly liked Felix’s deft brush work, including a device I can only describe as “straw brooms” and his ability to seamlessly move from sticks, to brushes, to broom, to mallets and back again. As always I have an inbuilt suspicion of kit drummers playing in small venues. More often than not they play too loud and lack finesse. Not Felix, he proved that a drummer truly reveals his talent when he plays his kit with brushes. None of this is meant to undermine the talents of the shy smiling Folkert Oosterbeek on piano. He had ample opportunity in his accompaniments and soloing to demonstrate his strengths. Once again we have to thank Laurel Ralston for her unflagging devotion to jazz and bringing this rock solid Dutch Jazz Quartet to Centre 64.

  Norbert Kogging  Tobias Nyboer  Felix Scharlmann Tobias Nyboer   Folkert Oosterbeek   Norbert Kogging  Felix Schlarmann  Keith Nicholas  Tobias Nyboer  Felix Oosterbeek             Kogging Feet Norbert Kogging  Felix Schlarmann   Felix Schlarmann Tobias Nyboer   Folkert Oosterbeek  Folkert Oosterbeek Tobias Nyboer

A special treat Kogging performing Daydreaming

The organizers of the event would like to thank the following sponsors The Burrito Grill, Pedal and Tap, Our Place and Mountain Spirit  for their generous support and contributions.

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It’s in the Genes – Jon and Holly at Centre 64

Jon & Holly (Jon Burden & Holly Hyatt) at Centre 64, Saturday September 21, 2013, 7:30pm. Check the Holly and Jon website

Jon and HollyThis father and daughter duo have been frequent visitors to the Kimberley area over the past 10 years. We have virtually seen Holly grow up to become a great vocalist, bass player, composer, mother and complete musician. From being a teenager to being a mother in that seemingly short space of time hardly seems possible but there it is. As a musical duo they have set the bench mark for “less is more”. With these two – guitar, Gonzobass and vocals are a complete musical entity without the unnecessary clutter of drums, etc. Having said that it is not to dismiss their fine work with that extremely hot band The Blaze Kings. A band that they normally perform with on the festival circuit. It was unfortunate that we didn’t get to see and hear them this year at the local festivals. There is an unsung hero in the father / daughter duo. That is GONZO. Who may you ask who is Gonzo? He is a used and abused family guitar that is pretty beat up and had been seemingly left to his own devices until Jon discover his unsung potential as a slide guitar. With all the maltreatment over the years Gonzo has earned the right to sing the blues. In recent years Gonzo has be rehabilitated and has a new lease on life as an essential voice in Jon’s interpretations of a number of Robert Johnson’s classic blues. Of particular note is Jon and Gonzo’s handling of Better Come on in My Kitchen and If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day. In amongst the cover tunes are such originals as Home Renovation Blues,  Cool Kitties (with its nice walking bass line), the “popish” One Desire, Slushy Blues, Back to 1929, The Low Down Blues, Stop Breaking Down and Holly’s Better Get Your Our Own Man (“cause this one’s all mine”). Two covers that were snuck into the mix were Neil Young’s Human Highway and the Horace Silver jazz classic Song for my Father. As always Jon and Holly delivered an exceptionally fine evening of music and when they come back, as I am sure they will, they are not to be missed.

John Burden         Bass         Holly Hyatt  Holly Hyatt  Jon's Takamine Guitar   Jon Burden Jon Burden       Bass       Holly HyattHolly Hyatt   Jon's Boots  Jon Burden Jon Burden   Jon and Holly   Holly Hyatt

I would like to thank Terry for his deft manipulation of the lights that made these images possible.

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Hearts That Care Concert

“Hearts That Care” – The Cranbrook : Kimberley Hospice Society Benefit Concert featuring Lowry Olafson, at Centre 64, September 14, 2013, 8pm

Lowry Olafson

Lowry OlafsonHearts That Care

Hands that serve, hearts that care / When you need us, we are there / With hugs for  free, eyes that see / We’ll walk with you a while / With hearts that care

You can share your story / We’ll hear the words you say / Be a companion on your journey / Be a friend along the way

Chorus

When you lose someone you love / And feel so all alone / When you need some understanding / Our hands are here to hold

Lowry Olafson is a Canadian singer/ song writer of Icelandic extraction who resides in Violin GuitarGibson’s Landing  on the Sunshine Coast and has a passion for sailing.  In his own words  he has an intricate finger style of guitar playing that provides  compelling backdrops to his original songs, stories and humorous anecdotes. In addition his lively violin instrumentals “invite listeners of all ages into a world that celebrates the poetry of life.” The concert, and the above theme song,  is the outcome of a Theme Workshop facilitated by Lowry back in June of this year.  Lowry shared his songs and stories with a sold out concert audience who obviously enjoyed the experience. There were songs about home renovations – Solid Ground (“this house was built on a firm foundation”), songs about past political figures (J.S. Woodsworth – founder of the CCF) – Keeps Me Safe and Sound;  forced military conscription in the American Civil War – Annabelle; the immigrant experience – Pier 21 (I will have to steal that one); kids songs – My Dog Ate My Homework, Funky Chicken, She Wears Her Hair to Hide Her Face, Unspoken Beauty; humorous songs –  I`m Losing What`s Left of My Mind; a song for parents – Ship of Dreams;  In other words his songs reflected the magnificent spectrum of the human condition. The only non-original piece in the evening was a compelling emotional rendition of the Rita MacNeil`s classic from the mines of Nova Scotia – Working Man. The violin  accompaniment on this piece, with his solid sweet tone, revealed how accomplished he is on that instrument. This was a fine evening of mellow and enjoyable entertainment and the organizers should be thrilled with the turnout and the audience response. Here are some images from the evening:

Lowry Olafson        Lowry Olafson Lowry's boots          Guitar   Lowry Olafson   Don Davidson   Lowry Olafson Lowry Olafson            Lowry Olafson

  CRANBROOK . KIMBERLEY HOSPICE SOCIETY

Contact information

Phone: 250-417-2019

Toll Free: 1-855-417-2019

E-Mail: hospice1@telus.net

Web Site: www.ckhospice.com

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Pugs and Crows at Centre 64

Centre 64 Jazz Concert Series: Pugs and Crows, September 7, 2013, 8pm

100. Pugs and Crows This wasn’t a rock concert. This wasn’t even a straight ahead jazz concert. There wasn’t a great stack of amplifiers and heavy duty speakers. There wasn’t even a sound board or a sound engineer. With the exception of the drummer all the instruments were “plugged in” but they played “live off-the-floor” each musician balancing his own sound in the collective musical environment. In that regard they were much like an unamplified acoustic band. The instrumentation should have been the first clue that the music of the evening was going to be a little different. The elements of a Jazz rhythm section were there with Ben Brown on drums, Russell Scholberg on double bass and Katherine Torens on electric keyboard. From there on out things got a little different with Meredith Bates on violin and Tony Wilson and Cole Schmidt on solid body electric guitars. The band has been around for a little while and scored the Best Instrumental Album at the 2013 Juno Awards. Their ‘off the cuff’ musical philosophy is ” to bring hippies to their knees”. I guess by that they mean there is no throbbing back  Meredith Batesbeat and hippies will become a little demented if they try to find one. Of the band members Meredith Bates is the only one to have performed in the East Kootenays in recent times. She was in Creston in July, 2012 at the Snoring Sasquatch with   Meredith Bates and Sean Cronin’s Very Good Band .This is another collection of eclectic, off the wall musicians playing generally weird music (and that’s not a bad thing). Some might call the music “Art Rock” but I suspect it has more in common with the musical jazz renegade John Zohn (profiled in the September, 2013 issue of Down Beat). There was lots of atmospheric noodling, instrumental interplay, wide dynamic explorations and free form extemporisation (is there such a word?). The music was almost all originals with only one cover of a Paul Simmon song (Run That Body Down) that was largely unrecognisable (once again that is not a bad thing). Tony Wilson, the second guitarist is only a recent addition to the band. He is (or was) a student of one of Vancouver’s finest jazz guitarists, Oliver Gannon. Rather than attempt to describe the music here are a couple of Youtube links to a few of their compositions: Talk Fish Instead  Like the Clouds  Fantastic Pictures  Bitter Cup

and here is their website Pugs and Crows

 Meredith Bates   600. Cole Schmidt   Katherine Toren  Ben Brown   Laurel's Boots   Tony Wilson  Meredith Bates  Katherine Toren  Cole Schmidt   Russell Sholberg Tony Wilson Meredith Bates  Katherine Torens   Meredith Bates  Ben Brown       Laurel's Boots  Russell Scholberg  Laurel Ralston   Katherine Torens Cole Schmidt Pugs headerThis was another exceptional night of jazz organised by Laurel Ralston of the Kimberley Arts Council who, unfortunately, is heading off to Ottawa. She will be greatly missed and we all owe Laurel a debt of gratitude for her extraordinary efforts over the past few years. Over the next little while there are more concerts in this current series and Keith Nicholas will be the guiding light from here on in.

The Arts council would like to thank the following sponsors of this concert: Mountain Spirit Resort & Spa, Burrito Grill and Our Place Restaurant

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A Fishtank in a Vacant Lot

THE FISHTANK ENSEMBLE Saturday August 3rd, 2013, 7:30 pm –
brought to you by the 1st Saturday committee. Location: In the empty lot beside Centre 64. Bring your own seating!  Check them out at Fishtank Ensemble . Members of the band are Fabrice Martinez – violin; Ursula Knudson – violin, musical saw, banjo ukulele and voice; Doug “Douje” Smolsen – guitar; Matt – drums and John Hatton – Bass (substituting for their regular bass player who is currently in Slovenia).
 Fishtank Ensemble
When I first saw TV performances of River Dance I was puzzled by the inclusion of a Spanish (?Flamenco) dance act. It was only later that I concluded that the “Spanish” dance was a nod to the Romany elements in Irish music. Otherwise known as “Travelling People” the Romani were an important element in Irish Music. The great Uillean Piper Paddy Keenan  (The Kesh Jig) is but an example of that heritage. The Romani, or Gypsies, originated in India and spread throughout the world. In my youth I can remember gypsy caravan encampments just outside my home town of Sydney, Australia. Today Romany music is still more than a significant element in the music of Turkey, the Balkans, Eastern Europe and spreading westwards into the rest of Europe. The late great French guitarist Django Reinhardt, although his claim to fame was as a jazz guitarist, it was the Romany elements in his music that set him apart from his contemporaries. His music has, in turn, filtered back into the tradition and founded a whole school of “gypsy jazz” that is played the world over. So what goes round comes around and it would appear that The Fishtank Ensemble is but another example of the  Fabrice MartinezRomany tradition influencing yet another, albeit American, generation of musicians. The Fishtank Ensemble may be American but they seem to have some petty solid European cultural roots. Two core members of the ensemble, Fabrice Martinez and Ursula Knudson, have spent significant time in Europe and their bass player, Djordje Stijepovic, is originally from Serbia. To quote from their website “The dynamic, virtuosic, fiery and peripatetic quartet that comprises Fishtank Ensemble take their roots both from their own varied musical and national backgrounds, as well as from their adventures and travels. The singer Ursula sang opera on the streets and town squares of Italy, until she found a love of gypsy music…their French violinist voyaged around all of Europe in a handmade mule-drawn caravan for ten years, collecting music and experiences.  Their Serbian bass player has spent time playing with gypsies as well as some of the rock and roll’s legends, and aptly defends his reputation as the best slap bass player in the world… and the guitarist is a master of flamenco and gypsy jazz guitar who honed his craft in the gypsy caves of Granada, Spain…”. With these credentials it was no surprise to have a smorgasbord of music that ranged from the Balkans, Romany, Greek Rembetika, French swing, Gypsy Jazz,  American Swing and all ports in between. True to tradition, Fabrice’s violin performances were spectacular and virtuosic. He looked like the English actor Ralph Fiennes playing the part of gypsy fiddler. So, was it life imitating art or vice versa? Ursula Knudson had a fine grasp of jazz intonation on vocals that included covers of Billie Holiday and Peggy Lee. Although the afternoon got off to a slightly rocky start on the first tune, it settled down very quickly into an evening of probably one of the finest musical performances Kimberley has seen for quite some time. The outdoor venue up against Centre 64 was a vast improvement over the performance area in the platzl and the park just down the road.  The Chamber of Commerce, the City and local merchants should take note of the difference a good venue can make. There was no struggling to find seating or shade and the audience was one of the largest I have seen at any outdoor concert in Kimberley or Cranbrook. A simple request to bring one’s own seating was all that was needed to provide comfort and joy. Although the weather was wonderfully co-operative it should be noted that the Californian musicians obviously felt a little chilly in this balmy Canadian summer evening. Ursula made a dash to her car at one point in the evening to get a jacket that would have not looked out of place on “Nanook of the North”. Although this was not officially part of the annual Arts on the Edge Festival I suspect that what will follow in the celebrations will be somewhat anti-climatic after this performance by The Fishtank Ensemble.
Fabrice Martinez
Ursula Knudnson  Matt   Fabrice Martinez   Doug Smolens   Fabrice Martinez  John Hatton Matt   Fabrice Martinez   Doug Smolens  Ursula Knudson  John Hatton   Ursula Knudson Ursula Knudson  Fabrice Martinez   Matt  Doug Smolens  Ursula Knudson  Fabrice Martinez  Ursula Knudson              Ursula Knudson             Ursula Knudson
How a Californian musician deals with a balmy Canadian summer evening:
Ursula Knudson

The audience would like to thank the following sponsors of this event: Columbia Basin Trust, Kimberley Resort of the Rockies, City of Kimberley

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Dirty Grace at Centre 64

DIRTY GRACE in the Studio at Centre 64, Kimberley, Saturday July 6, 7:30 pm.

Over recent weeks it appears that audiences in the area have been once cursed and thrice blessed. The Curse?- that would have been the implosion of the NARARETH concert at the Cranbrook Curling Rink. It should not have come as a surprise. A UK rock band that was at least 30 years past its due date playing in a curling rink in a small remote Canadian town should have been a clue. This is a band not likely to be at the top of its game. On the blessed side there was the sweet Bluegrass flavored vocals of the The Rosie Brown Band at BJ’s Creekside Pub a few weeks back. Then there was the rockin’ sounds of that super tight organization 60 Hertz playing at the Summersounds last Saturday. This sparsely attended free concert in Rotary Park raises the question of how come Nazareth can attract an audience to a concert that ended up collapsing while 60 Hertz played to a no-where crowd? Was it because the concert was free or are local  Betty Suppleaudience so celebrity struck that they are incapable of discerning the over-the-top quality of a band like 60 Hertz? One wonders. Last, but not least, was the “birkenstock and granola music” of Dirty Grace. With minimal publicity and  lack of local knowledge this unknown trio of musicians dared to trek across the country to perform in Kimberly. It was geographically new terrain for the group and for local audience it was sonically unfamiliar territory. So in a sense everybody was out there exploring.   Even for the locals the venue was different. It was held downstairs in the Centre 64 Studio that was set up like  a Cafe with tables and chairs. It provided a nice ambient atmosphere for the European sensibilities of the trio. In the band Betty Supple was featured on vocals and mandolin, Marley Daemon on vocals and accordion and Marley DaemonJesse Thom on percussion. All musicians doubled on guitar throughout the evening. It was all original music with nice tight vocal harmonies and an overall sound that had the flavor of Eastern Europe music. Betty`s mandolin was a nice departure from the usual Bluegrass cliches. There was not a 2/4 mandolin chop in sight. Here is a YouTube link for a piece they call The Wrecking Ball.   Dirty Grace and The Wrecking Ball .This should  Jesse Thomgive you some idea of their music. Jesse played a Peruvian beat box called a Cajon . With several local players on the scene this is not an unheard of instrument in this area.  It is basically a small rectangular wooden box with or without internal metal snares. The percussionist sits on the “drum” and beats on the wooden face to produce a remarkable facsimile of a conventional drum kit. Originally it migrated from Peru into Spanish Flamenco music but now is showing up in all sorts of genres. Here are some images from the concert (click on the image for a larger view).

 Blue Mandolin         Marley Daemon      Jesse Thom  Marley Daemon     Betty Supple      Jess Thom   Betty Supple   Betty Supple  Marley Daemon    Betty Supple   Jesse Thom   Betty Supple    Stacked Chairs                 Betty Supple  Betty Supple

Dirty Grace, Laurel Ralston and the Kimberley Arts Council would like to thanks the sponsors of the event: The Pedal and Tap Restaurant & Mountain Spirit Accommodation.

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The Mishras – 2013

The Mishras – Pandit Shivnath Mishra & Deobrat Mishra (Sitars), Prashnat Mishra (Tabla), Sunday May 12, 2013, 7:30pm at Centre 64.

It seems that to be an Indian Classical Musician one needs to be born into the family “business”. It also helps if one is dedicated to many, many hours of hard practice. The great Indian Sarod player Ali Akbar Khan belonged to a family dynasty of musicians and started his formal studies as a vocalist at the age of 3. His lessons with his farther extend over the entire length of each day.  The sitar player Ravi Shankar and his daughter Anoushka are another well known inter-generational family of Indian classical musicians. To this list we can add The Mishras who were in Kimberley for a concert at Centre 64. With The Mishrasthe grandfather Pandit Shivnath Mishra, the son Deobrat Mishra and the nephew Prashant Mishra it was a rare opportunity to hear an inter-generational family of Indian musicians sharing their music with the world. This is their second visit to Kimberley. Deobrat and Prashant performed at Centre 64 back in 2010. (for the review and images from that concert go to the link The Mishras ). At that time the Tabla player Prashant was still in his teens. For this concert the two younger musicians were joined by the grandfather Shivnath on one of his rare trips outside his native home in Benares, India. For this particular performance they performed the raga GWATI as the first half of their program. Normally an Indian raga can go for several hours but as a concession to western audiences they are usually shortened. That being said this raga lasted around 60 minutes. That is somewhat longer than your average 3 minute pop tune. As with their previous concert the second half of the program was dedicated to shorter pieces that included a composition dedicated to Holi, the Indian Festival of Colors, a composition dedicated to Shiva and another in keeping with our wonderful mountain scenery. The Mishras intend to resume their teaching agenda in Nelson in the near future and should be back through this region next year. Here are some more images from the concert (click for a larger view).

Deobrat Mishra                     Prashant and Pandit Shivnath Mishra Prashant Mishra Pandit Shivnath MishraDeobrat Mishra         Pandit Shivnath Mishra        242. Deobrat MishraPandit Shivnath and Deobrat Mishra                         Prashant Misra900.

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Tyler Hornby Trio at Centre 64

The Tyler Hornby Trio  at Centre 64, March 21, 2013, 7:30 pm

In the recording industry the big name Jazz labels are BlueNote (of course), Verve, Columbia , Impulse and others. Nominally these are North American labels and as such tend to  Soprano Saxreflect the jazz of North America. Outside the country and outside the box is ECM, a German label founded by producer Manfred Eicher in 1969.  ECM, with a well defined musical and marketing philosophy, has to date issued more than 1200 albums spanning many idioms. The unifying “thing”, despite the multitude of projects, personalities and styles of music, for ECM is “the sound”. I can’t define it but each ECM recording has the “ECM sound”. On hearing the Tyler Hornby Trio (Tyler Hornby- drums, Piotr Lemanczyk – bass and Maciek Sikala – tenor and soprano saxes) the “ECM Sound” immediately came to mind. Described as a stripped down  spacey sound with lots of room in The  Tyler Hornby Triothe music for inventive improvisation. Almost by definition ECM is a European sound and it is fitting that with two polish musicians on board (Piotr and Maciek) the end product of Tyler Hornby’s  collaboration is decidedly European in tone. Tyler may be from Calgary but the overall timbre of the band is from Europe. It is a step away from the usual standard jazz ensemble of bass, drums, piano and solo instruments. With only a bass to  Tyler Hornbyanchor the band (no chordal instruments), drums for rhythm and a solo instrument (either tenor sax or soprano sax) there is lots of room in the music and, while busy, it is not cluttered. The focus of their repertoire is mostly original material (Home Pictures, Hip Triplet, Able to Fly, Fast Fill-In Tyler, Big Mountain Bounce) a couple of standards and classic tunes, (Dave Brubeck’s In your Own Sweet Way,  Piotr Lemanczyk & Maciek Sikala You Don’t Know what Love Is  and John Coltrane’s classic harmonic tour de force Giant Steps) were included.  You Don’t Know What love is had an interesting twist  – they played it in “7’s”- I guess that means 7/8 (count 1,2 -1,2 – 1,2,3 or some variant there of). Jazz, and for that matter most music, does not belong on a concert stage. It belongs in  a small intimate setting such as a club or a civilized bar. Failing that then Centre 64 is the next best thing. The sound was good, the lighting great, the setting perfect and the music superb. This was the first concert in a three concert series sponsored by the Kimberley Arts Council. Over the next couple of weeks there will be two more concerts in the series. The next one will feature  Andrea Superstein  and it will be at the Kimberley United Church on Tuesday March 26th, 2013 at 7pm. Oh, by the way, thanks should go to Laurel Ralston and the Kimberley Arts Council for also stepping outside the box and presenting such interesting music. Here are some more images from the evening – for a larger view click on the image.

Tyler Hornby        Piotr Lemanczyk        Piotr Lemanczyk & Maciek Sikala  Piotr Lemanczyk       Tyler Hornby        Piotr Lemanczyk   Piotr Lemanczyk & Maciek Sikala        Bass on Deck        Tyler HornbyTyler Hornby        Maciek Sikala        Piotr Lemanczyk   Maciek Sikala       Tyler Hornby       Piotr Lemanczyk & Maciek Sikala  Tyler Hornby       Tenor Sax       Piotr Lemanczyk Maciek Sikala       Piotr Lemanczyk       Maciek Sikala  Tyler Hornby       A very happy Laurel Ralston            Soprano SaxPiotr Lemanczyk               Piotr Lemanczyk

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