Jazzfest is in full swing, folks! Have you purchased your tickets yet? From June 21st until June 30th, you can check out over 200 insanely talented musicians including some of our own locals! Not only do we have some of the Bent River Records roster with performance dates, but we also have MacEwan students, faculty and alumni who will be performing there as well. Check out the schedule below!
In addition to all this wonderful news, Jazzworks is offering FREE MASTERCLASSES led by some of the performers of the TD Edmonton International Jazz Fest line-up!
Bent River Records is amping up for our 2019 Artist Spotlight, Monday, April 8th, where we will be celebrating all our amazing artist and releases! This year we have three of our artist showcasing selections from their latest projects! Last week we caught up with Kevin Dean and this week we managed to catch up Kent Sangster from the Obsessions Octet!
The Obsessions Octet, led by Juno Nominated saxophonist and composer Kent Sangster, has travelled throughout the world performing their blend of classical, tango, and jazz repertoire. The group’s first album, Obsession, won the WCMA for Best Jazz Recording of the Year and received a Juno nomination. Most notably, they have performed in New York City at Carnegie Hall in 2012 (which was recognized with a City of Edmonton Salute to Excellence Performance Award) and went on their first European Tour in 2014, which resulted in many outstanding reviews. With a solid reputation in the music community and a devoted fan-base, the Obsessions Octet is now one of the most popular musical ensembles in Edmonton.
1. Are you excited for the Spotlight, and what are you looking forward too most?
Performing live with the Obsessions Octet, every performance is a blessing to be able to share original music in front of an appreciative audience.
2. What is your favorite track of your 4th album, “Reverence”?
“Walking By Flashlight”
3. What is your process as a band when writing and/or performing your music?
Composing for this group only happens when I have a deadline for a recording or live performance opportunity that I want to make the most out of.
4. Is there any artist or album that you drew inspiration from while working on your new album?
Not really, I am somewhat reluctant to listen to other music so I am not steered musically in a specific direction based on the influence of another artist.
5. What is your favorite moment together as a band?
On tour with the band on the Island of Syros Greece performing at the Apollo Theatre, close second was performing at Carnegie Hall is New York City.
Our 2019 Artist Spotlight is getting closer and closer! On April 8th, we will be celebrating all our amazing artists and releases! This year we have three of our artists showcasing selections from their latest projects. We thought we’d catch up with one of our Spotlight performers, Kevin Dean.
Trumpeter Kevin Dean is a Professor of Music (Jazz Studies) at the Schulich School of Music,McGill University, in Montreal, Canada. Kevin grew up on the plains of America and dreamed of one day being a cowboy. As sometimes happens when people age, they are attracted to the music they heard early in life which lead to his new cowboy jazz album, Sunset Trail. Dean co-founded the Jazz Association of Montreal and serves as their first president. He developed the first Jazz curriculum at McGill and is featured on over thirty CD’s, including twelve with his original music. Kevin has performed in concert and recorded with numerous well-known jazz artists including Jimmy Heath, Benny Golson, Joe Henderson and Barry Harris.
1. Are you excited for the Spotlight, and what are you looking forward too most?
I´m very excited and looking forward to connecting with old friends in Edmonton. Paul Johnston, PJ Perry etc!
2. What is your favorite track on your new Album, “Sunset Trail”?
I think “Empty Saddles” is a lovely tune by Billy Hill and it came out nicely, Its from the 1936 movie Rhythm on the Range..starring believe it or not. Bing Crosby as a cowboy!! absurd! Google Bing Crosby Empty Saddles and you will see why..
..Also from the same film there the lovely tune by Gertrude Ross, “Roundup Lullaby” which is performed as a duet on the LP with Gabriel Lambert and Marie Fatima Rudolf. The rendition in the film with Bing and Frances Farmer and a huge bull in a barn is completely ridiculous..but the tune is fantastic. I am also fond of “Moon of Mañana” which is virtually unheard of..from the 1939 Gene Autry film, South of the Border.
“The Banks of the Sunny San Juan” is also a great old song with a very old fashioned melody with lots of dramatic wide leaps and Jean-Michel Pilc´s whistling is brilliant. All this to say I guess I like all the tunes! I´m not sure I have a real favourite.
3. What is your process when writing and/or performing your music?
Well, this is the first album I have done where I don´t play my own music. With the exception of my composition “Cowboy´s Last Waltz,” all the songs are by other people, so I just listened to a lot of music, hundreds of songs really and took notes regarding the ones I liked and how they might be arranged. We actually recorded 15 numbers and I picked what I thought were the best ones to fit the time restrictions of the vinyl.
Normally I lead a jazz group..usually a quartet or quintet and I usually compose at the piano or just in my mind and then write it down at the piano or with my horn in hand.
4. Is there any artist or album that you drew inspiration from while working on your new album?
I would to say that the most interesting discovery was composer/vocalist Bob Nolan and the group he is mostly associated with, The Sons of the Pioneers. He was a great songwriter and that group was amazing. They sang mostly in 3 part harmony (but sometimes up to 5 part) and they all had quite distinctive voices so the particular blend of those voices is very unique. The also had a very long and successful period from the mid 30´s and into the 60´s with new personnel. They recorded constantly and were on the road, the radio and in movies too. Bob Nolan and Tim Spencer were the main composers and were very prolific. I also like gene Autry´s sort of easy going untrained style of singing. He was hugely influenced by Jimmy Rogers and for the first few years of his career sounded very much like him.
5. What is your favorite childhood memory?
That’s a tough one..probably getting ice cream at the town ice cream store: Birdsalls, which still exists.
My favorite musical memories would be when my uncle Allan (trumpet) and Gerald (piano/sax) would come home for Christmas or something and have a family jam session. My dad would play bass.
Stay tuned for more from our artists! For free tickets to our 2019 Artist Spotlight, Monday, April 8th, Click here.
You’re invited to our Special Pop-up Event featuring Kate Blechinger at Towers on Fourth, Tuesday, March 26th!
Can you believe that Bent River Record’s Artist Spotlight is less than a month away?! Monday, April 8th, we will be featuring three of our Bent River artists in a night filled with brilliant music and musicianship. To start off the celebrations we are holding an Pop-up event at MacEwan’s Towers on Fourth from 6pm- 8pm on March 26th!
Kate Blechinger, our featured artist, accompanied by Kyle White, will be playing two sets showcasing music from her new album, Under a Dancing Sky. Kate is an inventive and charismatic vocalist, composer and arranger. Her “Jazz” is the musical equivalent of an artist’s palette, and is definitely a hybrid of sorts; she pairs the harmony, instrumentation and improvisation of more traditional jazz forms with the lyricism of modern jazz and folk genres. What results is personal, poetic, and playful- and one that involves audiences in a truly eclectic musical journey.
Come down to Towers on Fourth to enjoy the talented Kate Blechinger, meet the Bent River team, and enjoy some excellent food and drinks!
We would love if you could join us!
Towers on Fourth Pub: Grant MacEwan University 6-101, Edmonton, AB T5J 2B7
Be on the lookout for Jean-Michel Pilc this month! He will be in Edmonton Friday, March 15th for a Jazz Improvisation masterclass at MacEwan University and will also be performing a solo piano set at the Yardbird Suite, Saturday, March 16th from 8 pm – 10 pm!
Jean-Michel Pilc is praised for his improvisations. Pianist and composer Jean-Michel Pilc has performed with numerous jazz giants including Roy Haynes, Billy Hart, Michael Brecker, Dave Liebman, Jean Toussaint, Marcus Miller, John Abercrombie, and the Mingus Dynasty & Big Band, among others. He also worked with Harry Belafonte as his musical director and pianist and performed a duet with the legendary opera singer Jessye Norman. Originally from France, Pilc moved to New York in 1995 where he established himself as an active performer. Jean-Michel has released four critically-acclaimed solo piano records: Follow Me (2004), Essential (2011), What Is This Thing Called? (2015), and his most recent solo double CD Parallel (2018). In addition, he regularly performs in a trio with both Montreal and New York City-based ensembles including Pilc-Moutin-Hoenig which performed at the Yardbird Suite in 2015. A dedicated educator, Jean-Michel founded the Improvisation Workshop Project with Rémi Bolduc, Kevin Dean and Jean-Nicolas Trottier, an educational research project funded by the Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Société et Culture (FRQSC). In September 2015, he was named Associate Professor at The Schulich School of Music of McGill University in Montreal.
Pilc’s masterclass is centred around his book It’s About Music: The Art and Heart of Improvisation. Jean-Michel’s workshops are based off the expressive aspects of improvisation. He bases his teachings off the premise that originality in art is a matter of expressing one’s own uniqueness. Don’t miss the opportunity to learn from a masterful improviser and musician, Friday, March 15th at MacEwan University and be sure to see him live in action Saturday,March 16th at the Yardbird suite!
Tickets are $26, and $22 for EJS members, plus applicable fees.
