Company B Jazz Band Triumphs in New Orleans

Company B Jazz Band returned recently from an incredible trip to New Orleans, where they were invited to perform in a unique event in honour of vocal jazz pioneers, The Boswell Sisters. Company B comprises six Cap Jazz alumni: Jennifer Hodge (bass), Shannon Scott and Juhli Conlinn (voice), Bonnie Northgraves (voice/trumpet), Dave Taylor (guitar), and Jens Christiansen (saxes/clarinet).

On Oct 10th, Company B Jazz Band performed in a Boswell Sisters Revue concert at the Old US Mint in New Orleans. The event was organized by the granddaughter of Vet Boswell and featured her pick of bands from around the world who perform Boswell repertoire including: O Sister! from Spain, The Boswell Project from Australia, The Hazelnuts from Israel, YazooZazz from Washington DC, The Pfister Sisters and Banu Gibson from New Orleans, and Company B.  Company B also performed at the renowned New Orleans jazz venue, The Spotted Cat.

Company B has been together since 2006, when they started transcribing Andrews Sisters arrangements. This led to an interest in the Boswell Sisters, who had been the Andrews' original inspiration. The Boswells were classically trained multi-instrumentalists from New Orleans who worked with the best jazz musicians of their day. Tunes and arrangements from the Boswells have formed the core repertoire for Company B for the last few years and the group has been very successful playing dances, clubs, and festivals around the Lower Mainland.

The event was covered by the Wall Street Journal - read the article here.

Watch the concert online here.

These wonderful young musicians are creating rewarding careers for themselves playing the music they love and we're so proud that they got their start at Capilano U.

Cap alumni Jesse Zubot produces Tanya Tagaq's Polaris Prize winning album

Jesse Zubot is a a violinist, producer, composer, band leader and owner of the Drip Audio record label.  Zubot studies music at Capilano U in the early 90s.  Since then, he has become one of the most sought-after musicians in Canada.  He works in an astonishing range of musical styles as a violinist and has produced and distributed some of the most consistently creative and original recordings in the country including albums by Rachet Orchestra, Dixie's Death Pool, Peggy Lee  Band, Gord Grdina Trio, and Fond of Tigers. As a performer, he has toured and recorded with Tanya Tagaq, Dan Mangan, 7 piece art-rock ensemble Fond of Tigers, Stars, Hawksley Workman, Ndidi Onukwulu, Jim Byrnes, Kelly Joe Phelps and many others.

Perhaps his mode widely recognized work to date has been as the producer of Tanya Tagaq's Polaris Prize winning album "Animism".  Jesse also plays in Tagaq's band along with Montreal drummer, Jean Martin.  Tanya Tagaq is an incredible Inuit throat singer/composer/recording artist who is taking the sounds of the North into completely new territory.

If you haven't heard Tanya Tagaq's music yet, you should do so as soon as possible! She is truly extraordinary. Some samples below.

Brad Turner wins Mayor's Award - Matt Choboter named Emerging Artist

I am very pleased to announce that Brad Turner, one of our Jazz Studies faculty members, has been given the Mayor's Arts Award for music.   Recipients of this award have the opportunity to name an Emerging Artist for an award as well.  Brad chose recent Cap grad, Matt Choboter.

Brad is well known nationally and internationally for his accomplishments as a musician. His extraordinary abilities encompass a huge range of activities: playing the trumpet, piano, and drums, teaching, engineering and producing recordings in his own studio, and composing for top-flight ensembles at home and abroad. He has been a key part of the music scene in Vancouver for many years performing and composing for many different ensembles in jazz and many styles of music.  His impact as a teacher has been equally impressive and far-reaching.  I know I speak for everyone when I say that we all feel very fortunate to have him as part of our Cap Jazz family and we couldn't be more pleased that he has received this recognition.  For those not yet familiar with the remarkable Mr. Turner, here's a video interview featuring Brad and his quartet.




Brad's choice of Matt Choboter for the Emerging Artist award will be no surprise to those who know Matt and his music.  He was an exceptional student at Capilano and is working hard to create an original voice as a player and composer.  Here's a video clip of Matt with his trio at Capilano's Blueshore Centre.


This is not the first time Cap Jazz students and faculty have received the Mayor's Award. A quick look at the past recipients shows that faculty member, John Korsrud, took the award in 2012 with Cap Alumni, Cole Schmidt and Evan Arntzen named as emerging artists in 2013 and 2010 respectively. Korsrud is known internationally as a composer and leader of the Hard Rubber Orchestra.  Schmidt won a Juno last year with some other Cap alums, and Evan is enjoying a very busy career performing in New York City.

Congratulations again to Brad and Matt.
What an amazing community of artists we have at Cap!

Cap Jazz Student Travels the Spaceways

Students in the Cap Jazz program are busy with a lot more than just their classes.  They are creating their own careers while they learn new skills and ideas.

Xander Miller is a bass player and songwriter in the program who has interests in electronic, rock, cinematic, and experimental music. He will be releasing his first debut album 'Planetarium' on September 12th. Along with the release, he will be having a album release party on September 12th at the Vancouver Planetarium. 

Here is what Xander has to say about the project:

"Planetarium is a concept album that travels through our Solar System intending to take the listener on an audible journey through space. Characteristics of each galactic feature, such as climate, terrain, and size can be felt through the musical ideas and motifs that continue to impress emotions and discovery with each listen. Throughout history we have marveled at the stories and themes that our Greek and Roman ancestors brought to life through the tales of the planets; it is these ideas that inspired the provoking lyrics and rhythm heard throughout the album. With such depth in each song, listeners will find themselves taking in each track numerous times while continuing to unravel new layers in the process. Take a journey through the great expanse of the Solar System and view the planets from a new perspective - welcome to a sonic planetarium."

As Sun Ra used to say, "Space is the Place!"  We wish Xander all the best for this ambitious and creative project! 

Hear the music here:

Alumni profile: Neelamjit Dhillon

Cap Jazz grads do amazing things!

In his latest musical project, Komagata Maru, Neelamjit Dhillon explores BC's history of xenophobia and social injustice through the lenses of Jazz, Indian classical music, and his Sikh faith. The band includes Chris Gestrin (piano), Cap faculty member, Andre Lachance (bass), and fellow Cap alumnus, Dan Gaucher (drums). Dhillon has created a multi-media project that tells the tragic story of the Komagata Maru and commemorates 100 years since this dark chapter in our past. On his website, Neel describes the purposes of the project this way: "The performance of this 60-minute work speaks to where we have come from as Canadians, where we are and where we hope to go. Canadians have come a long way and strive towards societal ideals of equality and justice. We pride ourselves on an inclusive society but the reality is that many people in our social fabric are still marginalized. The project uses this unique musical landscape to expose the racism in this story and unveil some of the more sinister aspects of human nature. Exploring this part of our history gives us a sense of where we are today and helps us to shape our future."

Neel's first instrument was tabla, but he graduated from Cap in 2003 as a saxophone major.  He also plays various flutes and sitar.  Following his studies at Cap, Neel completed a B.Ed in Secondary Music Education at UBC and an MFA at Cal Arts in Los Angeles.  He is now attending Cal Arts as a doctoral student and the Komagata Maru project is part of his research for the Doctor of Musical Arts degree.  He is a tabla student of two of the greatest living tabla players, Swapan Chaudhuri and Zakir Hussain.

With all of those academic accomplishments, you might think Neel wouldn't have time to play music, but you'd be wrong.  He is extremely active as a musician in Los Angeles and Vancouver and his music has recently taken him as far as Brazil and Somalia.  Neel plays saxophone and tabla in many different groups in jazz,world music, and Indian classical music including: Sangha, Birds of Paradox, Aditya Prakash Ensemble, and The Microscopic.

Komagata Maru will premiere at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival on June 21 Performance Works on Granville Island.  Don't miss it!

Here is Neel performing with Aditya Prakash on KCET television.

Cap Alumni Dan Hersog heads for New England Conservatory in Boston

Trumpeter, Daniel Hersog, graduated from Capilano University in 2007.  Since his time at Capilano, Daniel has had a busy career as a performer, composer and educator.  He has performed as a leader at the last three Vancouver International Jazz Festivals, formed a professional big band featuring many Capilano alumni and faculty, toured North America with various musical projects and worked as a music educator for the Burnaby School District.

We are pleased to share the news that Daniel has been accepted into the M.Mus. program in Jazz Composition at the pretigious New England Conservatory in Boston.  NEC is widely considered one of the foremost institutions for jazz studies in the world and placement in the graduate program is very competitive.  Says Daniel: “ Capilano prepared me for the versatility that is required of the modern day professional musician.  My teachers transformed my trumpet playing, mentored my writing and inspired to me to pursue further education.”  

Congratulations!

Cap Jazz Students win Fraser MacPherson Scholarships

More news in what has been an incredible string of successes for Cap Jazz students...

The Fraser MacPherson Scholarship winners have been announced and Cap students have won 5 of the 7 awards this year.  Competition for the scholarship is province-wide and students receive a cash award between $500 and $2000 dollars.  The winners can use the funds as they wish to further their musical education and careers. Congratulations to all the winners, but especially to our Cap Jazz students!

David Blake - guitar

Miles Wong - drums

Jonathan Tobin - piano

Matt Choboter - piano

Stephen Edwards - bass

Greg Drummond band wins FACTOR grant.

The Greg Drummond Band  has been extremely successful playing gigs all over BC, has recorded a great album "Walking Man", and has been featured on the CBC's "On the Coast".  They have just been awarded a $21000 grant from the Foundation to Assist Canadian Talent on Record (FACTOR) to record their next album.

The band is powered largely by Cap Jazz students and graduates. Mike Meroniuk plays guitar and sings backing vocals for the band while Marshall Hunt holds down the bottom end on acoustic bass. Both are graduating from Jazz Studies program this semester. When the band needs a horn section for bigger gigs where do they turn?  To more Cap Jazz alumni of course! Quinn MacDonald (trumpet, BMus 2013) and Chris Barnes (saxes, BMus 2013) have also been playing with the band recently.  Alanna Pearce (BMus 2013), the band's drummer, is the rhythmic backbone of the band and writes horn arrangements.  Alanna is also completing the teacher training program at UBC.  She was very fortunate to be chosen to do her practicum with Brent Taylor at Point Grey Secondary, a school with an exceptionally fine music program. The coming year for her will combine gigs with Drummond and teacher-on-call work.   More news to come on our other music education grads and the great things they are doing....

It is really exiting to see our students and alumni getting out there creating a musical community and making an impact on the scene in many styles.  I couldn't be more proud.  Congratulations to everyone on the receipt of the FACTOR grant and for all your musical successes.  I'm sure the new recording will be fantastic.

The people in our Capilano Jazz Studies community are so active in doing great things that it is hard for me to keep up.  In writing the last two blog posts, I somehow forget to mention that student, Wylie Ferguson (graduating this year) and faculty member, Réjean Marois, both had their compositions selected for performance in the annual Sonic Boom Festival.  Vancouver Pro Musica's Sonic Boom has for many years been the premiere showcase for BC composers. Both Marois and Fergson composed works for the Erato Ensemble, which was the ensemble in residence for this year's festival. Congratulations to both of them!

More exciting news to come next week.....

More alumni success stories: Lyle Hopkins awarded Fellowship at U of Oregon

I'm pleased to report yet more good news about our wonderful alumni.  Bassist and composer,  Lyle Hopkins graduated with his B.Mus. from Cap U last year. Since then Lyle has been very active as a performer on the Vancouver scene leading his own trio and working with Brad Muirhead Quartet, Vancouver Improvisers Orchestra, Music and Movement Mondays, Pillow Talk Trio, and other groups around town.

Lyle has been accepted to the Master of Music in Jazz Studies program at the University of Oregon and has been awarded a Graduate Teaching Fellowship.  The Fellowship provides a full tuition waiver and teaching assistant work at the University for the duration of his studies.  The School of Music at the University of Oregon  in Eugene, Oregon, is widely regarded as one of the foremost music schools in the Western USA.  I know Lyle will have a great time studying and teaching and working with my old mentor, Steve Owen, in the Jazz Studies Department.

Alumni success story: Eric Wettstein

We are really proud of the great work our graduates do when they leave Cap U and head out into the wider world to make music.  Even before he graduated, composer/guitarist/singer, Eric Wettstein was busy outside school with his band Criminal Caterpillar.  Since he graduated in 2013, Eric has been working hard to create his own career as a musician and teacher.  He has just been awarded an Early Career Development Grant from the Canada Council.  This award provides substantial funding for Eric to pursue a mentorship opportunity with John Korsrud and the Hard Rubber Orchestra.  Eric will work with John and Hard Rubber to learn the ins and outs of non-profit societies, running a large ensemble, grant writing, and production and will also have the opportunity to study composition with John and write music for the band.  This is truly an amazing award for Eric and one that he has earned through hard work and dedication to his craft.  Congratulations!

Louis Hayes workshop featuring Cap Jazz Students!

Legendary Jazz drummer, Louis Hayes will be visiting Vancouver December 5 - 8 for some performances and a live recording at Cory Weeds’ Cellar Jazz Club.  Mr. Hayes is best known for his work with the Cannonball Adderly Quintet and has performed and recorded with many of the greatest jazz musicians of all time including John Coltrane, Dexter Gordon, Oscar Peterson, Sonny Rollins, Wes Montgomery, Cedar Walton, Curtis Fuller to name only a few. At age 76, Louis Hayes still plays with tremendous vitality and drive and is a living link to the history of the music.

In connection with Hayes’ residency at the Cellar, the Fraser MacPherson Jazz Fund will present a free workshop/masterclass with Hayes and a quintet of fine young musicians from Capilano University's Jazz Studies program:  Miles Wong (drums), Stephen Edwards (bass), Jonathan Tobin (piano), Ben Frost (trumpet), and Octavio Pauley (tenor saxophone).  The students successfully auditioned for this privilege by creating a youtube application video and all are very excited about this unique opportunity.

The workshop is a new venture for the Fraser MacPherson Jazz Fund and may be the start of a series of educational workshops if the event is well attended. The workshop is free and open to the public and music students are especially encouraged to attend.

December 7, 1:00-2:30pm
Cellar Jazz Club
3611 W. Broadway, Vancouver
Free admission. No tickets or reservations necessary.

Hidden Gems: Graham Collier's Deep Dark Blue Center

I’ve been thinking of the days when I was a student and how we would get together to listen to new recordings that our friends had found.  With the nearly unlimited instant electronic access we have now it may seem strange, but in those days a new LP or cassette was a big deal and everyone was anxious to hear anything new.  In the interest of sparking some of that interest among some of you younger Cap Jazz folk, I’m starting a series of blog posts featuring ‘hidden gems’ that may not pop up so readily on youtube searches.

Here's the first one:

Deep Dark Blue Center (1967)

Graham Collier was an amazing English bassist and composer active from the early 1960s until his death in 2011.  This record features some of the best of the British scene of the time playing Collier’s compositions.  Everyone plays beautifully, but of special note for me is the contrast between the two great trumpeters Kenny Wheeler and Harry Beckett, as well as the great rhythm section hookup of Collier and John Marshall.  The writing is very diverse and inventive in its use of counterpoint, background figures, riffs and ostinatos. Think Gil Evans meets Mingus. Perhaps the most significant feature for me is the fact that large open spaces are left in the composed material for players to stretch out and make their own contribution.  This remained an essential component of Collier’s approach until the end.  His book, The Jazz Composer: Moving the Music off the Paper (there is a copy at the Cap library), is great read offering many opinions and perspectives that are unique to Collier and which will probably make you shout in agreement or slam the cover shut in anger - or maybe both in the same chapter.  It is a real mind-expander and highly recommended.  The book, this recording, and many others can be found at Graham's website, maintained since Collier's death by his partner, John Gill. PLEASE Don't be cheap and dishonest and look for a place to download the music for free. Download legally or purchase a hard copy. John is a lovely fellow and will be happy to send things in the mail.

Check it out!

Personnel:

Harry Beckett or Kenny Wheeler (trumpet and flugelhorn)

Dave Aaron (alto sax & flute)

Mike Gibbs (trombone)

Karl Jenkins (baritone sax & oboe)

Philip Lee (guitar)

John Marshall (drums)

Graham Collier (bass)

The More the Merrier

w. Geoff and Emma at Tangent Cafe (Vincent Lim photo)

Re-blogged from Jared Burrows' blog.  
Cap student names  in bold...

My friend Dave Branter (a great saxophonist and teacher) mentioned in an email how he likes being 'the old guy' in Colin MacDonald's Pocket Orchestra.  I'm not as old as Dave, but I do know how he feels. One of the best things about being a music educator is watching students mature technically and artistically into wonderful musicians with whom I get to perform.  That seems to be happening a lot in the past little while and I have really enjoyed it. Stefan Thordarson (violin) was on the Colin MacDonald Pocket Orchestra gig with me last Friday and I've also been playing with him Lyle Hopkins (bass) Trio.  The week before that I played the music of Jimmy Giuffre at the Tangent Cafe in a trio with Emma Postl (voice) and Geoff Claridge (clarinet).   Two weeks ago Luis Melgar was playing second trombone with the Hard Rubber Orchestra and I see that Jeff Gammon (bass) is playing with Steve Kaldestad at the Cellar this Wednesday.  In a few weeks I'll be playing in Bill Clark's band with John Paton (sax).  We've been featuring Capilano U students at Presentation House each week since September and I recently heard some really good trio music from students Kyle Araki (drums) Jonathan Tromsness (bass), and Nick Leffler (sax).  This past week at the BCMEA conference I ran into a whole bunch of my students who have gone on to be really successful school music teachers and players.  It just feels good to see people continuing the tradition of bringing beauty into the world.  

Stefan between Elyse Jacobsen and Doug Gorkoff.

Fraser MacPherson Scholarship Is Back!

After taking a year off for restructuring and renewal, the Fraser MacPherson Scholarship Fund is back. Following the retirement of several board members last year, the future of the fund seemed uncertain, but new volunteers have stepped in to revitalize the organization.  There are lots of exciting plans on the horizon.  In addition to the scholarship, we will be offering a series of free workshops and masterclasses for student musicians. the first of these will happen on Dec. 7, 2013 and will feature legendary drummer, Louis Hayes.  Check out the new website for details on application deadlines, application forms etc. and come back frequently for updates.

http://frasermacphersonjazzfund.ca/