Lots to celebrate in the Edmonton blues and jazz scene
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You never know when creative inspiration can strike.
John Sweenie recalls getting the groove for his funky arrangement of a jazz classic years ago, as he worked boxing raw poultry on the production line at a packing plant.
“I had a bass line stuck in my head at the same time I was singing Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, so I excused myself for a bathroom break and jotted it down on a piece of scrap paper.”
These days the saxophonist-composer-bandleader is more likely to be practising than packing as he prepares to play the Yardbird this weekend. A gifted rising talent here, 20-something Sweenie has a predilection for taking his tenor sax into the groove-bound side of contemporary jazz, inspired by greats like Michael Brecker and Chris Potter.
On Friday, Sweenie’s quartet explores the repertoire of Potter’s Underground band, with guitarist Peter Belec, Chris Andrew’s Fender Rhodes piano and drummer Shaquille Hedley. They will also tackle tunes by Dylan and Radiohead, all geared to Potter’s way with pacing and time signatures. “It’s so funky, there are times it just makes you want to dance.”
Sweenie attended Victoria School for the Arts, was part of the Littlebirds Big Band and studied at Calgary’s Mount Royal University before returning to Edmonton to get his degree at MacEwan. Jams and shows at clubs and festivals in both cities have added to his performance experience.
Sweenie’s quartet plays the Yardbird Suite (Gateway Boulevard at 86 Avenue) Friday at 8 p.m. Tickets from Tix On The Square or at the door.
Thomas Chapin remembered
Jazz virtuosos like Thomas Chapin are all too rare. Anyone who saw his performances here in the 1990s may recall the committed New York reedman was able to walk that exciting edge between traditional “inside” jazz sounds and more “outside” improvised playing all in the same tune.
Sadly, Chapin died way too early of leukemia, at age 40 in 1998. But an intriguing documentary, Thomas Chapin, Night Bird Song, should bring well-deserved attention to his life and music. It’s the 10th film by Emmy-winning filmmaker Stephanie J. Castillo, who was also Chapin’s sister-in-law.
“He was actually a practising Sufi near the end of his life and he really did feel he was just a vessel for the music,” she says. “But more than the musician’s story, there’s a great message there about how we live our lives that I hope will find an appeal beyond just a jazz audience.”
The film mixes interviews with 45 members of the jazz scene with excerpts of Chapin’s performances from the Newport Jazz Festival and elsewhere, tracing his beginnings as a top player in the Lionel Hampton Orchestra to his nights in the clubs of lower Manhattan.
You can see it Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Yardbird. Tickets are $6 for members, $10 for guests.
Blues On Whyte Reopening
Workers were sanding the club’s new concrete dance floor when I reached Blues On Whyte manager Denton Morrell recently. He apologized to regular patrons, noting how the room stayed open for all but three days of its recent renovations, moving tarps around from night to night to keep the music rolling.
“Once we got started, it was hard to stop,” Morrell joked.
But no one will mind once the historic blues venue celebrates its grand this week with Texas guitar-whiz Jason Elmore and Hoodoo Witch plugging into the new sound system on a new stage.
You’ll find new seating and tables too, but the most significant change may be the way workers pared down the walls to highlight the beams and original brick, vastly improving sightlines. A single long, linear bar complements the new look.
Kudos to the Commercial Hotel’s owners for taking care of a real piece of city history. See more on upcoming acts at http://www.bluesonwhyte.com.
Blues Fest lineup
The lineup for the 18th annual Edmonton Blues Festival (Aug.19-21) has been announced and it’s looking to be one of the more eclectic years yet.
Powerhouse blues belter Shemekia Copeland sings Friday followed by Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett, the guitarists of Little Feat with New Orleans Suspects. Saturday highlights feature Austin’s Paul Oscher and Louisiana zydeco master Dwayne Dopsie, capped by blues-rocker fave Paul James.
Sunday, catch Canadian newcomer Sugar Brown, Detroit’s Laura Rain and Louisiana’s Lil’ Jimmy Reed cranking things up before a finale featuring British blues-rockers Kim Simmonds and Savoy Brown, currently celebrating their 50th year in the music biz.
Tickets are on sale now through the festival website (www.bluesinternationalltd.com), the host Chateau Louis Hotel and Blackbyrd Myoozik.
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