John Geggie / Lorne Lofsky / Joe Sullivan / Jim Doxas: Ottawa, Canada, May 26, 2012

John Kelman

Senior Editor since 2004

With the realization that there will always be more music coming at him than he can keep up with, John wonders why anyone would think that jazz is dead or dying.

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Soloing less than his band mates only meant that when Doxas was featured—oftentimes as part of a trade-off section near the end of a song—it was all the more memorable. A rarity in his melodic approach to the kit, nothing was verboten in Doxas' vernacular, as he moved seamlessly from playing with his hands to rattling a large chain of bells worn around his body. And while Doxas had plenty to show, he played, refreshingly, as though he had nothing to prove—at one point beginning with nothing more than a four-on-the-floor bass drum pattern and single brushed snare, and leading into an extended solo of tremendous restraint more about expansive color than his admittedly inestimable chops.

Jim Doxas, Ottawa, Canada—© 2012 John Kelman

The entire set managed to be both relaxing and commanding, calling for plenty of applause throughout the sets and a well-deserved encore at the end of the evening. With budget cuts at the National Arts Centre, there is a very real possibility that the 2012/13 Geggie Concert Series will either be cut back significantly or, even worse, cancelled outright. It would be a tremendous shame as Geggie's series has been responsible for some of the finest jazz this town has seen in the past decade beyond the purview of the annual Ottawa International Jazz Festival, with past collaborators ranging from pianists Crispell, Myra Melford Myra Melford
b.1957
piano , Edward Simon Edward Simon
b.1969
piano , Marc Copland Marc Copland
b.1948
piano , Craig Taborn Craig Taborn

keyboard and Bill Carrothers Bill Carrothers
b.1964
piano , and guitarist Vic Juris Vic Juris
b.1953
guitar , to bassist Mark Dresser Mark Dresser
b.1952
bass, acoustic , saxophonists McCaslin and Ted Nash Ted Nash
b.1960
sax, tenor , trumpeters Cuong Vu Cuong Vu
b.1969
trumpet and Ron Miles Ron Miles

trumpet , and legendary Norwegian drummer Jon Christensen Jon Christensen
b.1943
drums . With the majority of Geggie's shows well-attended, here's hoping the NAC doesn't make the mistake of cutting this essential series from its annual program.