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Vancouver Jazz Orchestra: Vancouver Jazz Orchestra Meets Brian Charette
by Pierre Giroux
The Vancouver Jazz Orchestra's debut album arrives with a sense of purpose that feels both timely and reassuringly traditional. Formed to showcase the city's rich pool of jazz musicians while creating a platform for composers and arrangers, the VJO proves itself not through rhetoric but through sound. This release features a confident, well-rehearsed ensemble playing music almost exclusively by Vancouver writers, united here by the invigorating presence of Hammond B3 master Brian Charette. Steve Kaldestad's “Equestrian Interlude" opens ...
Continue ReadingVancouver Jazz Orchestra: Meets Brian Charette
by Jack Bowers
Through the years, Canada has produced an impressive number of world-renowned big bands including Rob McConnell's peerless Boss Brass, the Toronto and Winnipeg Jazz Orchestras, those led by trombonist Dave McMurdo, pianist Jill Townsend and trumpeter Steve McDade, and one of the world's foremost undergraduate bands, Montreal's McGill University Jazz Ensemble. On its debut recording, Meets Brian Charette, the Vancouver Jazz Orchestra proves beyond any doubt that it deserves inclusion in that special fraternity. Simply put, the VJO ...
Continue ReadingNeil Gray: In the Streets
by Jack Bowers
Saxophonist Cory Weeds, ever the entrepreneur, has never been one to let a clear opportunity raise his antenna without a response. When Weeds spots a promising jazz musician--especially one from his native Canada--he has been known to make the sort of proposal that is all but impossible to refuse. For example, Weeds may say he will produce the artist's next album, provide a recording venue, release the finished product on his Cellar Music Group label and even join the ensemble ...
Continue ReadingJames Danderfer: If Not Now
by Pierre Giroux
Clarinetist James Danderfer's If Not Now showcases warmth and craftsmanship. It is the kind of album that affirms jazz's enduring ability to blend tradition with personal expression. Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's legendary Englewood Cliffs studio on November 4, 2024, the album features a select group including Steve Davis on trombone, Cory Weeds on tenor saxophone, Atley King on vibraphone, Miki Yamanaka on piano, Tyrone Allen II on bass, and drummer Kush Abadey. All nine compositions are by Danderfer, forming ...
Continue ReadingJames Danderfer: If Not Now
by Jack Bowers
The clarinet, which once was commonplace in jazz (think Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Woody Herman, Pee Wee Russell, Tony Scott, Buddy DeFranco, Jimmy Giuffre, Pete Fountain, Bob Wilber and many others), is all but absent these days save for a handful of adamant diehards such as Paquito D'Rivera, Eddie Daniels, Don Byron and Ken Peplowski. That is one reason why it is always a pleasure to welcome a new voice into the choir, especially one as sharp and talented as ...
Continue ReadingCory Weeds: Cory Weeds Meets Jerry Weldon
by Jack Bowers
A proper response to the statement Cory Weeds Meets Jerry Weldon could well be “it's about time!" Although widely separated geographically--Weeds is Canadian, Weldon a native New Yorker--these masters of the tenor saxophone have been brightening stages and delighting audiences at venues in the U.S. and around the world for decades. And even though they have 'met' professionally more than once, it is only now--in 2025--that Weeds and Weldon have joined forces and pooled their enormous talents to produce a ...
Continue ReadingCorey Weeds: Cory Weeds Meets Jerry Weldon
by Pierre Giroux
Tenor saxophone battles are a rich tradition in jazz, dating back to the vibrant days of Gene Ammons and Dexter Gordon and especially the fiery partnership of Eddie Davis and Johnny Griffin. With Cory Weeds Meets Jerry Weldon, the torch is passed with style, swagger, and an infectious swing. Weeds, the Canadian impresario and saxophonist, teams up with seasoned tenor giant Jerry Weldon, whose commanding tone and blues-inflected phrasing offer both a challenge and a source of inspiration. Their interplay ...
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