On the Eve

With the jazz festival about to get underway, I have a unusual sense of ambivalence. Yes, I am really stoked about my Gastown gig on Sunday, 6:00pm at Victory Square with The Wanda Nowicki Group, if you must know. Fresh off our time in the studio, the band has never sounded better.

But nonetheless, I am not as excited about the rest of the Festival as I usually get. There are not any must-see shows on my list this time round. Maybe I should catch Sonny Rollins, but last time he was here at The Commodore, it was was a very disappointing gig for me, and though the circumstances now are very different, I just can't bring myself to pony up for him.

I usually have a ritual of going through the program with a pen and a highlighter and marking down everything that I want to see, a lot of out of town acts, but also a lot of the local acts. I really believe that it is important to come and support my fellow musicians when their talents are being showcased. Often it's proof (as if anyone really needs it) that we have world-class talent right here.

Although the list is very long, two examples immediately spring to mind. The first was seeing the Brad Turner Quartet open for Patricia Barber at The Centre. Their sound quality was absolutely exquisite, just like the music - I felt like I was sitting inside Dylan's kit, and I mean that in a good way. Then Patricia Barber had her own sound guy take over, and the sound turned to mush. (The folks at Rocky Mountain should be commended for the job they do year after year.) The other example was with the London Composer's Orchestra at the Cultch, the vanguard of London's improvising scene. It came time for Peggy Lee do her thing, and the guys just stopped and gawked. Not that Peggy was trying to prove anything. It was simply a deeply musical moment.

Every year, there are dozens of examples of how great the scene is here in Vancouver. I get a charge seeing my friends and acquaintances doing so well. And I know that there could be at least twice as many examples of it, if the festival was able to accomodate all of the great players in town.

And no, this is not a whine about me not getting more gigs this year. I am always thankful for what I get, if I do get any. I don't base my entire self worth on what I get or don't get.

Rather, I think that this year, I just have other priorities. The cd project with Wanda is in its final stages and it needs attention to move it to completion. Ditto for ion Zoo. I am very pleased with my playing on Wanda's cd, and I've always been critical of my jazz playing. The ion Zoo disc shows my other side, and I typically I am much more satisfied with my free playing.

I'm not connected in any way to VCMI this year, so that may also be a factor. I sponsored VCMI nights for the last two years at 1067, sort of an intro night for the participants to get together and hang on the night before the program starts. 1067 was booked up very early this year - I'm hopeful it will be the after-hours hang for the improv crowd during the festival.

But the main thing that's eating at me is a promise to myself that I broke.

I started this blog a year ago in May, when I attended the Hugh Fraser Jazz Orchestra Workshop in Banff. It has always been a memoir of my creative process. Originally meant just to run two weeks, I was encouraged to keep on blogging, which I have enjoyed.

The four HFJO workshops that I've attended have deeply changed and influenced my life as any steady reader would already know, and none more than the first one. I am still incorporating the lessons that I learned from Hugh and Maria Schneider. Having the rare opportunity to play her music and work with her changed everything for me. I have always vowed to do whatever it takes to be there again if she came back to Banff.

Chucho Valdez was originally scheduled to be the guest artist this year, but after the application deadline, word got out that Maria would be back. At Hugh's invitation, I had been planning to drive up to Banff to watch the proceedings and hang with Chucho and the orchestra for a day or two. No problem, I would do the same with Maria, and have the chance to thank her in person for being such a catalyst in my life. Then things got busy, the cd projects took longer than expected, and family and financial priorities gave me a reality check. There would be no drive to Banff this year.

Two weeks ago, Eli Bennett wrote me to ask what to expect up there. I've been a big fan of this young player and would have loved to have had the chance to spend some time up there with him. Then I started thinking about the people who return each year for the workshop, some who have become good friends of mine, some who have become musical collaborators. The opportunities missed. Just to see Maria lead the orchestra with her glorious music...

Instead, I've just been playing her cds all the time and moping a bit. I've had a fantasy about playing pandeiro with the orchestra while they performed her Choro Dancadao. She was the person who turned me on to this marvellous instrument.

I guess that dream will just have to wait.