Joel Frahm & Adrean Farrugia

Toronto pianist Adrean Farrugia and New York tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm will be appearing as a duo on Saturday, January 19th, 2020 at BuckingJam Palace for two shows (2pm & 8pm).

These two world-class musicians will be stopping in Calgary while touring Western Canada, performing music from their duet recording Blued Dharma.

Adrean Farrugia

Award winning pianist and composer Adrean Farrugia is one of Canada’s most distinct voices on the piano.

Since the late 1990s Adrean has been in high demand as a freelance performer and educator. Keeping a busy touring schedule, mainly as a sideman, Adrean has toured extensively across Canada and the United States as well as in venues across Europe, Australia, the UK, Israel and in Japan.

Adrean has performed/recorded with some of jazz’s greatest and most diverse artists including: Ernie Watts, Adam Nussbaum, Larry Carlton, Curtis Fuller, Tom Scott, Bob Brookmeyer, Randy Brecker, Eric Alexander, Cyrille Aimee, Molly Johnson, Jane Bunnett, Ron Blake, Joel Frahm, Matt Penman, Dafnis Prieto, Kinan Azmeh, Brad Goode, Kenny Wheeler, Darcy James Argue, Don Thompson, Lorne Lofsky, Kevin Turcotte, and Pat Labarbera.

Adrean currently performs/has performed with such diverse projects as saxophone legend Ernie Watts’ Band, the Matt Dusk Band, the Brad Goode Group (featuring Ernie Watts and Adam Nussbaum), The Ernesto Cervini group Turboprop (featuring saxophonist Joel Frahm), The Johnny Griffith Quintet, Heather Bambrick, Marito Marques, Violinist Drew Jurecka, Kiki Misumi, Tim Shia’s ‘The Worst Pop Band Ever’, the Bob Brough Quartet, Avery Raquel, and the Darcy Hepner Big Band. Adrean also works regularly with his wife, vocalist Sophia Perlman.

As a leader Adrean has released four albums. His second album Ricochet was nominated for a 2011 Juno award for best contemporary jazz recording. As a composer Adrean has penned more than 30 works to date.

Adrean is currently on the faculty of Mohawk College where he teaches contemporary piano, ensembles and improvisation. He has also served on the faculties of York University and Humber College. He has also done workshops/clinics at the University of Colorado, University of Toronto, The University of Western Ontario, The Banff Centre for the arts, The Sydney and Brisbane Conservatories, and in Warsaw, Poland as part of the Polish Jazz Society’s 35th annual Summer Jazz Workshop.

Adrean has been a contributing writer to piano guru Larry Fine’s publication “The Piano Book”, the world’s foremost publication on all things piano. Adrean has also been a performer and panelist at the 63rd, 67th, 69th and 70th annual Conference on World Affairs in Boulder Colorado.

Joel Frahm

Born in Racine, WI in 1969, Frahm attended the Mason Gross School for the Arts and earned his B.A. in Jazz Performance at Manhattan School of Music. He released three highly regarded CDs on Palmetto: The Navigator, Don't Explain (with Brad Mehldau), and Sorry No Decaf. Don't Explain, his latest, was the number one jazz release for radio play in the United States for two consecutive weeks in 2004, according to jazzweek.com airplay chart and also reached number one on college radio for one week, according to College Music Journal's airplay chart. Joel was also recently selected in DownBeat Magazine's Critics Poll as a Rising Star in the category of tenor saxophone.

Joel Frahm's release, We Used to Dance, places him in the company of master musicians Kenny Barron (piano), Rufus Reid (bass), and Victor Lewis (drums). Frahm more than holds his own in showing both the chops and lyricism that has made him an irreplaceable part of so many sessions in his two decades on the jazz scene.

Surrounded by jazz legends, Frahm makes this recording a true coming out party for his maturing artistry. It is his most ambitious CD to date, featuring six of his original compositions that come to life in beautiful and variegated ways in the hands of this remarkable band. It was an honor and a watershed experience to make this record with these incredible musicians he says.

Having made a name for himself through his associations with singer Jane Monheit and boyhood friend, pianist Brad Mehldau, Frahm hones his own voice on this breakout recording. Joel has also worked with a vast array of musical peers and jazz legends including Maynard Ferguson, Betty Carter, Matt Wilson, Larry Goldings, Dewey Redman, Lee Konitz, Kurt Rosenwinkel, Andrew Hill, Ben Allison, Pat Martino, Ingrid Jensen, Dena Derose, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, Kyle Eastwood and many others.

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For ticket information please visit the BuckingJam Eventbrite page:

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/adrean-farrugia-and-joel-frahm-tickets-76604192201 (2pm matinee)

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/an-evening-with-adrean-farrugia-and-joel-frahm-tickets-77314001259 (8pm evening show)

* Please note that both of these shows are already currently close to sold out!*

**To get up-to-date and current ticket information and concert announcements, make sure to sign up for the BuckingJam Palace e.mail list!**

Jodi Proznick: "Let Go"

Vancouver bassist and composer Jodi Proznick offers some personal insight into her original composition "Let Go", from her album Sun Songs (which, incidentally, won her a recent Western Canadian Music Award for "Jazz Artist of the Year"!)

Also, check out this feature with Proznick from the Vancouver Courier about the inspiration and process behind her music.

Jodi Proznick and her quintet perform music from her album Sun Songs on Friday, November 1st 8pm at BuckingJam Palace!

*If tickets for an event are sold out, make sure to email through the website anyways and request to be put on the waitlist. Often tickets will come up at the last minute due to last minute cancellations.*

**You can also put yourself on the waitlist through the Eventbrite listing. Each waitlist entry represents one ticket so you need to enter your information twice if you want two tickets. There is always someone who can't make it at the last minute and we do our very best to accommodate anyone who wants to be here!**

***Also, remember to sign up for the email list as tickets for these unique events frequently sell out quickly. Don’t miss out on these amazing opportunities!***

Mike Allen's "Just Like Magic" Trio: Two Shows This Sunday!

Vancouver's Mike Allen (tenor saxophone) will be appearing at Calgary's BuckingJam Palace this Sunday, October 20th for two shows (2pm & 8pm). Joining Allen for these performances will be the world-renowned rhythm section team of Lewis Nash (drums) and Peter Washington (bass).

This trio will be performing music from Mike Allen's latest CD release "Just Like Magic" (Cellar Live). Featuring a program of Allen's originals and timeless standards, these special concerts will truly be memorable moments in the Calgary Jazz community for years to come!

For ticket information please visit www.buckingjampalace.com

*If tickets for an event are sold out, make sure to email through the website anyways and request to be put on the waitlist. Often tickets will come up at the last minute due to last minute cancellations.

**Also, remember to sign up for the email list as tickets for these events frequently sell out quickly. Don't miss out on these amazing opportunities!

Interview with Jodi Proznick -"Sun Songs"

Bassist, composer, educator and recent winner of the Western Canadian Music Awards "Jazz Artist of the Year" category Jodi Proznick was kind enough to take time out her busy schedule to answer a few questions in advance of her Friday, November 1st performance at BuckingJam Palace.

Jodi Proznick BuckingJam Blog Interview - October 2019

1) Tell us about your musical background. How did you learn to play Jazz? What is your education?

My musical background started in my playful childhood home - then piano lessons and ballet, then in school - a great elementary school music teacher and a fabulous band program at my high school. I then went to McGill to pursue a degree in music.

2) Who are your influences?

My big jazz influences are John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter, Paul Chambers, Kenny Wheeler and Shirley Horne. And the Beatles. And J.S. Bach!

3) What is your concept for your own group and what repertoire will you be performing?

I like the quartet and/or trio format - the Sun Songs project added a vocalist to my quartet, but I did write the vocal part with a horn in mind. We will be playing the music from my JUNO nominated album Sun Songs - a project that explores the polarities of life, written in response to two big life events; the birth of my son and my mother's early onset dementia diagnosis.

4) How do you approach composing music?

Composing is very slow for me. I need time and space - which means that when life is busy, I have to grab time and space in the cracks of my day.

5) What are your future plans for this project and what other projects are you planning in the future?

I feel like this project is going to keep going for a while - we performed some of the pieces with the amazing men's choir Chor Lioni and I am interested to see what other groups and/or collectives could recreate and reimagine the music. Chamber music? Orchestra? Big Band? Multi-media? I am open to possibilities!

6) What advice do you have for students who are interested in pursuing a career as a music educator and/or Jazz musician?

My advice for a life in music?

When you are nervous, focus in service.

When you are clear about the why, the how and the what, and they all become obvious.

Intention is everything.

Be kind and be prepared.

Show up for your life.

Find your people and love them. Make art with them.

The Amos Hoffman & Noam Lemish Quartet: This Thursday!

Amos Hoffman (guitar & oud) and Noam Lemish (piano) bring their unique blending of traditional Jewish folk melodies and contemporary Jazz stylings to BuckingJam Palace this upcoming Thursday, October 10th at 8pm. These two accomplished musicians will also be joined by Jon McCaslin on drums and Solon McDade on bass (from Montreal).

Here's a sample of some of the unique music you can expect to hear from this group:

“HOFFMAN MAY WELL BE TODAY’S ROSETTA STONE OF JAZZ. EQUALLY ADEPT IN MIDDLE EASTERN HARMONIES AS HE IS IN 52ND STREET SWING…” – DOWNBEAT MAGAZINE

Amos Hoffman is an Israeli Jazz Oudist and Guitarist known worldwide as a pioneer in fusing the rhythms and melodic themes of the Middle East with Modern Jazz. Hoffman started playing guitar at the age of 6, and oud a few years later. He studied guitar privately, and later attended the prestigious Rubin Academy of Music in Jerusalem. His search for new musical experiences led him first to Amsterdam, and then to New York City, where he played jazz with both estab- lished musicians and up and coming talents like Jason Lindner, bassist Avishai Cohen, and Claudia Acuna. To date, Hoffman has recorded 5 solo albums, The Dreamer (1999), Na’ama (2006), Evolution (2008) Carving (2010) and Back to the City (2015). He has also contributed on dozens more for artists in Israel and worldwide including Avishai Cohen, Kiko Berenguer (Spain), and Jan Mlynarski (Poland). In 2013 Amos was awarded one of Israel’s most prestigious prizes – The Landau Prize for Arts and Sciences for outstanding achievement in the field of Jazz. Now based in the U.S., Hoffman looks forward to creating new musical adventures and reaching an even larger audience. www.amoshoffman.com

“SAYING LEMISH IS A JAZZ PIANIST IS LIKE SAYING A MULTI-FUNCTION SWISS ARMY KNIFE IS JUST A KNIFE.” – NICOLAS GRIZZLE, NORTH BAY BOHEMIAN

Noam Lemish is an Israeli-American jazz pianist and composer currently based out of Toronto, Canada. He has appeared in numerous performances across the US, Canada, Europe, Israel, and in Bhutan having played and performed with such musicians as: Sheila Jordan, John Handy, Julian Lage, James Newton, Dayna Stephens, George Marsh, Frances-Marie Uitti, and many others.  He has several recordings to his credit, including Sonic Truffles (2018), The Turning (2016), The Magic Clavier Book I (2015), Nightfall (2013), The People’s King (2010) and Yes And (2008). His compositions include chamber, choral, piano, numerous jazz works and “The People’s King”: a commissioned multi-cultural suite in celebration the King of Bhutan’s 30th birthday composed while teaching music in the Himalayan Kingdom of Bhutan in 2010. Dr. Lemish is currently teaching at the University of Toronto’s jazz studies program and co-directs the Israeli-Iranian Musical Initiative. www.noamlemish.com