A 2021 year end update from Lisa Buck

2021 seems determined to close out with a much uncertainty as it began.  In the midst of that, I want to send out good wishes to all for a happy and healthy New Year.  Despite the ongoing stress of difficult times, I feel immensely grateful to be part of a community of incredible folk who understand the soul-stirring power of the Arts and work to protect and celebrate our culture and its dedicated creators.

We are rescheduling all our events at BJP for the month of January.  While this is immensely disappointing, I am encouraged that the three concerts we were able to schedule in November and December were sold-out, were attended with great enthusiasm and were held without incident.  Reducing capacity, participating in the restriction exemption program and adding non-touch protocols have added to everyone’s comfort level.

We have exciting projects in the works.  Our Toones project—a film collaboration with the Quickdraw Animation Society—is perking along nicely.  All music compositions have been handed over to animators and it’s going to be exciting to see the spectrum of “visual music” that comes to life.  Toones is funded by a grant from Calgary Arts Development:  the grant has allowed BJP to invest $25,000 into the Calgary Arts community at a crucial time when artists need support.   

Plans for shooting the Change the Tune project—a music video and documentary about the challenges faced by female jazz instrumentalists—are still moving ahead.  Pandemic permitting, we will be shooting at the Warehouse studio in Vancouver the week of February 11th with seven of Canada’s top jazz musicians.  This project is funded by the Canada Council and, again, grant money is allowing us to employ artists and make art even in these difficult times.

I am part of the current cohort in the Rozsa Foundation’s Arts Management Program, offered in partnership with the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business.  The training is excellent. I am working on a capstone project for the course that is focused on outfitting BJP with the equipment and technical support to record live-off-the-floor.  I lend our space and backline often for rehearsals and recordings so this is a natural next-step:  the acoustics are ideal for recording so kudos to the architect who made that possible 110 years ago! 

Our next scheduled concerts are February 24th and 25th with a quintet of absolutely top-notch musicians:  Jodi Proznick, Amanda Tosoff, Laura Anglade, Virginia MacDonald and Sanah Kadoura.  Pencil it into your calendars for now:  tickets on sale in the new year.  

A final note of gratitude as a proud Calgarian and Canadian.  Funding agencies in this country have worked overtime to mitigate the damage to the Arts sector.  Canada supports its artists far better than our neighbour to the south and BuckingJam Palace has been able to continue to work for musicians because of this support and the generosity of individual patrons who have donated to our programming. 

Wishing peace and joy to you and yours and looking ahead to healthy times filled with music 2022!

Lisa

January 2020 @ BuckingJam Palace!

Seasons Greetings!

We hope you are all gearing up for the holidays and easing into the festive spirit. And what better way to celebrate Christmas than with some tickets for your loved ones to one of the many great Jazz concerts coming up next year at BuckingJam Palace? (it sure beats a lump of coal...)

There is lots of great music coming up and here's a preview of the two outstanding shows coming up in January to start off the year ahead.

Canadian pianist Adrean Farrugia partners with one of New York City's finest, tenor saxophonist Joel Frahm, for an intimate evening of duets. Juno award winner Adrean Farrugia has played on over forty albums, including four as a leader. He first met New York saxophonist Joel Frahm in 1990 and a creative musical connection was formed that led to the release of their 2018 duo album, Blued Dharma. Joel Frahm is recognized as one of the finest saxophone players on the New York scene today.

Featuring:

Adrean Farrugia - Piano

Joel Frahm - Tenor Saxophone

Sunday, January 19th 2020

8pm

www.eventbrite.ca/e/an-evening-with-adrean-farrugia-and-joel-frahm-tickets-77314001259 

Hailed by All About Jazz as "wise beyond his years" and "remarkable" by Toronto Music Report, Philadelphia native, New York-based saxophonist Sam Taylor brings one of his heroes, saxophone legend, Larry McKenna, to BuckingJam Palace on January 25, 2020. Philadelphia tenor saxophonist Larry McKenna has played with Rosemary Clooney, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and countless others. Sam Taylor released his second album, Along The Way, featuring Larry McKenna in November 2017. Joining them are two top tier New York musicians: Grammy Award winning bassist Paul Sikivie and drummer Pete Van Nostrand.

Featuring:

Sam Taylor - Tenor Saxophone

Larry McKenna - Tenor Saxophone

Paul Sikivie - Bass

Pete Van Nostrand - Drums

Saturday, January 25th 2020

8pm

www.eventbrite.ca/e/sam-taylor-quartet-with-larry-mckenna-tickets-81361750185

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!***

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.

Mike Allen Trio: Spotlight on Lewis Nash

Lewis Nash, one of the world's greatest Jazz drummers, will be joining Vancouver tenor saxophonist Mike Allen and bassist Peter Washington at BuckingJam Palace for two intimate shows on Sunday, October 20th (2pm & 8pm).

Regular followers of the Calgary Jazz scene might recall the last time that Nash performed in Calgary, at the Jack Singer Concert Hall in 2013, with the Monterey Jazz Festival On Tour. This was truly an amazing concert that also featured the likes of Benny Green on piano, Christian McBride on bass, Chris Potter on tenor saxophone, Ambrose Akinmisure on trumpet and vocalist DeeDee Bridgewater!

Now you can have the rare opportunity to see this Master percussionist play up close and personal! (you'd otherwise have to travel to New York City to see him play in a small venue such as this...)

Lewis Nash has played and recorded with the greatest Jazz musicians in the world. His unique drumming style combines a sensitive touch with percussive artistry and his drumming has been in constant demand for the past 30+ years as a sideman to the world's greatest Jazz musicians.

Check out his bio for a glimpse into the career of this accomplished Jazz artist:

"Rhythm Is My Business" is the title of his debut recording as a leader, and rhythm is a booming business as far as Lewis Nash is concerned. He is the drummer of choice for an incredible array of artists - from the masters of the music to the hottest young players of today - and is equally in demand as a clinician and educator.

Born in Phoenix, Arizona, Lewis developed an early interest in music and began playing drums at age 10. By age 18, he was performing with local jazz groups. By the time he was 21, Nash had become the "first call" jazz drummer in Phoenix, working with Sonny Stitt, Art Pepper, Red Garland, Lee Konitz, Barney Kessell and Slide Hampton during their engagements in the city.

In 1981, Nash moved to New York City and joined the trio of the great jazz vocalist Betty Carter. For nearly four years, he toured internationally with Ms. Carter. He is featured on three of her recordings, including the Grammy winning "Look What I Got."

World-renowned bassist Ron Carter hired Nash in 1984. As a member Carter´s nonet, quintet and quartet, Nash toured extensively and is featured on several of the bassist´s recordings.

In the fall of 1986, saxophonist Branford Marsalis asked Lewis to join his quartet. That active association spanned two years and several continents, and is documented on Marsalis´ Grammy nominated recording "Random Abstract", as well as two videos: Royal Garden Blues (directed by Spike Lee) and "Branford Marsalis - Steep".

1988 marked the return to the jazz scene of trombone master J.J. Johnson. Johnson frequently asked Lewis to provide rhythm duties for his band. That same year, Nash joined the Don Pullen/George Adams quartet, succeeding the late Dannie Richmond. 1989 proved to be an even busier year for Lewis, touring with legendary saxophonist Sonny Rollins. He also performed with Stan Getz, Art Farmer, Clark Terry and Milt Jackson.

From 1990 to 2000, Lewis was a member of the Tommy Flanagan Trio, and is featured on seven CD recordings with the late piano master. During this period, Nash also toured and recorded with both the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. His impressive discography (over 300 recordings) includes projects with jazz legends Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, Benny Carter, Hank Jones and John Lewis, as well as new jazz stars Diana Krall, Joe Lovano and Roy Hargrove. Demonstrating his stylistic diversity, Nash is also featured on recordings by Natalie Cole, Bette Midler, Nancy Wilson, Kenny Rankin, Melissa Manchester and George Michael.

Currently, while he continues to perform and record with a wide variety of artists, Nash leads several of his own exciting groups, from duo to septet. His lectures, clinics and workshops are as much in demand as his bandstand and studio work. 

Lewis Nash is currently the Bob and Gretchen Ravenscroft Professor of Practice in Jazz at the Arizona State University School of Music and is the drummer of choice for an incredible array of artists – from jazz masters to the hottest young players of today – and is equally in demand as a clinician and educator. His career spans over 30 years and includes performance on 10 Grammy award-winning albums and an impressive discography of more than 400 recordings with jazz legends such as Betty Carter, Tommy Flanagan, Dizzy Gillespie, Oscar Peterson, McCoy Tyner, Hank Jones, Joe Henderson, Sonny Rollins, Ron Carter and Clark Terry, as well as such contemporary jazz artists as Branford Marsalis, Wynton Marsalis, Diana Krall, Joe Lovano and Roy Hargrove. Nash has become a highly sought after jazz educator and is sponsored by Sakae drums, Zildjian cymbals, Remo drumheads and Vic Firth drumsticks.

Nash is noted for his adaptability to a vast array of genres, as evidenced by his performances with such different musicians as Tommy Flanagan and Don Pullen. Nash has made five recordings as bandleader: Rhythm is My Business (1989), It Don't Mean a Thing (2003 Japanese import) and Stompin' at the Savoy (2005 Japanese import), Lewis Nash and the Bebop All-Stars featuring Frank Wess (2008 Japanese Import), and The Highest Mountain (2012). In 2008, Nash became part of The Blue Note 7, a septet formed that year in honor of the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records.

Lewis Nash: Rhythm is indeed his business!

Oh yes, before I forget, Lewis Nash is also one of the greatest BRUSH players on the planet! Check out this video and let's hope that he doesn't forget his brushes on October 20th!

Lewis Nash will be appearing with Vancouver's Mike Allen and bassist Peter Washington at BuckingJam Palace on Sunday, October 20th.

The 2pm show is currently sold-out BUT there are a handful of tickets available for the 8pm show. Visit the BuckingJam EventBrite page and reserve your ticket asap before they sell-out!

https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/an-evening-with-mike-allen-peter-washington-and-lewis-nash-tickets-65568153111