MY NEWS!

Since I picked up the clarinet again, after 10 inactive years, I have attending a weekly practice session with Rice Honeywell(of Red Beans and Rice Jazz Band fame). The photo shows Rice(Cornet), Peggy Thomson(piano), and Bob Jadis(trombone). The Tuba player is Buddy Apfel of The South Burgundy Street Jazz Band out of California. Bob Jadis is a transplant from Ottawa where he was the founder of the Souper Jazz Band. Still going strong! He was quite touched when I gave him a CD of Souper Jazz courtesy of Bob Godkin. The South Burgundy Street Band was featured at the Vancouver Dixieland Jazz Society Festival last October. This also had Black Swan, Uptown Lowdown, Grand Dominion, Phoenix, and the best of the local groups. It was fantastic musically but there was a 25% drop in attendance probably due to worries about border crossing, the threatened flu pandemic and a clash with Canadian Thanksgiving. This was most likely the last year that VDJS will receive a grant from the Lottery Corp., due to changes in Government policy Grrrr! Luckily we have enough cash reserves to put on a fest next year, but that could be the last unless we can scare up sponsorships from other sources. Bands are already booked including Climax JB. This booking was made possible by a generous grant from The White Rock Trad Jazz Society. WRTJS continues successfully with weekly dances and we have had some remarkable sessions. We have 240 members and would be in serious trouble if they all showed up at the same time. This month we had Uptown Lowdown, and are looking forward to Bria Skonberg and the Big Bang JB followed by Simon Stribling's New Orleans Ale Stars. WOW!!

Those who know me will be glad to hear that I have received word that my Bankruptcy has been discharged. Thats good except that my status as an ex-bankrupt remains on my record for SIX years.

Looking forward to a merry Xmas - Diana will be in from Montreal and Sarah will host the feast.

In case you are wondering about the Siamese cats(see last post or maybe play it) They appear to have contracted the same disease possibly as a result of close encounters with neighbourhood racoons. There is no connection with the fact that Landlady's companion moved out shortly afterwards.

More to follow when something interesting happens!

SEASONAL GREETINGS!

This is my Xmas Card for y'all. A Pileated Woodpecker seen in October just outside my window. This handsome bird is about the size of a crow and is native to the west coast although rarely seen in urban areas. In fact since the landlady's Siamese cats died in succession during the summer the avian population of the back yard outside my window has increased substantially. This may result in the emergence of the latent birder in me. The key to success appears to be to have one's camera at the ready all the time - right! Maybe not! November was a miserable month with copious precipitation. Result has been wet nay swampy golf courses, so, no golf.

Hi there! Apologies for long gap in posts and thanks to Doug Jacques for his remonstration.I took the plunge recently and revived my long love affair with the clarinet. Photos are me sitting in with Red Beans and Rice who have been filling the White Rock Trad Jazz summer hiatus at the Crescent Beach Legion. Photo 1. is me with Gerry Green and Scott Robertson playing Stranger on the Shore(Don Ogilvie and Casey Tolhurst not shown). Photo2. is the whole band, adding Rice Honeywell on Cornet and Ron Minchell, trombone, Jack Stafford is the other clarinetist. Great fun! Aside from practicing I have been working long hours at the golf course, to justify the free golf and continuing to drive cars at the car auction, to keep my job for the winter. We had the WRTJS summer MiniFest in June featuring the 49th.Parallel JB as well as Bria Skonberg's Big Bang JB. Great music! The former JB also played at Bruce McCrae's annual Jazz Picnic. Simon Stribling's NO Ale Stars are back from a successful European stint at the Breda Festival and have been putting out their special brand of Hot jazz at the Heritage Grill in New Westminster. All in all a very busy time. We(the Board of the Vancouver Dixieland Jazz Society)are gearing up for our four day festival at the Sheraton Hotel in Surrey - October 9-11. Featured are Black Swan Classic JB,PortlandOR, Grand Dominion,WA,South Burgundy Street JB, Arcadia CA. Plus a band from Whitehorse, Big Bang JB etc. We are hoping that the recession, new border regulations, and other bad news problems will not reduce attendance too much. The fest is supported by a grant from BC Lottery and other sponsors so we are financially safe. More soon!

SMALL WORLD EH!

The April 5,09 session of The White Rock Trad Jazz Society saw the welcome return of Red Beans and Rice. Rice Honeywell(Cnt), Ray Batten(Tbn), Gerry Green(Clt), Scott Robertson(Dms), Casey Tolhurst(Bs), Don Ogilvie(Gtr) and Alastair Taylor(Pno). All in fine form. At the end of the afternoon I went to congratulate the band and talked to Alistair who adds a special dimension to the rhythm section. It came out that he is the actual Al of the Al Peters Jazz Band in Montreal. The Peter was Peter Hartigan(Clt). Both had left Montreal when I joined the band on Clarinet in 1973. Amazing! Alastair lives on Bowen Island with his charming wife to be. He particularly remembered Robin Shepherdson who played bass with the band.

AGEING BY PASSPORT!

Yesterday in an excess of birthday zeal I decided to get my Canadian Passport application together. Photo taken, application completed and guarantor signatures appended(my landlady) I was ready this morning to go to the passport office. Google gave me directions and off I went. The commissionaire told me to get a number in the basement and then go back and see him. This I did and he directed me to the 9th floor(your $$ at work). Here I joined a crowd of very suspicious looking folks waiting for the ticket number to come up on a big screen. Very quickly my number was up(so to speak) and $87. later I was on my way home. The rest of the waiting crowd could be still there for all I know. It will arrive by Express Mail in two and a half weeks. Great! As I was putting the evidence back in its file I glanced at previous cancelled passports. Uh-oh! I seem to have aged - evidence above (bottom left anticlockwise to top left - 1986/1996/2006/2009) Quite startling when I feel not a whit older, less fit, or duller. I have however become more adept at converting alcohol into water. Heigh-Ho!

EUPHORIA ETC.!

Someone said to me recently that playing jazz in a good band has occasional sublime moments that are better than sex. Well, I don't know about that(from what I remember) but I know what he meant. It gave me the impetus to try to recall artistically ecstatic moments.: Rita Moreno in the stage version of West Side Story(London, early fifties); first hearing of Louis Armstrong's Cornet Chop Suey; Margot Fonteyn with Rudolph Nureyev dancing The Rose; Ascot Gavotte in the original stage version of My Fair Lady with Julie Andrews and Rex Harrison; Billie's Blues as sung by Lady Day with Lester Young in the TV show; Count Basie band's intro number - Royal Festival Hall; Rockin' in Rhythm by the Duke Ellington Band live at Croydon Hall; Turkish Delight, Cleo Laine and Johnny Dankworth at Montreal; Vivien Leigh and Lawrence Olivier in Twelth Night; the signature music of Dalzeil&Pascoe by Barrington Phelong. Just a few that immediately spring to mind. I was reviving my aquaintance with the New Black Eagle Jazz Band via recorded tracks from the seventies, courtesy Doug Jacques, and was knocked out by the tuba solo on Rent Party Blues. Eli Newberger was the tubist responsible. Sublime! Another one for the list! I remember seeing the band at the Stickey Wicket pub west of Boston several times.
Eli was a doctor in Boston and also president of the Child Welfare League of America. I met him in that capacity at a regional conference of the CWLA in Montreal in 1975 which I had a hand in organizing. The NBEJB was, and is, a lovely band. The photos above were taken at a Riverboat Shuffle in Toronto in the late seventies. Tony Pringle on cornet and Len Gosling from the Climax on trombone. Hi Di Ho!

BELLINGHAM TRAD JAZZ SOCIETY

The Bellingham Trad Jazz Society has been revived. Until his death in 2008 Matt Minninger was a fan and avid supporter of anyone and anything to do with his passionate interest in early jazz. I would see him tangled up in microphone wires while setting up for one the bands he promoted or in his distinctive clothes dancing very distinctively at a jazz event. The Trad Jazz world is much diminished by his passing. Anyhoo, his lovely wife Lynne together with other enthusiasts has recreated the BTJS which holds monthly sessions at the VFW in Bellingham. Yesterday, March 21, they brought in Chris Tyle and his Silverleaf JB. It was not to be missed! I was only 30 minutes late arriving due to Border crossing delays. The band was in full swing for a goodly audience - others from the White Rock TJS had made the trip. It was well worth it! Chris Tyle(Cnt), David Loomis(Tmb), Craig Flory(Clt/Tsax) adequately supported by Dan Brown(Bs), Candice Brown(DobroGtr/Bjo) and Julian McDonough(Dms) offered up a lively and authentic mix of well and lesser known tunes. The front line was particularly impressive. David L. and Craig F. were members of the Evergreen Classic JB. Foot stompin' stuff.
Arthur Grainge, the late banjo playing leader of Ottawa's New Orleans Days JB, was a great fan of Chris Tyle and would talk about his authentic approach to the music which Arthur wished to emulate. Many visits to New Orleans paying tribute at the Can Can Room in the Sonesta Hotel and sitting in at Fritzel's led Arthur to form his band in 1997. I was with him on HiHat less drums! AGNOD made a CD and I was able to give a copy to Chris Tyle. Chris remembered Arthur and was glad to have this memento of a friendship.
All in all a satisfactory day, and the beer was only $1.75 a pint. It was so good I had to stock up!
Heigh Ho!

SPRING DIXIE FEST

March 7 & 8 '09
This was a good weekend! Spring may have been an optimistic title given the vagueries of the weather but it was hopping inside at the Austria Vancouver Club. The Vancouver Dixieland Jazz Society, with sponsors Tilley Hats and Long & McQuade, presented youth bands for the first set. The Back Alley Strutters and the Front Porch Swingers showed great potential. Both bands are from the Chilliwack High School jazz program. Notable was a version of Big House Blues. After this it was down to business with the Phoenix Jazzers. This band was extremely popular at the Hot Jazz Club twenty years ago and their performance this day showed why. Good bouncing Trad Jazz! JimmyArmstrong(Tpt) provided a strong lead for Ron Minchell(Trb) and Gerry Green(Clt). Three sets allowed them to settle in and get the dancers dancing and feet tapping. Approximately 200 people were in attendance. The food was good and the libations flowed. After dinner Black Stick put in a major musical contribution. Evan Arntzen(Clt/Sop), his grandfather Lloyd Arntzen(Clt/Sop), Don Ogilvie and Budge Schachte(acoustic guitars), Jennifer Hodges(Bass) and Benji Bohannan(Drms) honored the music of Jimmy Noone,Sidney Bechet and other great early reedmen. They did this with expertise and affection. Wonderful. Notable were Bechet's Dans La Rue d'Antibes,Bechet's Fantasy and Rheinhart's Nuages(gtrs only) . I was sad to learn that Georgia Korba who was to have played Bass had broken bones following a snowboard accident. Get well soon we need you! Jennifer was a strong substitute. She has a trio - Company B - which does the Andrews Sisters thing. They will be featured at festivals this summer including Chilliwack(May) and Vancouver(September). That was Saturday.
Sunday the snow fell, the sun shone and the Phoenix Jazzers played at the White Rock Trad Jazz Soc hop. Even better than Saturday! They put on a lively and interesting program for the 100 or so attendees. Boy Oh Boy - leg tired from tapping!
Gerry Green is in England now and has a gig Tuesday! Great news - Chris Tyle and the Silverleaf will be in Bellingham March 21. He lives in Portland now. Heigh Ho!

RED BEANS & RICE

Sunday March 1st was as usual the preserve of the house band at the White Rock Trad Jazz Soc Hop. However, Rice Honeywell is still in Arizona so the Band had Glen Tremblay(Tpt), Evan Arntzen(Clt/Sax), Alistair Taylor(Pno), Scott Robertson(Dms), Don Ogilvie(Gtr) and Casey Tolhurst(Bs). High spots included Evan's perfect rendition of the traditional solo in High Society and the piano playing of Alistair which somehow gives the band a great rhythmic lift. Low spot was a Louis impersonator from Mississauga who sang while holding a bass! Fun nonetheless. Looking forward to the Vancouver Dixieland Society MiniFest next Saturday featuring the Phoenix Jazzers(apparently risen from the almost dead) and Black Stick. This latter group features aforementioned Evan with his grandfather Lloyd who although 80plus continues to play a mean clarinet. I am up for the Board of the VDJS which will be fun. Heigh Ho!

BRIA'S HOT FIVE

Oh, Happy Day! The Hot Five became Six today with the addition of Matthew Bowman on Trombone. His 'promotion' was deserved and the Band played with fire and finesse. Ron Thompson subbed for Josh Roberts on Bjo/Gtr and settled in o.k. Bria is playing all over the world these days. Japan, France,US etc. as a featured guest at festivals. The Band plans to do a CD shortly. The larger group, The Big Bang JB will be at the WRTJS minifest in June but before that there is the Chilliwack Jazz Fest in May. Heigh-Ho!

JAZZ AT CAMBRIAN HALL

So keen was I to laud the Stompin' Hot Jazz Band that I forgot my activities of the previous day! The Vancouver Dixieland Jazz Society has started a series of once a month dances at The Cambrian Hall. This hall was built by a bunch of Welshmen way back and has a nice stage and good acoustics. Anyway Saturday, February 14, it was the turn of The Hollyburn Ramblers to entertain and play for dancers. Good it was! The five piece band was led by Alan Matheson(Cnt/Fl), Rob Mackenzie(Tmb), Jim Lazenby(Bjo), Craig Scott(Dms) and Steve Toren(Tuba)(I think). The music owed a lot to the Bix Beiderbeck repertory and was nicely played. How nice to hear Alan do justice to his passion. The event is the brainchild of Joel & Louise Schwartz to provide a venue for the younger jazz fans who like to do 'Swing Dancing'. The Hall does not have a liquor licence but ...
(Earlier in the day I had attended a Golf Expo at BC Place where I found an Adams Insight Driver for $40.00. This is compatible with my current set of clubs so I'm all set.) Lots to do and so little time! Heigh Ho!

STOMPIN' HOT JAZZ BAND

This photo of The Dixie Nine was taken a couple of years ago at the Dixie Fest presented by the Vancouver Dixieland Jazz Society. The musicians were from Chilliwack High School where they have a dixieland jazz option in their music programme. This was the alma mater of Bria Skonberg. The promise they showed then was amply justified at their recent gig at the White Rock Traditional Jazz Society regular Sunday afternoon dance. Now calling themselves the Stompin' Hot Jazz Band they have reduced to a six member band with a couple of personnel changes. Their performance was excellent. Musicianship superb, arrangements minimal but effective, repertoire and style well within the New Orleans tradition. They had a large Valentines Day crowd crowding the dance floor all afternoon. I was particularly impressed by the trombone of Matthew Bowman which was precise and a propos. Bonnie Northgraves, trumpet, demonstrated a fine command of the instrument with a bravura style. The rest of the band were up to the task - Adam Van Loon, clarinet and a rhythm section of Tristan Martin,Brittany Waslen and Mitch Foster. The verve of the playing and jazz sensibility makes them a joy to listen to. They have a CD available titled 'No Grey Area' which speaks to their attitude of loyalty to the early jazz tradition.
Next Sunday WRTJS presents Bria's Hot Five - could life be better than this!

ALESTARS AT THE HERITAGE GRILL

The photo shows the New Orleans Ale Stars at Granville Island on Canada Day 2008. Last night I caught the band at the Heritage Grill in New Westminster where they play irregularly. The band includes Simon Stribling(Tpt&Saxes), Gerry Green(Clt&Tenor sax), Laurie Lister(Dms), Georgia Korba(Bass) and Josh Roberts(Bjo). They were in their usual good form entertaining a full house with verve and adventurousness. In preparation for a European Tour in May they were trying out some new material including early Satchmo like Stomp Off and Jubilee. Among the highlights were Georgia Cabin(Bechet) and a reckless version of Body and Soul. Hearing the band live and at close quarters one is constantly amazed at the cohesion of the rhythm section and its ability to use the full dynamic range leading to surges of excitement. One knows when things are getting really hot because Georgia smiles! Unlike many bands playing the early jazz repertory the Ale Stars make their music with a freshness that makes it seem like a new discovery.
Heigh-Ho.

White Rock Traditional Jazz Society

The WRTJS was started in 1990 by Rice Honeywell, pianist and trumpeter, to promote jazz of the New Orleans tradition. His band - Red Beans and Rice - was featured. Quite soon there were regular sessions at the Pacific Inn. Now the Society has weekly sessions from September to June, Sundays 3.00 to 6.00 at the Crescent Beach Legion. Red Beans and Rice are still the house band playing the first Sunday of each month. Other bands occupy the other dates. These include The New Orleans Ale Stars, Louisiana Joymakers, The Big Bang JB, Bria's Hot Five, Maple Leaf JB, Phoenix Jazzers, 49th Parallel JB, 3 Generations JB, Black Stick, Uptown-Lowdown etc. There are 200 or so members of all ages who enjoy dancing, listening and a drink. The Society also holds a Mini Fest each June usually at the Austria Vancouver Club. The Society has non-profit status and encourages students to play early jazz in particular by sending three or four talented youngsters to a jazz camp each year. Attendance each week varies from 80 to 110 and members enjoy a meat draw and a 50/50 lottery. I was honored last year to be elected to the Board as Membership Registrar a role that includes distributing the thrice yearly newsletter.
I have to say that the standard of performance by the bands is extremely high as is the level of enthusiasm. Dance lessons are offered and younger members delight with high quality 'Swing' dancing. More information can be found at the website - www.whiterocktradjazz.com
Also we have The Vancouver Dixieland Jazz Society which offers an annual mini-fest, a three day festival in the Fall, and currently, monthly Saturday afternoon dances with live jazz. A plethora of opportunities for the avid early jazz fan. www.vcn.bc.ca/vdjs

GOLF IS GREAT!

Golf was an invention of Scots gillies who enjoyed hitting sheep droppings into rabbit holes on the dunes of St. Andrews. It hasn't changed much. Being Scots they followed their walks with a dram or two of Scotch. This tradition has also been maintained. Golf is the only 'sport' in which smoking and drinking occur during the game. It is no surprise therefore that I am an afficionado. Although the game has become the sport of Presidents, kings, and CEOs and therefore both expensive and elitist, it is possible for the less well off to participate at moderate cost. As a marshall at the Mylora Course in Richmond I get to play free! Last year I achieved a Hole-In-One - more by accident than design but.... The job of marshall involves keeping the play moving, finding(and keeping)lost balls, removing the more obnoxious drunks, driving a buggy to a secluded spot and napping. One can learn many important life skills on the golf course. For instance how to cheat without discovery, how to lie to golfers about their skill, how to be polite and appear to mean it, how to hit a small ball with a long stick while inebriated etc. Weather is a factor but here on the West coast the season is all year. I played my last round in 2008 on December 5 and my first game of 2009 on January 20. Heigh Ho!

NEW YORKER

Where would we be without New York! Xmas gift of the New York Times Xword Calendar is much appreciated-I am up to June already. How time does fly. Also received the Winter Fiction edition of the The New Yorker. I love this zine. One can dream of visiting the Big Apple and catching some jazz, a show or two, wander through a museum or gallery and squander one's assets on a meal at Prune or JoeDoe. The layout is traditional which is a great relief from the montage layout of most zines. Flipping through the pages to find the cartoons one also finds ads for jewelry items like gold toad pins with diamond eyes, tam o'shanters, poplin raincoats,etc.(If I was writing a column in said zine I would have replaced the etc., with a complete list!) Also one can imagine visiting Country Inns, Carribean Islands, and distant Spas. Perfect, except I can't even afford to go to New York!

Walking Backwards to Christmas!

Diana graciously and generously hosted Sarah and I for two weeks of jollity. Eating was a priority and I gained several pounds. Xmas morning was marked by the gift exchange. I am now clothed, Crossworded, liquored and chocolated for the year ahead. We were able to attend Kelly's Pub for a spirited performance by the Jazz Knights who have been putting out good trad jazz for the last 38 years or so! Manon Guerin, trumpet, Arent Nieukamp,reeds, and Dave Reilly, trombone supported by good rhythm were in fine form . Ran into Robin Shepherdson who played Bass in the Al Peters Jazzband back in the '70s. Brian Dinsdale played trumpet, Len Gosling trombone, Brian Gravel, piano, Hank DeBruin,drums,Herbie Franz, banjo and me on clarinet. We were at the Cock'n Bull in Montreal. I spent a few days with Judy Filipowski in Ottawa and was able to go to the Royal Oak in Kanata to hear the Apex Jazz Band. Great afternoon of trad jazz. Mick Collins was replaced, one hopes temporarily, by Gord Tapp who plays well. Nice to see all the guys.Ivor and Ina visited - to see them nice! Also got to see Doug Jacques and Anna Sipos in their new improved house. All in all a good way to celebrate the season.

Starting off!

This is my first posting on my blog! The photo was taken some years ago at Gumbolini's cajun restaurant in Cornwall, Ontario. My trio played there for several months, once a week. If I can discover how to add sound to the blog I will bring in an example!