South Delta Jazz Workshop 2012 is done!

The 9th annual South Delta Jazz Workshop is over and it has been great.  It seems cliche to say it was the most successful event ever, but I really think it was.   We had absolutely no problems with students and only minor logistical hiccups with facilities and gear. The concerts all came off very well, both from musical and audience numbers perspectives.  I couldn't be happier.  The community of people that participates in the event as audience members, faculty, and students has really solidified into a cool extended family.  At this time of the year when people ask me about next year, I usually say "We'll see".  This year I feel quite happy to say that we will certainly be doing the 10th annual SDJW in 2013.  I'm already scheming for something special on the 10th anniversary.  Below are some pictures from our final concert at the Delta Hospital Grounds.  More pictures to come soon once Stephen Robb has a moment to upload them....

My heartfelt thanks are extended to all who participated in the event.  Together we made something beautiful happen!

Brad Muirhead (trombone), James Dekker (tenor sax), Bill Clark (trumpet) and Hazel Lam (tenor).  I think they were playing Dave Holland's tune "Hoimecoming".  We had some really advanced students this year.

My son, Isaac, on bass and his cousin, Eric, on piano obviously enjoying themselves on the gig.

Don Burkett (bass and camp chiropractor), Isabelle Burrows (flute) and len Aruliah (soprano sax) at Petra's Cafe jam session.

just a few of the players involved int he final F Blues blowout at petra's jam session - perfect weather as always!

noon hour concert at DCMS with Bill Clark (trumpet), Spencer hall (bass), and Mili Hong (drums).  I think I am behind Bill somewhere....Miles is watching over us!

Day 4

Day 4 was a great success.  I am too exhausted to blog much about it but the brief update is...

We had a wonderful noon hour concert featuring Bill Clark in which we played some standards and ended by paying musical tribute to Miles Davis'  "In a Silent Way".  When teaching was done, we had a brief rehearsal, scarfed some pizza and set up for a big evening concert with the faculty septet playing my arrangements.  The evening show came off very well with quite a large audience at All Saints Anglican Church.  The day went 13 hours from start to finish.  I am always amazed that the faculty are able to play at all by the time we get to Friday night. The students too were absolutely exhausted by the end of the teaching day and for them to come to an evening concert as well was a pretty big accomplishment.  I think going 'over the top' into a music overlaod state is a good thing for them to experience.  At the intermission, my daughter actually said she was amazed that I could keep going after such a big day and that she finally appreciated how busy and intense my life sometimes is - what a thing to hear from a 12-year old girl!

Final student concert/picnic extravaganza at Delta Hospital grounds from 12-3 today.  With luck the students will be too tired to be nervous, but energized enough to have a good time and play well.

Day Three

Day 3 of the South Delta Jazz Workshop is done and dusted.
The third day of the workshiop is always special beacuse you see students that have become completely immersed and comfortable with music.   Even when you give them a break for lunch they want to keep playing!  Music ceases to become a separate activity - music becomes an integral part of being like breathing. What an incredible thing to see.

We had a great noon concert featuring our our bass facvulty memebr, Rob Kohler.  We played some standards, one of Rob's tunes, and one by his son, Sam.  The concert also featured a "3-bass hit" with Rob and our two bass TAs, Wynston and Spencer, playing "Blues in the Closet".  Following the day's teaching we headed out to the hosue of Bob Miller, one of our adult students, for a nice did before the Petra's Cafe jam.  Bob, a tenor player, has been participating in our workshop since the very beginning and is a lovely person.  For the past few years he has been inviting us to his beautiful house beside the beach for a moment of physical and mental refreshment in the middle of our 12-hour day.  The jam at Petra's Cafe was very successful as always, with almost all of our students in attendance.  There weren't as many players from the community this year but that is ok; we have so many students this year it was a challenge to find opportunities for all of them to play a couple of tunes.

Today is our last full day of teaching as Saturday is a short rehearsal and final concert.  Tonight we will have a faculty septet concert at All Saints Anglican Church in ladner.  I have written some arrangements of my tunes for the show and I'm looking forward to hearing how they work out.  Music is at 7:30, tickets are $10 at the door.  Hope to see you there!

Day Two of South Delta Jazz Workshop done!

Day two is finished and I am ready for bed.  Classes were really good today with students getting used to doing music for 7 hours in a row and most logistical snafus ironed out. We had a great noon-hour show planned by Len doing material from our "Recyclers" project. This is a band in which we do a whole bunch contrafacts (new melodies on old chord progressions) written by Len and me and today also one by Rob Kohler.  We took the unprecedented step of moving the concert out of the community centre hall and cramming everyone into the largest room in the Music School.  It was a little tight for 50 people and I'm glad the fire marshall didn't show up, but the acoustics were so much better.  Music is easier when you can hear. Why didn't we do this years ago?  Following a day of teaching and playing we went out for pizza wand then headed over to Diefenbaker Park in Tsawwassen for an evening gig with our older students.  Rob and I played drums - Rob on even-8s material and me on the swinging stuff.  Nice to play drums for a while as the sun set behind the hill. The weather turned out perfectly and the park was just beautiful with lots of ducks and big carp in the pond.


Pictures to follow soon - I promise.


Tomorrow is another day of teaching, a faculty part at Bob Miller's house (one of our adult student who lives by the beach in Boundary Bay), and then a jam session from 7-9 at Petra's Arts Cafe.  Life is good.  

Day 1 of South Delta Jazz Workshop

Today we began the 9th annual South Delta Jazz Workshop.  This year we have a very full load of students and are running six student bands all day, every day. Some students have come for many years (a few of the adults since the very beginning) and some are showing up for the first time.  I find both groups and all the variations in between equally interesting and challenging.  It is always fun to hear how people have improved and grown musically over the space of a year, or to hear students who are just at the beginning of their musical journey.   Some of the younger kids have grown so fast I hardly recognized them from last year.   Both of my children are involved in the workshop for their second year as is Rob Kohler's son and this adds another dimension to the experience of teaching and organizing the workshop.  When I started this thing way back in 2003, the kids were just toddling around and going to preschool and kindergarten.  Now they are teenagers learning to play jazz!  Our faculty members have become like a family over the years as well - a very weird family maybe - but I really enjoy seeing the different ways that they approach playing and teaching the music.    

The first day was a success overall.  There were some shaky moments in our noon hour concert with missing charts and funny transpositions, musicians trying to remember how to play in the giant community centre hall where we hold those events etc... but people pulled through somehow and made music.  The best thing was that the students had a great time and I have rarely seen a happier group on the first day.  I didn't have one student in my beginning ensemble who was afraid to improvise. Everyone just jumped right into it.  A few students had to be moved around to bands which suited their abilities better, but generally there was a good fit in each group.  This is always a tricky thing to achieve when we don't know many of them and don't audition them beforehand.  I guess my mixture of little bit of luck and lots of careful planning worked out this time.

I will try to post a short message each day.  If you are reading this and feel like coming out to Ladner to hear some noon hour concerts or our other concert events on Friday night and Saturday afternoon, please check our website for details  www.southdeltajazzfestival.com

Words and Music review

The Words and Music series at the Prophouse is now complete, as are all but one of my jazz festival gigs for this week.  The series was absolutely amazing and inspiring.  Great audience every night, lots of sparks on stage with such a diverse and rich cast of creative people.  I just loved meeting everyone, listening, and playing.  There were some important collaborative connections formed which will surely bear fruit in the near future.


Check out Daniela Elza's blog for some pictures and a more detailed review. Below is a picture of Clyde Reed, Daniela, and Me on the opening night of the series. 

Words and Music at the Prophouse

As jazz fest time rolls around again, the city is in a flurry of creative activity. Bassist, Clyde Reed, is organizing a week-long series of words and music collaborations at the Prophouse Cafe. Several years ago, Clyde began working with the poet Kate Braid, collaborating with her at numerous readings, poetry festivals and the like. The partnership proved to be very successful and inspired Clyde to think of other collaborations with words and music. The Prophouse is a warm and intimate venue that provides close contact between artists and audience.  

Words and Music draws on Clyde's long-term artistic relationships with amazing musicians , poets, vocalists and spoken word artists from up and down the West Coast. Out-of-town guests will be Michael Vlatkovitch (trombone, Los Angeles), Rich Halley (tenor sax, Portland), Mark Weber (poet, New Mexico), and Laura Winter (poet, Portland). These folks will improvise together, with Clyde and local artists Kedrick James (spoken word), Jared Burrows (guitar), Daniela Elza (poet),DB Boyko (voice), Vivianne Houle (voice), Coat Cooke (saxes/flute), plus Ion Zoo: Carol Sawyer (voice), Steve Bagnell (saxes/percussion), Lisa Miller (piano).

The series will feature some established, long-term collaborations such as Kate and Clyde, Michael and Mark, Kedrick and Coat, but also a lot of new and unexplored combinations. Expect an incredible variety of improvised collaborations between words and music: song, poetry, found text, and spontaneous vocalizations of every description. 

Prophouse Cafe

1636 Venables St. Vancouver

admission by donation

June 25-28, 5-7pm. Sets at 5 and 6pm.

June 25


1st set: Daniela Elza (poet) plus Clyde Reed (bass) and Jared Burrows (guitar)


2nd set: Kedrick James (spoken word) plus Clyde, Jared, and Coat Cooke (reeds)


June 26


1st set: Kate Braid (poet) plus Clyde Reed

2nd set: Viviane Houle (voice) plus Clyde Reed, Jared Burrows, Rich Halley (reeds), Michael Vlatkovich (trombone)



June 27


1st set: Mark Weber (poet) plus Michael Vlatkovich and Ion Zoo: Carol Sawyer (voice), Lisa Miller (piano), Steve Bagnell (sax and percussion, Clyde Reed (bass)


2nd set: Ion Zoo


June 28


1st set: Laura Winter (poet) plus Clyde Reed, Rich Halley, Michael Vlatkovich


2nd set: DB Boyko (voice) plus Clyde, Coat, Jared Burrows and Michael Vlatkovich


Dave Robbins Electric band studio session complete!

This afternoon we finished up the studio work for Dave Robbins' Electric Band project.  Working with these guys on various gigs over the past six months has been just fantastic.  The sessions went very well indeed with a relaxed feeling in the band and no technical hangups of any kind to distract us.

I am always a little apprehensive about recording creative music in a studio situation with headphones and people in different rooms etc.  I'm the first to admit that this kind of playing under an audio microscope makes me uncomfortable.  I needn't have worried though as Brad made it all very smooth and easy, setting up gear and getting amazing sounds with no fuss in very little time.  Brad was also a good influence for me in that he exudes a sense of calm and a tremendous confidence about everything he plays. Of course that is probably easier when you are the kind of genius/virtuoso that he is, but I found it quite remarkable nonetheless and a good lesson for me.  Our producer Bill Coon (also one of our city's finest guitarists), likewise puts out a calming and centered vibe.  Dave played amazingly well and seems to be able to generate a 'live' performance energy and enthusiasm in the studio.  I was grateful for that and hope I was able to connect with some of that energy.

Kerry is an old studio pro and that fact shone through on every take.  His playing was incredibly consistent and grooving as anyone could want. Evan really surprised me with his variety of approach from tune to tune and the wildness of his improvising.  It is kind of a cliche to talk about one of the Arntzen boys having a natural feeling for music (just about every member of the family going back to Grandpa Lloyd plays music)  but it is absolutely true.  Like Dave, he seems very at home in the studio despite his youth.

I'm really looking forward to the record coming out.  I deliberately didn't listen much to playbacks so as to be surprised when I hear the CD.  I'll keep you posted as to the release.

 Left is a cool picture that Kerry took and below is a shot of the band at the Cellar a couple of weeks ago (photo by Vincent Lim). Other studio shots from Kerry may be forthcoming....

Jazz at Presentation House Concludes 3rd Year

Jazz at Presentation House concluded its third season last week with Zapato Negro Trio.  It has been a great year of music for us as our unique little scene grows in what Al Johnston calls “Vancouver’s Jazz Church”.  Clyde and I have really enjoyed listening to all the creative music making, hanging out with wonderful musicians, and meeting all the cool new people who come to listen.

with Stan Taylor at PHS (Gord Montgomery photo)

Some nights we have had packed houses and sometimes just a small handful of die-hard music fans.   I have enjoyed every single night.   The intimacy and immediacy of improvised music has proven time and time again to be transformative and inspirational for all who attend (in both senses of the word).  I think some of my favorite experiences have involved people just walking in off the street when they hear music.  They are always pleasantly surprised to find such a beautiful, warm, and welcoming space and friendly people and allow the music, as Art Blakey said, “to wash away the dust of everyday life.”

We are going to take a little break for the summer now and will be back in September 2012 with more music.  Stay tuned to the Vancouverjazz.com calendar and to my blog for news of the upcoming series.  We extend heartfelt thanks for those who have supported us over the past three years and invite everyone to come and check out and support the scene in the Fall.

Jared's summer gig list!

Hi All

Here's a picture from the Dave Robbins Electric Band playing at the Kozmik Zoo a few weeks (photo by Tom Arntzen).  It was a great night of intense and energetic music with lots of musicians and students in attendance.  We'll be at the Cellar on Wednesday, May 30.

A pretty busy summer music season is getting started for me on Monday. Looking over the list of things coming up, I feel really blessed to be working with so many amazing musicians on such creative and original projects. Some of these bands are doing studio recordings during this period too so I'll be playing a lot for the next little while.  I hope to see some of my loyal blog readers and friends out at these gigs!

May 28
The Offering of Curtis Andrews @ Kozmik Zoo

8:30pm. 53 W. Broadway

Indo-Afro-Jazz-Rock music composed by drummer Curtis Andrews and performed by Curtis, Colin Maskell (tenor),  Chris Davis (trumpet),  Jared Burrows (guitar),  Tommy Babin (guitar), and Russel Shumsky (percussion).

May 30

Dave Robbins Electric Band @ Cellar Jazz Club

Rocking electric jazz fusion with Dave Robbins(drums/compositions), Brad Turner (keys), Jared Burrows (guitar), Evan Arntzen (tenor sax) and Kerry Galloway (bass).

June 7

Dave Robbins Electric Band @ El Barrio

9pm.  2270 E Hastings

Rocking electric jazz fusion with Dave Robbins(drums/compositions), Brad Turner (keys), Jared Burrows (guitar), Evan Arntzen (tenor sax) and Kerry Galloway (bass).

June 19

The Offering of Curtis Andrews @ Kozmik Zoo

8:30pm. 53 W. Broadway

Indo-Afro-Jazz-Rock music composed by drummer Curtis Andrews and performed by Curtis, Colin Maskell (tenor),  John Korsrud (trumpet),  Jared Burrows (guitar),  Tommy Babin (guitar), and Russel Shumsky (percussion).

June 23

Brad Muirhead Quartet @ 1067 

10pm.  1115b E Hastings (entrance is lower door on Glen)

Brad Muirhead (bass trombone), Jared Burrows (guitar), Bernie Arai (drums) and Tommy Babin (bass).  Brad's unique and original compositions played by a brand new band.

June 25
Len Aruliah Sextet @ Kozmik Zoo 

8:30pm. 53 W. Broadway

Len Aruliah (saxes), Jared Burrows (guitar), Joe Poole (drums), Colin Maskell (saxes), Lorne Kellett (piano), Brent Gubbels (drums). The sextet plays a concert of Len's original tunes while he is back in Vancouver again for a short visit. The music is very much inspired by the work of Kenny Wheeler and features intricate contrpuntal melodies and beautiful harmonies.

June 25-28

Words and Music @ The Prophouse

5-7pm daily. Venables at Commercial Drive

Poetry and music, improvised music, songs and stories.  A unique collection of poets and musicians from Vancouver, Portland and LA will gather for daily collaborations.  Watch Vancouverjazz.com for details to come.

June 29

Jared Burrows Trio @Vancouver International Jazz Festival

12-2pm at Canada Place stage.

Jared Burrows (guitar), Rob Kohler (bass), Stan Taylor (drums).  Orginal tunes, standards, and mprovised music from a trio that has been working together for over 10 years.

July 1

Len Aruliah Quartet @ El Barrio 

9pm.   2270 E Hastings.

Len Aruliah (saxes), Jared Burrows (guitar), Rob Kohler (bass), Stan Taylor (drums)

July 3-7  South Delta Jazz Festival

Noon-hour concerts every day at Lander Community Centre and other venues in Ladner and Tsawwassen.  Big evening facukty octet show July 6 and final student concert at Delta Hospital grounds on July 7.  Featuring an international cast of great musicians:  Len Aruliah (saxes), Brad Muirhead (bass trombone), Bill Clark (trumpet), Stan Taylor (drums), Rob Kohler (bass), Stephen Robb (clarinet/piano), plus students of the south Delta Jazz Workshop and special guests.

Audition time!

It is audition time again!
No, not for me.  I haven't auditioned for anything since about 1996.  And thank goodness for that, because it can be a very stressful and existentially disturbing experience.  I really feel for all the sweating and shaking hands and knitted brows that I see.  All the same, I really enjoy hearing auditions for our Jazz Studies program at Capilano University.  This year I am listening to four days worth of guitar and bass hopefuls with my colleague, Ihor Kukurudza.

There are several interesting aspects to this process.  The first is that Ihor used to be my guitar teacher 22 years ago and now we are on the same audition panel.  That lends a certain sense of nostalgia. The circle of six-string life continues! (wiping away little tear...) Connected to that feeling of continuity is the amazing experience of seeing fresh new musicians with a sense of wonder and excitement about their musical futures.   I have no idea what their careers in music might be like.  Everything about being employed as a musician has changed so much since I started and continues to change at an incredible pace.  Thinking about the changes since Ihor's student days really makes it clear that things will be radically different for these students.   That doesn't worry me much.  Humans are creating the change and so these humans will adapt and create new kinds of music and invent new careers of which I cannot conceive.

Something very encouraging to me is that a whole bunch of these new students actually like jazz and have jazz records and want to improvise solos and play in bands.  In some way, they must already recognize the beauty of the art form and perhaps sense the benefits of engaging with such a rich, complex, diverse and subtle musical tradition.  I have heard some who already show a real spark of creativity and originality, even in their green state.  I'm quite confident that by bending their roads through music school for a few years their minds will develop and grow and their musical skills and technical prowess will be honed in ways they can't imagine now.  It is fitting that we do the auditions in the spring when things are budding and sprouting.  I feel really blessed to be present close to the beginning of these beautiful musical lives.