Paul Read News

I’m out in Brandon MB (about 2 hours west of Winnipeg) at their annual jazz festival. My wife Trish is out here too working in a different area, but nice to be involved in the same project. Have been doing saxophone and piano clinics and working with younger musicians. Tomorrow night I am playing on a concert with the University of Brandon Jazz Ensemble (on tenor) lead by Greg Gatien. Greg is a knowledgable and affable and talented guy who brings great spirit to everything he does. Should be fun.

Last weekend I was in Tampa at the first International Jazz Composers’ Symposium (University of South Florida). It was a wonderful event thanks to the tireless efforts and vision of Chuck Owen and his colleagues. Chuck is a first rate composer and leads a band called the Jazz Surge. Really worth checking out. The keynote composers were Bob Brookmeyer, John Clayton and Dave Douglas. Came home with a head full of ideas and the need to write about five new pieces. It was a great experience and I heartily recommend attending it when it happens again, possibly in 2008.

All for now.

Paul

One of the world’s leading jazz pianists and composers comes to visit the University of Toronto this week. Renee has been a favourite of mine for many years. Her bio is one way to find out about her, but why not come by and hear her play live with Terry Clarke and Neil Swainson this week and then hear her as featured soloist with the University of Toronto 10 O’clock Jazz Orchestra. The rehearsals have been just wonderful so I think this is a do not miss event!!. And I am conducting the jazz orchestra which means that for an hour or so I will get to participate in something pretty wonderful. Nice to think about good things!!

http://www.reneerosnes.com/

The extraordinary pianist and composer Renee Rosnes clearly enjoys the challenge and freedom of playing jazz in numerous formats. Her eight previous Blue Note recordings featured her, brilliantly, in smaller ensembles. Now, on her ninth Blue Note release, Renee Rosnes and the Danish Radio Big Band, Rosnes mines the experience gained during her impressive tenures with both the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis. Renee Rosnes and the Danish Radio Big Band puts her in the spotlight with the revered Copenhagen ensemble, and reveals her capacity to shine within a jazz orchestra context.

Rosnes grew up in Vancouver and began formal piano studies at age three, followed by violin lessons two years later. Her evident talents and love for music led her to the University of Toronto, where she was a Classical Performance student, and to on-the-job training on the Vancouver club circuit before she came to NYC in 1986 on a grant from the Canada Council of the Arts. Rosnes was soon tapped for a series of high-profile gigs with jazz masters such as Johnson, Joe Henderson, Wayne Shorter, James Moody and others. Since her Blue Note debut in 1989, guests on subsequent releases reveal a veritable pantheon of jazz greats, including Herbie Hancock, Shorter, Henderson, Branford Marsalis, Chris Potter, Nicholas Payton, Jack DeJohnette and Christian McBride. She has earned three Junos (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy Award) and two Jazz Report awards for Best Jazz Album for earlier Blue Note releases.

Hope you can make it out to one of the events. Here is a schedule Or you can get it from this link: http://www.paulread.ca/images/RosnesSchedule.pdf

Paul

Just back from an amazing week in Vancouver (actually Richmond, BC just outside Vancouver). I was hired as the artisitic and musical director for the first week long Yamaha Canada All Star Music Program. I was responsible for selecting music, and then teaching and rehearsing an amazing group of 19 Canadian musicians aged 15-18, These were students who applied by audition tape and came from many Canadian provinces (it will be wonderful if sometime ALL provinces are represented in one group.

Selected for this year’s band were:

Nathan Cepelinski, Ottawa ON Alto Sax 1
Brandon Kams Port Moody BC Alto Sax 2
Eli Bennett Vancouver BC Tenor Sax 1
*Michael Ruby Toronto ON Tenor Sax 2
Matt Murley, Halifax, NS, Tenor 2
Rob Kennedy North Vancouver BC Baritone Sax

Rachel Stride Vancouver BC Trumpet 1
Simon Millerd Saltspring Island BC Trumpet 2
Paul Van Koll Vancouver ON Trumpet 3
Brian Chahley Toronto ON Trumpet 4

Jason Plonka Kwalikum Beach BC Trombone 1
Andrew Ludtke Red Deer AB Trombone 2
Ryan Rutley Langley BC Trombone 3
Kayla Peach North Vancouver BC Trombone 4

Colin Story Surrey BC Guitar
Eric Disero Kelowna BC Piano
James Meger Surrey BC Bass
Adam Arruda Toronto ON Drums/Percussion
Liam Archer Warkwarth ON Drums/Percussion
Emma Love NanaimoBC Vocal

*could not attend due to family matters.

The group assembled last Monday evening and then started rehearsals on Tuesday morning. Not all went according to plan. Many of the members had to be away from one rehearsal or more to play in other events and clinics during the annual MusicFest Canada schedule. Still we all made the best of it and slogged away through some very challenging music by Neil Hefti, Mike Tomaro, Bil Holman, Thad Jones, Frank Foster, Don Menza and Bob Mintzer. I have to say that the first day or so did not bode well for all of us. Reading skills come late to some and these students could clearly read, but the charts were all professional level and demanded much of their abilities.

On Thursday morning we split the band into sectionals and were joined by fellow Yamaha clinicians, Mike Downes (bass), Steve Houghton (drums), Ian MacDougall (trombone), Campbell Ryga (saxophone) and Don Clarke (trumpet). We continued our sectional work in the afternoon after the clinician team departed and then went back to full rehearsals for the rest of the day. Another short sectional rehearsal workout happened on Friday as well giving the musicians time to shed their parts a little more.

Then on Saturday we rested the group in the morning and did a rehearsal soundcheck in the Minuaro Arena. Yes, folks, that’s right – an arena. After an intense four day rehearsal schedule, working nuances and detail and balance, etc. we found ourselves in an echo chamber and unfortunately, the sound engineer was not able to figure out how to make things work to MY satisfaction at least. Clearly we had a set up more attuned to light shows and pyrotechnical concert making than what we were doing. It was an unpleasant soundcheck and I was unpleasant about things to the point where adjustments were made by the evening concert that made things work reasonably well.

A large crown of about 1800 attended the concert and were treated to a fantastic performance. Yes, they did it! Not without minor flaws (what concert doesn’t have something), but it was a stunning achievement!!

CONGRATULATIONS to these remarkable young Canadian artists.

My thanks to Steve Butterworth (Yamaha Canada Music) for his vision and staunch support of music education. This was his baby and he did a wonderful job getting the details planned out prior to the event. Also sincere thanks to my new buddy, Diane Drysdale (Bishop Strachan School Music department in Toronto) who is the band manager. She handled all logisitics and all extra requests from band members, clinicians and of course me with great enthusiasm and skill. She also handled the tracking of band members leaving and returning rehearsals due to other committments. It was a bit of a revolving door, but we kept it together.

A fun and inspiring week was had by all. If any of the band members stumble accross this, please send an email. Let me know how you are doing. Have a great summer, guys!!
-Paul