Nine years ago, Dave Paulson was approached by members of the local jazz scene to bring live music back to the Spencer mansion, part of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.
Back in the 70B次元官网网址檚, intimate performances there were common. Now thanks to Paulson, local non-profit U-Jam and a slew of West Coast musicians, the house has been alive with music again for close to a decade.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 sort of like being in someoneB次元官网网址檚 drawing room of an old Victorian mansion,B次元官网网址� Paulson says. B次元官网网址淏ecause itB次元官网网址檚 sort of like chamber music, we try to make it interactive.B次元官网网址�
Each year, U-Jam B次元官网网址� a society of advocates, mentors and educators in the regionB次元官网网址檚 jazz community B次元官网网址� have hosted a matinee series the last Sunday of each month featuring local and touring jazz musicians.
B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e lucky in Victoria to have an outstanding array of not only outstanding jazz music, but people who appreciate the art form too,B次元官网网址� Paulson says, adding itB次元官网网址檚 a different sort of crowd than what you might find on a typical Saturday night at HermannB次元官网网址檚 Jazz Club.
ItB次元官网网址檚 an intimate setting and for people who enjoy improvised music, itB次元官网网址檚 a great show, he adds.
On Feb. 25, Jazz at the Gallery welcomes local pianist, composer and producer Karel Roessingh for B次元官网网址淏ird Songs,B次元官网网址� a musical portrait inspired by a cross-country camping trip. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 very interesting,B次元官网网址� Paulson says of the composition. B次元官网网址淚 was just blown away with the inventiveness and the creativity.B次元官网网址�
The series winds up March 25 with B次元官网网址淏eauty and the B,B次元官网网址� a performance from Tony Genge, the recently retired head of jazz studies at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S. He and Paulson share a love for the Hammond B3 organ, an instrument originally designed for churches, but one that inspired an entire movement in jazz when it burst onto the scene in the mid-1950B次元官网网址檚.
B次元官网网址淜eyboard players could suddenly compete with saxophonists,B次元官网网址� Paulson says of the organB次元官网网址檚 impact on the genre. Genge, a B次元官网网址済reat aficionado of this particular style,B次元官网网址� will take centre stage to explore the legacy and songs of the classic organ trios and quartets inspired by the invention of the Hammond B3.
With the Art Gallery currently undergoing renovations and expansion, Paulson suggests to keep an eye out for more jazz to fill its halls. For more details on Jazz at the Gallery or to purchase tickets, call 250-384-4171 or stop by the Art Gallery at 1040 Moss St.
For other details on the Art Gallery, visit them online at .
