Jazz Out West was a classy end to Music in the Park

P1060094Jazz Out West brought Music in the Park to a close with style on Thursday August 22  at the historic Oliver Visitor Centre.. The three handsome gents (Jim Wyse on keyboard, Bob Larratt on bass, and Bob Park on drums), were fronted by the lovely and sparkling Iris Larratt on vocals.

P1050959Her smoky contralto reached low for some warm honeyed tones, and Iris handled the mic like a pro to modulate the notes in her upper register. Iris is particularly gifted at connecting with the audience, peppering some of her light-hearted numbers with a husky laugh that made the crowd laugh along with her. Her eye contact with each person gave special meaning to her songs.

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Jim Wyse shared some banter with Iris, and introduced a few of the numbers. He was all concentration though when tickling the keys. Bob Larratt looked to be having a great time on upright bass, swaying and smiling.  And a peak-capped Bob Park was a real cool cat on drums, shrugging his shoulders in time to his beat. Just need some shades to complete the jazzman look!

The band performed a lunar theme for the first half of the program in celebration of the full moon: Moon Dance, Fly Me to the Moon, No Moon at All, and Paper Moon, among others.

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Jazz Out West opened the second half with their signature theme song and performed some crowd pleasers such as the rousing Come to the Caberet as well as many soulful jazz ballads, crooned with Iris’ trademark rivetting interpretations of the lyrics, wringing every emotion out with her expressive face, hands and voice.

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The seven Music in the Park  concerts have been well-attended by some of our most appreciative audiences to date, with generous donations landing this arts council programme securely in the black.  Your support means we can continue .bringing the local talent you love and spicing things up with new performers each year.

The Oliver Community Arts Council is grateful for their corporate sponsor Valley First Credit Union, and

P1050907their regular venue at the Oliver Visitor Centre (Oliver Tourism Association) and is appreciative of the collaboration with Oliver Lioness Club on refreshments and Oliver Parks and Recreation and Oliver Kiwanis for the bandshell use for the Penticton Concert Band.

Photo Credit: Penelope Johnson

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Come Swing!

Another great night of music at Medici’s in Oliver!

On Saturday October 6th, one of the hottest Okanagan Swing bands, Jazz Out West plays. David Esler will come up from Vancouver to join them with his virtuoso trumpet playing.Come listen, come sing, COME SWING.Tickets $20 at Medici’s and Beyond Bliss in Oliver and at Dolce’s in Osoyoos

When Joie de Vivre is a Tour de Force

Concert Review, by Bob Park

The weather might have been cold and blustery outside last Friday night, but the atmosphere inside the Frank Venables Auditorium was exactly the opposite. It was warm and friendly for the large audience who had turned out to enjoy the second concert in the South Okanagan Concert Society’s series. Fiddler Daniel Gervais, together with guitarist Clinton Pelletier and step-dancer Aline Dupuis-Gervais performed for us a highly eclectic and entertaining mix of jazz, classical, bluegrass, newgrass, country, old time, ragtime, and Celtic, which left us– two hours later– on our feet, clamoring for more. Fun for all ages and musical tastes!

To their foundational skills of technical facility and full command of the music, without which excellence does not occur, the three performers brought that more elusive “je ne sais quoi” of spontaneity, high energy and honesty. Above all, there was a tangible feeling that they themselves were really enjoying every second of what was happening. Contagious, to say the least.

We were drawn into their magic by the lively opening medley of fiddle tunes (toe-tapping and all!), including the well-known “Devil’s Dream”, which at one point morphed into a slow Gypsy Jazz minor swing. (Don Messer never had the courage to try that!). The evening continued with similar surprises and consistent spontaneity. Daniel on the fiddle and Clinton on the guitar never just went through the motions. They kept watching and listening to each other, expecting the unexpected. At one point I could hear Daniel call: “F”, which was followed by a quick key modulation and a whole musical gear shift on the violin that Clinton picked up on immediately.

Such outstanding guitar work, by a performer who is not content with just playing chords in the background, but has the skills to put the guitar on an even footing with the violin explains this duo’s success on Friday night. It was fun to listen to their constant interplay: trading fours and harmonizations of the melody between the two instruments. There are many guitar players out there, but guitarists such as Clinton Pelletier, who can trade licks on par with a hot fiddler, are very rare.

The evening passed very quickly, with the lively patter of Daniel engaging the audience with fascinating bits of history of the genres and styles prior to each piece. Clinton also gave us insight into the delightful music being created. After the performance, Aline told some of us about the regional variations in step-dancing, and demonstrated the different techniques of the Irish, the “Outaouais” (Ottawa valley), and the Quebec styles of dancing. Most interesting! I’m sure the whole audience would have loved to hear her explanations, too.

As it was, we all felt privileged to watch the beautiful step-dancing, and were mesmerized. The spotlight swung on Aline several times during the evening, as she danced to fiddle tunes that seemed to be made to measure for her movements and the beat of her feet. The prolonged applause given to her was most fitting!

The rich French Canadian heritage was highlighted again when Daniel sang and fiddled a humorous old “call and response” song, “tout en francais”, about a certain Lisette, who had some serious challenges in churning and sieving the butter through her “queue de chemise”. A rousing tune , sung at break-neck speed while simultaneously playing furiously on the fiddle—not many could pull off such a stunt.

Let me mention just a few more gems from an evening of highlights. Think: Hot Club of Paris in the “30’s. This music has never been as popular as it is today. Belgian guitar virtuoso, Django Rheinhardt and French violinist Stephane Grappelli are heros for our performers Daniel and Clinton, so no surprise that their take on the Gypsy Jazz anthem, “Minor Swing”, captured the style perfectly.

Another feat was the piece with which the first half ended: Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer’s “Wooly Mammoth”. The theme of stampeding mammoths being pursued by sabre tooth tigers makes for a technical monster of a piece. It features exceptionally fast and tight unison melody playing. With its interesting modality and advanced harmonization this piece takes bluegrass and moves it into the realm of classical and fusion jazz. To pull that off with a smile on your face is a real achievement!

Playing Bach, (Gigue from the Partita 2, in D minor), as an opener for the second half was a brilliant choice, which took some courage, since the unaccompanied Bach violin suites are considered the “Mount Everest” of the violin world. By “unplugging” , Daniel treated us to the natural, glorious sound of a well-played violin in a good hall. ( That alone makes buying a season’s ticket worth it, doesn’t it?)

We heard the hauntingly beautiful ‘Ashokan Farewell’, the ever popular ‘Yesterday’, and some pieces by Natalie McMaster. We were introduced to a rarely heard Swedish folk instrument (the nickel-harp, an unusual cross between a fiddle and a hurdy-gurdy). We enjoyed the fact that our vivacious fiddler was also turning his hand to composition, (Belize, Reverie, Gambier). We also had fun picking out tunes we recognized in the fun-filled medley that started out as Sugar Foot Rag but was transformed by our talented duo with bits and pieces of Cotton Patch Rag, Alabama Jubilee, and more.

The night concluded with a well-deserved standing O, and an encore medley that left me feeling I’d never done so much toe-tapping in my life. Hats off to Daniel, Aline and Clinton. Please come back soon!