Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION
Former Winnipegger gets to jam with mentors
Trombonist Christopher Butcher has been composing music for bands he plays with in Toronto. (HANDOUT)
Israeli-born Anat Cohen is helping raise the visibility of the clarinet. (HANDOUT)
Christopher Butcher may not be living the high life in Toronto, but he is living the good life of a young jazz musician not long out of school.
And the former Winnipegger and his trombone will be home in a couple of weeks for that quintessential Winnipeg jazz gig, Mardi Jazz at Centre culturel franco-manitobain.
Butcher will team up with former mentors, Ron Paley on piano and Steve Kirby on bass, and a fellow young musician, drummer Curtis Nowosad, to play standards.
The trombonist says he has been composing music for bands he plays with in Toronto, but chose standards for the hometown gig in part because he'll only be here the day before the Aug. 3 performance, which limits rehearsal time. And, he adds, "These guys are great (music) readers, of course, but they're such great jazz musicians they make standards interesting."
The 24-year-old is a year out of school after five years of post-secondary education ("A year of freedom.") -- two at the University of Manitoba and three years at Humber College in Toronto, where he graduated with a bachelor of applied music degree. And he says he hasn't had to work at anything other than making music.
Butcher has been busy performing in Hilario Duran's Latin Jazz Big Band, with drummer Archie Alleyne's band Kollage and with the Heavyweights Brass Band, which includes fellow Winnipegger Paul Metcalfe on saxophone. He also sits in with a variety of bands performing everything from salsa to a tribute to great jazz trombonist J. J. Johnson.
Butcher is content in Toronto, although his goal remains the same as so many musicians, living and working in the jazz mecca of New York City.
-- -- --
Quincy Davis will get a baptism by fire as the new drum instructor in the University of Manitoba music faculty's jazz studies program.
The New York drummer will join fellow professors Jimmy Greene (saxophone), George Colligan (piano) and director of jazz studies Steve Kirby (bass), Aug.16-21, teaching at the annual U of M Summer Jazz Camp.
The calibre of those teachers/musicians means this will be the first time in 16 years that the jazz camp won't be bringing in a special guest, says Warren Otto, program administrator of continuing education/summer session.
"Steve (Kirby) has done such a great job of building a strong faculty that it isn't required this year," Otto said.
The jazz camp is aimed at junior and senior high students, university players, music educators and jazz musicians. It offers instrumental and vocal instruction and also includes local teachers such as Will Bonness (piano), Janice Finlay (saxophone), Richard Gillis (trumpet), Ken Gold (saxophone), Steve Hamilton (bass), Anna-Lisa Kirby (vocals), Kristen Myers (piano), Keith Price (guitar) and Neil Watson (saxophone).
Jazz camp faculty perform at the Winnipeg Art Gallery's Jazz on the Rooftop, Aug. 19, and camp students hold finale concerts.
The Music Educators Jazz Immersion program will also run Aug. 17-19, lead by Brandon University professor and saxophonist Greg Gatien.
Details on the camp and registration are available at umanitoba.ca/summer, by calling Warren Otto at 474-6037, or 1-888-216-7011 (ext. 6037).
-- -- --
Israeli-born Anat Cohen is a very good musician who is helping raise the visibility of the clarinet, once a mainstay of jazz bands but now seen more often as an anachronism.
Cohen, also a crack saxophonist, is the middle of three Cohen siblings who have become jazz musicians; brother Yuval plays soprano sax and brother Avishai plays trumpet. They have recorded a couple of CDs as 3 Cohens and the group will play Winnipeg in November backed by a rhythm section led by bassist Steve Kirby.
The 3 Cohens will appear as part of the Tarbut Festival of Jewish Culture, Saturday, Nov. 20, 8 p.m, and Sunday, Nov, 21, 2 p.m. at the Berney Theatre. Ticket information at 477-7534.
Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 19, 2010 D3
-
WFP Hockey
Download our new hockey app for the iPhone for Winnipeg Jets updates
-
Editor's Bulletin
Sign up for daily bulletins from editor Margo Goodhand
-
Winnipeg Jets
All things NHL on our Jets landing page
-
Twitter
Follow our reporters and our news feeds on Twitter
-
News Cafe
Check out the menu, read our blog posts or get info on coming events
-
Facebook Fanpage
Follow our Facebook Fanpage for story links, contests and special events
Ads by Google
- Back to Top
- Return to Music
Poll
Most Popular
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- RCMP receptionist told Stobbe wife was dead
- Search is on for man seen leaving the scene where two Alberta Mounties were shot
- City family donates $1 million for endowed research chair in cardiology
- Province rules out reports of cougar in Transcona
- Census 2011 : Immigrant influx boosts Manitoban population
- Should the federal government be spending $7.5 million on the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee?
- Slain woman appears before jury on video
- CNN's Roland Martin suspended for comments that sparked protest by gays
- Driver of van in Ontario crash that killed 11 ran stop sign, police say
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Three winning tickets sold for Friday's $50 million Lotto Max jackpot
- Woman sexually assaulted during noon-hour in Exchange District
- Woman's car stolen at gunpoint at St. Vital mall, police say
- Eleven people killed after truck hits van in southwestern Ontario
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Stobbe said slaying during shopping trip 'strange': sister-in-law
- Tactical squad storms St. Vital house
- Restaurant Dubrovnik may be closed for good
- Do you smoke marijuana?
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- George Clooney's prank could end Pitt's career
- Piers Morgan blasts 'gruesome' Madonna
- Tina Maze strips down to her sports bra to send out underwear message: 'Not your business'
- Clothing chain pulls Caterpillar boots to protest closure of London, Ont., plant
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Two children, two women die in fire
- Kate Beckinsale's weight fears over Underworld catsuit
- Harper driven by libertarian ideology, not reality
- Province rules out reports of cougar in Transcona
- OMG! Candy kings back at it
- Task force to review 2011 flood
- Winnipeg software company ranked top employer
- Tassimo brewers and espresso packages recalled amid rupture, burn concerns
- Lesson about war, power told with Shaw's comic touch
- Stobbe said slaying during shopping trip 'strange': sister-in-law
- Easy, economical, healthy soup
- Original Joe's, Elephant & Castle expanding
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- Northern fishing lodge destroyed by fire
- Police target drivers talking on cellphones, texting
- Harper driven by libertarian ideology, not reality
- Obama torn by conflicting allies
- 'This is so silly': Mom and Dad tell story of baby Zade, born on side of Highway 59
- Time, it appears, is on Assad's side
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Woman's car stolen at gunpoint at St. Vital mall, police say
- Minor earthquake strikes near Manitoba
- Paddler Starkell was modern-day voyageur
- Driver dead after SUV goes over Disraeli Bridge
- Car's plunge off Disraeli fatal
- Canadian woman 'badly injured' in Mexico, local media report apparent beating
- Winnipeg mother watches as car stolen with child inside
- Swedish bunny's sheep herding skills becomes click-monster on YouTube
- League encourages hazing secrecy
- Local shooting spoofed on SNL
- The cost of calories: It's expensive to eat healthily
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010; View the changes. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.