Sparks might fly at saxophonist's show

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Saxophonist Jimmy Greene has been working on electronic compositions that will make their live debut on Jan. 19. (PABLO SECCA PHOTO)

Jimmy Greene is plugging in for his January concert of new work.

The saxophonist will take to the stage for a Jazz Winnipeg winter concert with mainly electronic instruments: the EWI (electronic wind instrument), keyboards/synthesizer, electric guitar and electric bass.

That's not the Greene Winnipeg fans are used to hearing. "It's pretty new for me," says the assistant professor of jazz saxophone in the University of Manitoba faculty of music. "I had written some music in this vein, but never performed it."

Greene has been working on his new electronic compositions for a year with the help of a Creative Works Grant from the university to write the music and buy equipment, like a more up-to-date EWI.

The saxophonist and guitarist Larry Roy, keyboardist Dave Restivo, drummer Quincy Davis, bassist Karl Kohut and a singer will play a number of pieces, "depending on how many we can get together," Greene said.

He has prepared about 10 songs "either brand new or reimagined for this instrumentation," he said.

"I always wanted to get this off the ground." Greene said. "It's been on the back burner for a while. I envisioned it 10 years ago.

"It'll be nice to get a project out there. I can develop it further or move on."

Greene performs Jan. 19 at 8 p.m. at the Park Theatre. Tickets are $12 in advance, $15 at the door from jazzwinnipeg.com, 989-4656, at the Park, and Jazz Winnipeg office, 007-100 Arthur St. (call ahead for holiday hours).

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Jazz has a long history of mentorship; older, more experienced musicians giving younger ones advice, education and, best of all, a place onstage to learn and try to prove themselves.

Greene knows mentorship from both ends and his appearance as a guest musician on a recent CD, Completion of Proof by the Curtis Brothers, is a good example.

Greene grew up in the Connecticut area where he became involved in the Artist Collective program founded in 1970 by the great jazz alto saxophonist Jackie McLean and his wife Dollie at a Hartford Community School for African-Americans.

At 15, in Grade 10, Greene met McLean at his local school, heard him play and "knew this was what I wanted to do. He took me under his wing," Green says, "and I was a collective student for the rest of high school."

McLean spent a lot of time at the collective, says Greene. "I really got turned on to jazz playing." He also studied under McLean as an undergrad at the University of Hartford.

When Greene was 18, McLean sent him to teach at the collective, where he met the Curtis brothers, Luques (bass) and Zaccai (piano), when they were 10 or 12. They were involved in the Artist Collective big band and Greene has fond memories of them as youngsters.

The brothers both studied in Boston, one at the Conservatory and the other at Berklee. Greene kept in touch, using them on gigs over the years.

Now, completing the circle, the brothers are using their mentor on three tracks on their sophomore disc, a very good recording that also includes saxophonist Donald Harrison and trumpeter Brian Lynch.

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Greene has taken a liking to Brazil, or Brazil to him. Either way, the saxophonist has performed twice this year in the South American country that is responsible for so much great jazz -- think of the bossa nova and Antonio Carlos Jobim.

He returned recently from his second trip this year, this time playing in a big band from the Amazon. In the spring, he backed American jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater in Brazil. Last year he performed there in a band led by drummer Lewis Nash and in 2006 he played with his own band.

"They do a good job of combining Brazilian and American jazz," Greene said. "They do Brazilian really well, with all the tradition, and are open to music that originated in North America."

And best of all, "It's a lot of fun."

chris.smith@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition December 12, 2011 D5