LOOKING AHEAD
Special Events on the Vancouver Music Scene

KENNY
BARRON

December 1990 /January 1991

Quintet

December 12
8 PM• $18

VANCOUVER
EAST CULTURAL
CENTRE
1895 Venables

Jill_

BLUES
SOCIETY

Kenny Barron has become
one of the leading jazz pianists on
the scene today, transcending,
while not forsaking, his bebop
roots to forge a captivathgly
lyrical, inventive personal styie
marked by a wonderful mix of
adventure and swing. A member
of the jazz faculty at Rutgers
University, it's well within
Barron's range to do anything
. musically possible with a
keyboard.
Barron grew up in
Philadelphia, the last.of four
children, all of whom studied
piano.
As a teenager his interest
turned to jazz. He began to jam
with his peers, and later did a few
gigs at some cabarets and after
hours jazz clubs in Philadelphia
with the musicians his brother,
saxophonist Bill Barron, was
working with. While still a high
school student, Kenny was
working with the finest jazz
musicians in the city: Yusef
Lateef, Philly Joe Jones, Jimmy
Heath and Sonny Fortune to name

KENNY BARRON A lyrical, inventive personal style
marked by a wonderful sense of adventure and swing.
just a few.
In 1961, legendary New York
City clubs like the Five Spot and
Jazz Gallery were in full swing
and the young Barron heard jazz
greats Cecil Taylor, Sonny Clark,
Clifford Jarvis and Tommy
Flanagan.
Kenny did some freelance
work with the likes of Lee
Morgan, James Moody, Roy
Haynes and Lou Donaldson until
he joined the Dizzy Gillespie
Quintet. While a member of
Dizzy's group (1962-66) he wrote
music extensively while touring
the world. On his return to New
York City, Kenny became one of
the most sought after pianists for
live dates and studio sessions,
working in the late '60s with
Freddie Hubbard, blues singer
Esther Marrow, Stan Getz, Buddy
Rich, Tony Williams, Bobby
Hutcherson and so on.
In 1974, Barron joined Ron
Carter's group with Carter on
piccolo bass, Buster Willia,ms on
acoustic bass and drummer Ben
Riley. This musical friendship

resulted in Riley, Williams and
Barron becoming the remarkably
smooth rhythm section of Sphere,
one of the most highly praised jazz
groups of the 1980s.
With Charlie Rouse as the
tenor saxophonist, the group
dedicated itself to promoting the
spirit of Thelonious Sphere
Monk's composing genius. The
group's name apparently had a
double meaning from the
beginning; it was a new sphere for
the musicians to explore. Playing
their own compositions as well as
the best of the jazz repertory the
group was an excellent showcase
for Barron's writing. Sphere's last
recording "Bird Songs" featured
only compositions by Kenny
Barron.
During his years with Sphere,
Barron was offered the
opportunity to record an exciting
collection of his originals on a trio
album, "Scratch" (Enja), with
bassist Dave Holland and
See BARRON Page 2

Coastal Jazz & Blues Society• 435 West Hastings Street• Vancouver, B.C. • V6B 1L4 • (604) 682-0706

Jay Clayton/ Jim
Knapp Collective
Jan. 25 & 26
9 PM
Glass Slipper• $8
ana w1tn
Towner/Goodhew Duo
VECC Jan. 27 • 8 PM

Creatures of Habit

Fran~ois Houle
Creatures of Habit
Quintet
Jan. 19 • 9 PM
Jan. 18 • 9 PM
Glass Slipper• $5
Glass Slipper • $5 185 East 11th at Main
A newcomer to the
Vancouver music scene,
virtuoso clarinetist Franl;ois
Houle is devoting much of his
creative energy to exploring the
soprano saxophone and
composing music for his new
ensemble.
A grad~ate of McGill and
Yale Universities, Frarn;:ois
studied classical music
performance and composition.
He has worked with leading
artists and composers Mauricio
Kagel, Iannis Xenakis and Torn
Takemitsu and has performed all
over the U.S., Europe and
Canada. After two years of
investigation in the field of
performance practice at the
Banff Centre and in Europe,
Fran~ois turned to jazz.
Inspired by the music of
Steve Lacy, and by Lacy's two
saxophone front-line, Frarn;:ois
has developed an ensemble
sound that encompasses a wide
range of musical possibilities,
from dixieland to contemporary
music currents.
This is some of the
strongest, most interesting new
music/ jazz happening in
Vancouver today.
Fran\;ois Houle soprano
and clarinet, Jason Liebert
trombone, Ian MacIntosh tuba
and digeridu, Joe Williamson
bass and Claude Ranger drums.

Given the array of talent
assembled in Creatures of Habit,
it was really no surprise when
they walked away with the 1990
CBC Akan national jazz
competition in Montreal. The
third Vancouver group to win the
Akan trophy in five years,
Creatures of Habit plays in a sty le
that Globe and Mail critic Mark
Miller described as 'post-fusion'.
Leader and saxophonist Bill
Runge agrees with this
assessment, noting that the
group's music evidences a solid
grounding in the jazz tradition but
also incorporates more
contemporary concepts.
Runge is well known to
Vancouver audiences as a
longtime member of the Jim
Byrnes band. He has surrounded
himself with some of this city's
(and Canada's) best including
bassist Rene Worst (Skywalk),
drummer Don Powrie (VEJI)
guitarist Ron Samworth (Lunar
Adventures) and tenor
saxophonist/pianist Ross Taggart
(Hugh Fraser Quintet).
As a result of their Akan
win, Creatures of Habit will be
releasing a CD in February called
"The Rhythm Method" on Justin
Time Records.
The range of influences and
experience that these musicians
bring to the group creates
exciting,provocative music for the
contemporary audience.

Tickets for GLASS SLIPPER events are available
through CJBS office or at the door. Call 682-0706

2

December/January

Combining the musical and
compositional talents of four of
the NorthWest's foremost
improvisors, the Jay Clayton/Jim
Knapp Collective brings its music
to Vancouver for the first time.

time signatures, wordless
vocalizations with timeless and
contemporary lyrics. The purity of
her sound, combined with her
seemingly endless array of vocal
expressions, is spellbinding.
Trumpeter James Knapp is
well known in the NorthWest as
leader of many original music
projects including Looser Futures
and the Composers and
Improvisors Orchestra. He teaches
composition, repertoire, ensemble
and sight reading at the Comish
College jazz program.
Drummer Aaron Alexander
currently plays in Seattle with the
Michael Bisio Quartet and is the
leader of Time bone. Phil Sparks
is Seattle's busiest bass player,
often touring with jazz greats
such as Gene Harris, Roland
Hanna, James Moody and others.

For Clayton/Knapp
Tickets Call
682-0706
AN.O.W.
PRODUCTION
BARRON Cont'd from Page 2

"Jay Clayton is an
important singer ... her
musicianship impeccable ...
her warmth and playful grasp of
time make her singing ample
reward in itself." - Down Beat
Jay Clayton is one of the
premier contemporary jazz
vocalists in the world.
Establishing herself on the New
York scene in the '60s where she
played with many important
musicians of that period, Jay's
illustrious international touring
and recording career has led to
collaborations with Steve Reich,
Julian Priester, Jerry Granelli,
Gary Peacock, Bobby McFerrin,
Urszula Dudziak and many more.
She is also a tireless teacher of the
music, spreading the word from
Austria to New York City College,
the Naropa Institute, the Banff
Centre and Comish College in
Seattle.
A composer as well, Clayton
regularly stretches the boundaries
of her role as a vocalist, freely
mixing jazz standards and
improvisations, unusual forms and

Ralph Towner/
Denny Goodhew
Duo
plus Jay Clayton/Jim
Knapp Collective

Jan. 27 • 8 PM
Vancouver East
Cultural Centre
$16 (GST Included)
Denny Goodhew and Ralph
Towner, both known for their
original, exciting improvisational
and compositional styles, coupled
with their mastery of .a multitude
of instruments, combine energies
to form a two man orchestra.
Goodhew plays alto, baritone and
piccolo saxes, bass clarinet,
keyboards and percussion. Towner
plays classical and twelve string
guitars and a host of keyboards.
Rooted in an array of musical
pallettes (jazz, classical, new
music and rhythm and blues) they
utilize the finest of brush strokes
to create iridescent washes,
painting a sound of sensitive and
brilliant dimensions.
Since 1970, Towner has
recorded over thirty albums as a

leader and has collaborated with
Keith Jarrett, Joe Zawinul, Wayne
Shorter, Egberto Gismonti, John
Abercrombie, Jan Hammer, Elvin
Jones, Oregon, Paul Winter

and New Zealand, Japan and
North America in jazz clubs and
concert halls.
Denny Goodhew possesses
an innate flexibility on his
instruments which allows him
to feel at home in bop , new
music, rhythm and blues and
rock. His creative brilliance
and technical mastery sets
him apart as an improvisor
and composer.
Goodhew has composed
for and performed with the
Composers and Improvisors
Orchestra (playing seven
instruments), Strong Wind
Wild Horses, the American
Contemporary Dance
Company as musician and
dancer, and played flute and
clarinet with the Walla Walla
Symphony Orchestra. In
Towner & Goodhew
1982 he spent two months
performing in Kobe, Japan. He' s
Consort and many more. He has
also performed with Dave
won numerous awards, including
Holland, Lou Rawls, Gil Evans,
two German Grammies, a U.S.
Grammy nomination, the Down
John Cage, Ernestine Anderson.
Beat magazine poll as best
Gary Peacock and Robert Cray
guitarist, and the New York Jazz
(t_o name__:1 ~w). Thi_s am_azmgly
Award. He has. p e r f ~ d ~ 1 s t of musicians 1s a
Africa, South ~c~, Eastern
testament to Goodhew's sta 'ure
and Western Europe, Australia
and versatility as :m artif.

drummer Daniel Humair. Critical
praise for the album led to
Kenny's quintet records "What If'
and "Live at Fat Tuesday"s". Both
are on Enja.
Kenny Barron's versatile
career has spanned more than a
quarter of a century and includes
25 albums as a leader and over
125 sideman dates. He was the
recipient of the 1986 Bud Powell
A ward (France) and has been
chosen in many readers and critics
polls on both acoustic and electric
piano.
The Kenny Barron Quintet
is making its first Vancouver
appearance. Joining Barron will be
an all-star cast featuring
saxophonist/flutist John
Stubblefield (of Charles Mingus
and Gil Evans fame), trumpeter
Eddie Henderson (formerly with
Herbie Hancock and John Handy),
bassist Chuck Deardorf, and
drummer Victor Lewis (who has
worked/recorded with Dexter
Gordon, Stan Getz, J.J. Johnson
and Bobby Watson).

• Large or Small Groups •
• Specialized menus for lunch and dinners •
• Live Jazz every evening •
Ask your server or the manager for information

Reservations for Kenny
Barron call 254-9578.

REGULAR MENU 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM
RESERVATIONS 689-1184

Looking Ahead

CAFE
DJANGO
CHRISTMAS

PARTY

NEW YEARS EVE
1990
HUGH FRASER TRIO

9:30 - ???
• Five Course Dinner •
• Party Favors •
• Dancing •
• Complimentary Champagne •
• $49.00 per person •

Looking Ahead

IN CONCERT
SUNDAY
DEC. 9, 9PM
Please join us for a
special 10th
Anniversary C.B .C.
Radio Canada
Nationa l recording for
Jazz Sur Le VIF
t - -h -

-

e

TO'WN PUMP
·~

•

88 Water St., Gastown
,

B83-6695/88f-2222

IMPULSE/ OJC /
BLACK SAINT/ ENJA /
CONTEMPORARY/
MUSIC & ARTS /
SOUND ASPECTS /
BLUE NOTE / MOERS /
AMERICAN CLAVE/
TIMELESS/ TUTU/
CANDID/ BLACK LION /
PRESTIGE/ JASS/ STASH/
SOUL NOTE/ OWL/
HAT ART/ OFFICIAL/
BLACK SWAN RECORDS
Jazz of all forms in all formats

Seven Days a Week
2936 West 4th Ave. Vancouver, BC, V6K 1R2

(604)-734-2828

December/January

3

LIMITED EDITION

JAZZ '90
T-SHIRTS
By popular demand we
have re-issued a limited
number of 100% cotton
black T-shirts featuring
Lena Madison's
splendiferous design.

MAHLATHINI
Kenny Barron Quintet
VECC • Dec. 12 • $18
R.Towner / D.Goodhew
VECC • Jan. 27 • $16

and the
MAHOTELLA

Available at Ticketmaster
outlets, Black Swan and
Highlife Records and the
CJBS office.

QUEENS
"Backed by the Makgona Tsohle Band, Mahlathini and the
Mahotella Queens can't keep audiences seated. Their mbaqanga
sound - an upbeat flavor blending urban grooves with traditional
Zulu and Sotho rhythms - captures the liveliness of South
African urban jive." - Option Magazine

$2 off all Jazz Friend
and Student Tickets.
Available only through Jazz
Hotline and at CJBS office.

Charge by Phone !
Call the Jazz Hotline
682-0706
VISA / MasterCard

BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND
One night only!

Commodore Ballroom • Feb.5 • 9PM
Tickets $21.50 (GST included) Advance. On sale now at all
Ticketmaster outlets, Black Swan, Zulu, Highlife Records.

GLASS SLIPPER

Charge By Phone 280-4444 • Jazz Hotline 682-0706

DEC EM BER
1 Bob Murphy
2 Kate Hammett-Vaughan Group
8 Blaine Dunaway Group
9 Ron Samworth Group plays
Ornette Coleman
16 Paul Plimley / Roger Baird
23 N.O.W. Christmas Party
JANUARY
4 Roger Baird and Soular Power
5 Alan Matheson Quartet
6 Ron Samworth's Charlie
Parker Memorial
11 Free F' All
12 Paul Blaney Quartet
13 Bruce Freedman / Miles Black
18 Fran~ois Houle Group
19 Creatures of Habit
20 Slice-O-Matics
25 Jay Clayton / James Knapp
26 Clayton / Knapp Collective

VAN COVV EfZ...:.
$20 while they last.
Call us at 682-0706 or drop in
at 435 West Hastings.

CALL TO ARTISTS
FOR 1991 DESIGNS!
Announcing an open
competition to design the art
for the 1991 Vancouver
International Jazz Festival
T-Shirts. Two designs will be
chosen for next year's
Festival wearble art.
The creators of the selected
designs will receive $150 plus
a Mega-Pass to all 1991
Festival concerts!

Submissions Deadline :
March 1, 1991
For competition details
please call Kate or Jeff at
682-0706.

.

•
.,
Albion Books and Records
~
523 Richards St. •
Vancouver • 662-3113
open every afternoon

r-----------------------------,
I JAZZ FRIEND
.

,

.

I

To become a Jazz Friend, send your donation by personal cheque or money
order payable to Coastal Jazz and Blues Society, 435 West Hastings Street,
2nd Floor, Vancouver, B.C. V6B 1L4.
Donation Enclosed:

FESTIVAL
Jan. 22-27, 1991
Volunteers call
Elinor 875-6682

185 East 11th (at Main)

• $50 Contributor (1 Black Swan Entry)
• $100 Sponsor (2 Entries)
• $1000 Lifetime (10 Entries)

Name-- - - - - - - - - - - -- ----<
Address - - -- -- - - - - - - - ,
Phone

For supporting the music , Jazz Friends receive a tax receipt, our bi-monthly newsletter
"Lookini Ahead", special discounts on concert and festival tickets and special incentives.
Last chance to win a $200 gift certificate from Black Swan Records! Become a Jazz
Friend
by the December 1, 1990 draw date and you'll be eligible.
L

-----------------------------

JAZZ HOTLINE• 682-0706
4

December/January

Looking Ahead

.J