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Featured Artist: Pat Belliveau
CD Title: La Zona Blanca
Musicians: Pat Belliveau (Baritone and Tenor saxes), Bobby Shew (trumpet and fluegelhorn), Paul Wertico (drums)
Review: Pat's first release as a leader is a sure "hit" in my book. Pat is featured on Baritone and Tenor saxes and proves that these strong instruments can be as smooth and gentle as an alto or soprano, if you have the talent. Pat brings along sidemen, Bobby Shew on trumpet and fluegelhorn, Paul Wertico on drums and some great vocals from Bill Jolly on the "Let It Go" ballad. Pat is on the faculty at the University of Calgary teaching jazz saxophone, jazz harmony and jazz improvisation. Over Pat's career he has played with Randy Brecker to Dave Koz just to name a few. We loved this one!
Reviewed by: Morrice Blackwell
- www.jazzreview.com
Pat Belliveau: La Zona Blanca
The province of Alberta is rich with jazz talent, and it is encouraging when this talent is able to stay here and not only support themselves as musicians, but launch a recording career as well. Such is the case for Pat Belliveau who has been active on the Calgary music scene for several years and has just released his first solo recording.
Pat has played with many of the world’s finest musicians, including Mel Torme, Harry Connick Jr, David Foster, Rob McConnell, Randy Brecher, Guido Basso, Pat LaBarbara, Clark Terry, and Bob Mintzer. Pat is one of the top call tenor players in Calgary for a wide variety of live and recording situations.
This CD displays Pat’s versatility style wise, ranging from jazz standards, to funk to fusion. Three of the twelve cuts are written by Pat. Over-all, the CD is up-beat, and most of the tunes have a strong sense of “groove”.
My pick is Pat’s tune Del Rey, an ethereal sounding medium tempo latin piece featuring Pat on Tenor and Russ Broom on guitar. Russ takes the first solo, and spins a fairly relaxed but interesting line. Pat turns in one of his most melodic solos on the CD, displaying his technical ease with the horn, but not flaunting it; showing his ability to push at the edge of the harmonies while staying within the structure of the chords. All in all, a nice tune creatively played.
Pat has collected a talented group of players for this session including Bobby Shew on trumpet, Paul Wertico on drums, and Mike Lent on bass. Of local interest is the inclusion, on one track of Medicine Hat native, trombonist Neil Lawton .
Pat has been in Medicine Hat a couple of times lately to play in the "Orleans North Jazz Club", so watch for him.
- Medicine Hat News
Sitting in a Grade 6 classroom, pen in hand and blank white sheet staring up at him, Pat Belliveau made one of the most important decisions of his life.
On this sheet, the 12-year-old had to pick which instrument he wanted to play in the junior high band class the following year.
"I look back now and I have absolutely no idea why I picked it," recalls Belliveau. "But the teacher handed out the sheet and I just put saxophone down first. I don't know why."
Whatever his motive, it was a good choice.
The local musician has played with nationally and internationally renowned jazz giants like The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Randy Brecker, Pat LaBarbara and Harry Connick Jr.
He has also released his debut independent CD, La Zona Blanca, which features Bill Jolly (who plays with Grover Washington Jr.) as well as Russ Broom and Mike Lent of Jann Arden's band.
"I've never been so burnt out in my life," he said of his intense year of recording and teaching (he's also a music instructor at the U of C.)
"I did it all myself, from conceptualizing the album to booking studio time, organizing flights, hotels, getting drum kits. Then I had to go into the studio and record and sound as good as possible. I wore about 15 different hats. It's been an interesting fall. It's only winter and I already feel like I need a vacation."
Belliveau says he was never tempted to move to bigger cities to further his career.
"Having talked to a lot of people from out of town, there's not a lot going on in the jazz scene in bigger cities.
"There are a lot of musicians who moved away to Toronto or New York and are now moving back and a lot who are just moving to Calgary.
"I want to bring awareness to people locally and nationally that there are good players out west and not just in Toronto."
- By LISA WILTON -- The Calgary Sun
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
"VERISMO" MEMBERS:
PAT BELLIVEAU (Saxophone)
Pat Belliveau was born on January 1st,1967, started his formal musical training at the age of four and began playing the saxophone at age 12. Presently, he is on the faculty at the University of Calgary, teaching jazz saxophone, jazz harmony, and jazz improvisation. In addition, he has a number of private students and is active as a clinician/adjudicator for festivals, schools, and various adult groups throughout Western Canada. Pat is a co-founder and past "Vice-President" of the "Calgary Jazz Association" (CJazz) and is presently a member of the "artistic committee" for the annual "CJazz Festival".
He holds a Bachelor of Music degree in Jazz Studies; has attended many workshops and clinics, and has done private study with various jazz people including Bobby Shew, Kirk MacDonald, George Robert, Roger Rosenberg, Tim Ries, Greg Bush, Dominic Spera and George Coleman.
Pat has an extensive performing background which has involved numerous performances at international jazz festivals in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg. In addition, he has toured throughout North America, Europe, and Japan, with a number of groups, including jazz quintet Quintonal, participants at the Montreux International Jazz Festival, in Montreux, Switzerland, 1989, the saxophone ensemble Saxoffonee, participants at the Montreux Festival, 1997, the Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra, Vic Damone/Diahann Carroll, the Mills Brothers, "Jazz Vibraphonist" Terry Gibbs, Maureen McGovern, and Mel Torme.
As well, Pat has done numerous concert performances with many artists and groups including; Bob Mintzer, Randy Brecker, Harry Connick Jr., Bobby Shew, Clark Terry, Pat LaBarbera, Mike Tomaro, Steve Slagle, Jeff Jarvis, Kenny Wheeler, Dave Koz, Lenny Pickett, Guido Basso, Rob McConnell, Sam Noto, Peter Appleyard, Marvin "Smitty" Smith, Don Braden, Phil Nimmons, David Foster, Hal Linden, Johnny Mathis, Ben Vereen, Neil Sedaka, Petula Clark, Shirley Jones, The 5th Dimension, The Temptations, The University of Calgary Jazz Ensemble, The University of Lethbridge Jazz Ensemble, The Brandon University Jazz Ensemble, The Canadian "rock group" Lighthouse, The New York casts of A West Side Story and A Chorus Line, and The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, among others. He has also performed at private functions held for former Canadian Prime Ministers Brian Mulroney, Kim Campbell, and Joe Clark, former U.S. President Bill Clinton, and the Queen of Norway.
Pat is an Artist/Clinician for "Yamaha Musical Instruments" endorsing the "YTS 82Z" (Custom Z) saxophone, as well, he endorses "Pan Electric" microphones and pickups. Pat recorded his first compact disc, as a leader, in September 1997, with Los Angeles trumpeter Bobby Shew, and Chicago drummer Paul Wertico (from the Pat Metheny Group....1983-2001) as featured guests. He can also be heard on over thirty CDs as a sideman as well as numerous regional and national radio and television themes and jingles.
(www.patbelliveau.com)
JEREMY BROWN (Saxophone)
Jeremy S. Brown is Professor of Music at the University of Calgary where he is instructor of saxophone, conducts the Symphonic Band and is Head and Chair of the Department of Music. In 1999 he was awarded the University of Calgary Student’s Union “Teaching Excellence Award.” He earned the Doctor of Musical Arts degree from The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio where he studied principally with James Hill, Christopher Weait and Craig Kirchhoff in saxophone and conducting.
Before coming to Alberta in 1982, he attended the Eastman School of Music where studied saxophone with Ramon Ricker and received a Master of Music degree as a woodwind specialist and the Performer’s Certificate in Saxophone. His undergraduate training was in woodwinds and music education at Washington State University where he studied with Sylvia Baker, Randall Spicer, H. James Schoepflin, Robert Miller and Frances Risdon. He has also studied at the University of Southern California with Harvey Pittell
Dr. Brown has published numerous articles that have appeared in the Instrumentalist, Journal of Band Research, Journal of the World Association of Symphonic Bands and Ensembles, Saxophone Symposium and Canadian Band Journal.
He has performed as a soloist with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra numerous times as well as many other orchestras and bands. He performed at the 1997 World Saxophone Congress in Valencia, Spain in the European premier of works by composers Kelly-Marie Murphy and Allan Gordon Bell. At the 2000 World Saxophone Congress in Montreal he premiered works by David Eagle and Tim Brady. He has also been artist-in-residence at the Banff Centre, Artistic Director Isobel Rolston calls him “a distinguished teacher and performer.”
(www.jeremybrown.ca)
JOHN HYDE (Acoustic/Electric Bass)
John is the current Artistic Director of the Jazz Studies Program at Mount Royal
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