The Jazz Council
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The Jazz Council

Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada | Established. Jan 01, 2010 | SELF

Cranbrook, British Columbia, Canada | SELF
Established on Jan, 2010
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"The Jazz Council at Ric's"

The melancholy sounds of Tim Plait’s piano and Janice Nicli’s bass weaving their way through the old jazz standard “Willow Weep For Me” was an absolute magnet to any passer by wandering the hallways of Cranbrook’s Prestige Inn. I couldn’t resist going in, sitting down, ordering a beer and a meal and kicking back and taking in the music. This was the same band (with Janice Nicli substituting for Joel Kroeker’s bass) that played “The Music of Miles Davis” concert at Centre 64 last Saturday. For a couple of reasons that was a concert well worth attending. The music of Miles Davis is always worth a listen and in the hands of Laurel Ralston and her band mates it was not only enjoyable it was something that is not usually associated with Jazz concerts. It was very entertaining as well.

The engagement at Ric’s was way different. The ambience was way more laid back. The band departed from their usual set lists and spent the evening exploring the Jazz Fake Book by seemingly picking tunes at random. With Janice parachuted into the band and not being intimately familiar with the usual set lists and original compositions it probably was a reasonable thing to do. For the audience it meant the evening became a one-of-a-kind experience. It was unlikely that any of the tunes selected would be played the same next time around. The tunes included some of the bop standards as well a good helping of the more familiar ballads. Included in the evening were “Summertime”, “Morning of the Carnival” (otherwise know as “Manha de Carnaval” or “Life in the day of a Fool”), “You Can’t Take that Away from Me”, “Someday My Prince Will come”, “It Might as Well be Spring”, and with a nod to Miles Davis “If I had a Bell”. Every now and then the band would break loose with some funkier tunes to feature Janice Nicli’s bass and Tim Plaint’s Keyboard organ sounds. Tim’s approach to the Fats Domino’s New Orleans classic “Blueberry Hill” gave a whole new twist to an old tune.

This is the way jazz is meant to be savored. An intimate venue with some friends around, good food and the required refreshments. What more could one ask. It is the type of evening that may be somewhat usual in bigger cities but to have it here in Cranbrook was real treat. And there is more coming – the Jazz Council will be playing again at Ric’s in early July and August. - Rod Wilson


"Standing up for Miles"

Miles Davis may not have been exactly a stand up guy (whatever that means). He was a one time heroin addicted misogynist with a hostile streak who literally defined the modern concept of ‘cool’ and left an indelible mark on the late 20th century Jazz world. He came of age during the halcyon days of be-bop. While still in his late teens he played with the giants of the era including, Charlie Parker, the inventor of be-bop. From then on he was never far from the creative front lines of improvised music and, more often than not, he was out in front of the pack as an innovator, collaborator and band leader. He led the way from the frantic world of be-bop to the cooler tomes of the “Cool School” in 1949 and back again to his own version of hard-bop. Despite an almost total physical collapse in the 50's, he came back from his addiction to record a landmark series of albums with Prestige records before he moved onto to his collaboration with Columbia records in the 1960's. In the Prestige era his recording partners virtually read as a who’s who of the jazz world of that era. Tunes he introduced at that time went on to become part of the standard jazz repertoire.

During his years with Columbia he recorded the monumental “Kind of Blue”, a complete step away from the chordal based improvisations of the time with his exploration of the use of modal scales. Although Miles was somewhat dismissive of the recording, jazz musicians call the album ‘The Bible’ and critics insist it is the one essential Jazz record everybody should own. It has sold millions copies and in over forty years has never been out of print. It has been re-issued in numerous ‘improved’ editions and is the subject of many, many magazine articles and at least one book – “Kind of Blue – The Making of the Miles Davis Masterpiece” (by Ashley Kahn). Although that album is a milestone (pun intended) Miles never stood still. He fronted numerous configurations of his classic quintets with mostly young innovative musicians. He had a very successful collaboration with the Canadian composer and arranger Gil Evans followed by an intense period of experimentation with electronic instruments and composition, recording methods and styles. Miles Davis died in 1991 of a massive stroke.

So, here we are twenty years on and the Jazz Council decided on doing a concert of Miles Davis music. They knew they were heading into pretty deep waters. The band (Laurel Ralston – trumpet; Sven Heyde – drums; Tim Plait – piano; Bernie Primbs – baritone sax and Joel Kroeker – bass), although some what intimidated by the task, they were well up to the challenge. They chose a chronological approach by picking tunes from various eras of Miles’ career. To start the evening they kicked it off with the 1947 be-bop classic “Donna Lee“ and followed it up with the 1949`s “Boplicity“. This is from “The Birth of the Cool“ an album that gave new meaning and direction to jazz. Bernie Primbs played some gorgeous baritone sax on the Miles classic 1956 ballad “My Funny Valentine“. The word classic tends to become overused for just about anything associated with Miles Davis. It is not hyperbole; it`s a fact. Miles was a classic act in just about anything musical he touched. Laurel used the Harmon mute for the Sonny Rollin`s masterpiece “Oleo“. This is also from the same 1956 period when Miles recorded the tune with Sonny Rollins on Tenor sax. The ballads “There is no Greater Love“ and “If I Were a Bell“ are also from the same period.

After the intermission the band took some time out to feature some of their own original tunes that included Bernie`s love song to his wife (“Quires Casarte Conmigo“), his “Everybody Could Use a Minor Funk“ and Joel Kroeker`s “Rainy Day Caper“ (a delicious romp through James Bond land). The band returned to Miles territory with “Freddie Freeloader“ from the “Kind of Blue“ album. On this particular tune Tim Plait appeared to be deep in the zone on his FP-4 keyboard. A couple of tunes from the electronic period, “Nefetiti“ and Wayne Shorter`s “Foot Prints“ completed the scheduled program for the evening. For an encore the “Kind of Blue“ album was revisited with the very atmospheric modal blues “All Blues“. As this was the final tune on the Miles Davis album it was very fitting end to the evening. - Rod Wilson


"ShawTV feature: The Jazz Council"

A Cranbrook band is kickstarting a jazz revival in the Kootenays. - ShawTV Kootenays


"'Dawn' reviewed by BC Musician Magazine"

The Jazz Council is a quintet from Cranbrook. They are fronted by Bernie Primbs on baritone saxophone and Laurel Ralston on trumpet, with backing from Joel Kroeker on bass, Tim Plait on piano and Sven Heyde on drums. Laurel also plays second trumpet with the Symphony of the Kootenays. This is their first CD and features eight songs, all written by the band. There are two hard bop numbers, three Latin based songs, a funk tune, a ballad and a swing-based feature, Rainy Night Caper that they are promoting as their single. It is all readily accessible and played with great energy and a high level of proficiency. They have been developing a following in the East and Central Kootenays and have played several sold out shows in Cranbrook, Kimberley and Fernie. They are serious musicians introducing music to people who may not have had much opportunity to listen to jazz, so they keep it open and populist in the best sense of the word. - BC Musician Magazine


"The Daily Bulletin sneaks a peek at our debut record."

This jazz group was formed last August and, although Sven Heyde acts as the coordinator, the band doesn't really have a leader. It is a co-operative affair. It was originally known as QUINTESSENTIAL JAZZ and has performed at a number of concerts and Jazz Vespers under that name. The members, Sven Heyde - drums; Laurel Ralston - trumpet, Bernie Primbs - tenor and baritone sax, Joel Kroeker - bass and Tim Plait - piano, were comfortable under that banner until it was discovered that there is more than one Quintessential Jazz band out there in the world. In this day and age of intellectual property rights they had no alternative but look around for something different. Their final choice is THE JAZZ COUNCIL. It is short, snappy and best of all, in a Google search it comes up on the first page. They have moved forward under that name and set up the website www.thejazzcouncil.com.

Most serious musicians at some stage in their careers want to at least dabble in Jazz. Usually it takes the form of using various jazz devices in more popular settings. Either a horn section or some jazz chords to spice things up. Jazz is not a popular music form and the potential of making a living just playing jazz is virtually nil. So, it requires a significant level of commitment to form a band specifically to play straight ahead jazz and even more of a commitment to develop a unique repertoire. They are not giving up their day jobs but they are spending considerable time writing new material, developing their skills, rehearsing regularly and preparing for and recording a CD.

The recording sessions are well under way. The most recent session was held at the First Baptist Church in Cranbrook. Like a significant number of churches in the area it has a good piano, a good acoustic space and, with the aid of the much in demand sound engineer Ben Blomander, the potential for a great recording is high. Beyond the initial set up of equipment and instruments the group spent over two hours recording three original compositions.

First onto the digital tape was Joel Kroeker's catchy 5/4 swing tune called "Rainy Night Caper". Every musician dreams of the perfect one take recording. Sometimes it can happen. In this session this tune was done in two. The 5/4 rhythm (remember Dave Brubeck's "Take Five") is a little tricky and the second take was just to give it that little extra polish.

The chord changes for the popular swing tune "I've Got Rhythm" has become a standard frame work upon which to hang many new compositions. The chord structure is well known so it is just a case learning the new melody, adding some interesting and unique twists and devices to liven it up. Sven Heyde constructed a 6/8 Afro-Cuban composition using the "rhythm changes". Over four takes the band tried various exchanges between the soloists just to see how they would work. The final choice of the most suitable take recorded is still to be decided.

The last tune of the session was a little more problematic. The tune called "Consternation" (by name and by nature) is very tricky and somewhat reminiscent of Charlie Parker's "Confirmation". The band didn't happen to nail a perfect take on this one before the recording session ended but they did nail the fantastic drop dead ending. Most good jazz recording sessions tend to be "live off the floor" with minimal edits to achieve the final product. This composition will be subject to further takes at a future session.

Laurel Ralston and Bernie Primbs were working with the Billy Jive band at a benefit concert the next day and needed to rest their "chops" for that engagement. Physically their instruments are very demanding and they wanted to make sure they could perform at their best the next day.

There will be more recording sessions and the band hopes to have the CD out by sometime in the summer. - Daily Bulletin


"Daily Townsman review of our April 4th Jazz Vespers in Cranbrook."

Apparently in biblical times David and his harp did it for King Saul. That is, David's music lifted the King's black moods. Time has marched on and King Saul no longer needs his moods lifted and David and his harp is no longer on the music scene. However, from time to time black moods still do occur and the need for a time to reflect and contemplate our existence still exists.

In lieu of David and his harp, the local Jazz Group Quintessential Jazz (Sven Heyde - drums; Laurel Ralston - trumpet; Joel Kroeker - bass; Tim Plait - piano) participated in a Sunday evening of prayer, contemplation and Jazz at the Cranbrook Anglican Church.

Some weeks back Quintessential Jazz successfully participated in a Jazz Vespers in The All Saints Anglican Church in Kimberley. The evening was so successful that a reprise of the event in Cranbrook was warranted. The service opened with a new arrangement of "Amazing Grace" that included participation by the congregation. This was followed by "When I Survey", "For Carrie" (an original tune by Sven Heyde), a reading from Samuel 16:14-23 (King Saul, David and his harp), "He Lives", "Lord Hear My Prayer", "Come Fill Our Hearts", "Old Man River", "Shenandoah", a closing blessing and the rousing send off with "Oh When the Saints".

The Jazz Vespers evening was decidedly mellow (except for the rousing rendition of "Oh When the Saints") with some wonderful solos and musical interactions from this fine group of local musicians. I wonder if Jazz Vespers might become a local tradition. That would be nice. - Daily Townsman


"Jazz Concert at Centre 64 Saturday"

This Saturday evening, two local jazz groups, Quintessential Jazz and littlejazz Orchestra, will join forces to raise funds for Spread the Net, an organization that helps combat the spread of malaria in Africa by providing bed nets to children and families.

Quintessential Jazz and littlejazz Orchestra last performed together on December 19 before a packed house at the Stage Door, a concert that sold out well in advance. The audience, which braved deep cold and heavy snow to attend, enjoyed an exciting, energetic performance combining well-known jazz standards with captivating original tunes.

Quintessential Jazz, comprised of Bernie Primbs on saxophone, Laurel Ralston on trumpet, Tim Plait on piano, Joel Kroeker on bass, and Sven Heyde on drums, will premiere more original and new compositions by Heyde and Primbs. They will also be joined again by singer Shawna Plant, whose heartfelt vocals were a highlight of the December concert. Littlejazz Orchestra, made up of Dave Ward on trumpet, Jim Cameron on guitar, Janice Nicli on bass, and Graham Knipfel on drums, will perform an entire set of originals, making the most of the group's unusual instrumentation and exquisite sound.

Littlejazz Orchestra drummer Knipfel, an International Project Coordinator with the College of the Rockies, has a special affinity for Spread the Net's cause. He has traveled to Africa on numerous occasions and has experienced firsthand the terrible effects of malaria. This year, the COTR has joined the Spread the Net Student Challenge, which engages students in raising funds and awareness. Proceeds from Saturday's concert will support the COTR's effort.

Quintessential Jazz and littlejazz Orchestra perform on Saturday, February 12 at 7:30pm at Centre 64 in Kimberley. Tickets cost $15 each and are on sale now at Black Bear Books in Kimberley and Just Music in Cranbrook. Buy your tickets in advance to avoid being shut out! - Daily Bulletin


"Glowing review of February 20th Jazz Vespers"

The early history of Western Music is completely dominated by religious music. It stands to reason. The church had the scholars and the scribes to fully document their role in society at large. The masses were, by and large, illiterate and left few marks on official histories. That didn't mean that there was no secular music. In all likelihood the populace, no different from today, liked to sing, dance and entertain them selves.

So in all probability there was a lively secular music scene. With the ascendancy of the aristocracy secular music started to make a historical mark that reached its ascendancy with the patronage appointments of musicians to court positions to write both church and secular music.

Beethoven was the first great composer to break away from that patronage system. From then on musicians started standing on their own two feet. Great composers continued to write great sacred music but it was not the only string to their bow (pun intended).

The church did not really appreciate the rising profile of popular music. In the twentieth century, music and entertainment, Blues and Jazz in particular, were characterized as "devils music". And yet both arenas of music exerted profound influences on each other. Without Gospel music there would have been no Soul music, Funk and any number of hybrid forms that have fed off each other.

Jazz managed to pass the "devil's music" persona over to 'rhythm and blues' and rock and roll. Jazz became America's classical music and a significant number of the great Jazz composers wrote major serious works, including church music. So the idea of Jazz Vespers or an Evening Prayer service with jazz is not that outlandish. It been done before. The last such service in Kimberley's All Saints Church was about six years ago. With such a fine jazz group as Quintessential Jazz (Sven Heyde - drums; Laurel Ralston - trumpet, Bernie Primbs - tenor and baritone sax, Joel Kroeker - bass, Tim Plait - piano) now performing in the area it was appropriate to re-introduce jazz back into a church service.

The basic pattern of the service is fairly low keyed with prayers and readings from the scriptures interspersed with music. The service opened with "Amazing Grace". This is a piece that has been done to death but the arrangement by band was wonderful and fresh. It started as a slow waltz intro on piano with soft brush work on the drums. The muted trumpet and baritone saxophone gave the first reading of the theme and that was followed by the solos of Laurel Ralston on trumpet, Tim Plait on piano, Bernie Primbs on Baritone sax and Joel Kroeker on bass before the band returned for the second reading of the theme. The unamplified sound in the church gave full justice to the balance and blend of the instruments.

A significant portion of the music played during the evening came from the French liturgical music of Jacques Berthier and it may have been unfamiliar to the congregation. Amongst these unknowns were sprinkled some familiar gems such as "Amazing Grace", "Round Midnight", "Shenandoah" and "When the Saints go Marching In". There was one original piece called "For Carrie" that was written by the drummer Sven Heyde.

The intent of the evening was spiritual and the music of the jazz quintet more than enhanced that feeling. The music was well suited to the service with wonderful arrangements of the rhythm section and the beautiful blend of the trumpet and the baritone sax. By the time the band launched into the funky vamp intro of "When the Saints go Marching In" at the end of the service we were all on our way to musical heaven.

There will be more Jazz Vespers in the future. Quintessential Jazz will be participating in a similar church service in Cranbrook in April. - Daily Bulletin


"Back to Back Jazz at The Stage Door"

It could have been a miracle or at least some sort of record. A cold winter's Sunday night in December and a packed house for a night of jazz in Cranbrook would seem most unlikely. They are descriptors (Cranbrook, Jazz and winter) that do not usually appear in the same sentence. Cranbrook is not a jazz town. It is more a classic rock / folk / country music sort of town. And yet, The Notables (a big band ensemble), The Don Davies Quartet, The Little Jazz Orchestra and, now, Quintessential Jazz all play straight up jazz on the local scene. The Notables recently performed at a United Church Coffee House, Don Davies has been playing at BJ's Creekside Pub, and now it was Quintessential Jazz and The Little Jazz Orchestra's turn to do back to back sets at the Studio / Stage Door.

Quintessential Jazz (Sven Hyde - drums; Laurel Ralston - trumpet, Bernie Primbs - tenor and baritone sax, Joel Kroeker - bass and Tim Plait - piano) came roaring out of the gate with Charlie Parker's up tempo "Be-bop". It is over fifty years since Charlie Parker died but his innovations and compositions are still bench marks for any aspiring jazz musician.

The master tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins has just celebrated his eightieth birthday with a cover story on this month's premier Jazz magazine Downbeat. So, perhaps, the band's choice of Sonny's catchy Caribbean composition "St. Thomas" was an appropriate celebration of the fact that Sonny is still alive and performing at full throttle. Laurel on trumpet and Bernie on baritone sax shared the solo honors.

With tunes already played and Thelonious Monk's "Round Midnight" and Charlie Parker's "Moose the Mooche" it seemed to be a night of jazz classics. "Round Midnight" is a classic romantic ballad that always seems out a little out of character with the usual eccentric, angular compositions that are hallmark of a Monk composition. "Moose the Mooche' is another Be-bop burner that required a cool down tune to bring the night back to equilibrium. This was provided by a Sven Hyde original romantic ballad dedicated to his wife Carey. Chick Corea's classic "Spain" was the last instrumental of the set and Sven stepped it out as a fast two-beat samba complete with a nicely burnished trumpet solo from Laurel Ralston and solos from Joel Kroeker on bass and Sven Hyde on drums.

For the last couple of tunes the band was joined by the vocalist Shauna Plant who performed the ballad "It Might as Well be Spring" and the up tempo "How High the Moon". Shauna, as we all know, was one of the featured vocalists in the well known local band "As the Crow Flies". These two tunes allowed her to step away from her folk/blue grass persona and stretch her jazz wings.

Jim Cameron is a well known guitarist, teacher and actor who must be responsible for at least half of the budding guitarists that have come out of this area over the past thirty years. In the band "The Little Jazz Orchestra" he is joined by Janice Nicli (of Billy Jive disco fame) on upright bass, Dave Ward on trumpet and Graham Knipfel on drums. Volumes could be written about these musicians but it is appropriate that the selection of compositions and their performances said all that needed to be said.

It was also appropriate for Jim to kick off their set with the Wes Montgomery jazz guitar classic "Four on Six". Dave Ward got to say his piece with his yet unnamed original ("Hockey Teeth" or "Heavenly Valley" - both are in the running for the title).

Vince Guaraldi's "Christmas Time this Year", from the Peanuts animated cartoon series was a tip of the bonnet to Christmas.

With the beautiful muted trumpet opening statement of the Cuban themed "Lagrimas Negras" Dave Ward took us on an amble though the streets of Havana. This he followed up with his original ballad "Nectar". The last tune of the set was a not so soft version "Softly as a Morning Sunrise".

This year has seen a drought of visiting out of town jazz musicians. The usual jazz component of the Key City Theatre season has been missing this season. So miracle or not, the night of Jazz at the Studio / Stage Door and the local jazz musicians performing around town have more than compensated for what could have been a dry jazz year. - Cranbrook Daily Townsman


Discography

Still working on that hot first release.

Photos

Bio

With over 40 performances behind them, new material in the works, and a tremendously successful debut album, Dawn, The Jazz Council looks forward to taking over the entire Kootenays, the rest of BC, Canada, and finally, the whole world.

The Jazz Council has a unique approach to jazz and their audiences - non-jazz-heads will never leave a JC show saying 'The songs all sound the same', or 'That was boring'. On the contrary, The Jazz Council firmly believes that jazz is, at its core, pop music, and can be both authentic and accessible. Their original compositions (8 of which make up their debut album, Dawn) and their covers weave together many different strands and sub-genres of jazz, giving the listeners ears a well-balanced diet, while their ability to select sounds from a specific palette gives them a unique, clear sound that is all their own.

'For a couple of reasons that was a concert well worth attending. The music of Miles Davis is always worth a listen and in the hands of Laurel Ralston and her band mates it was not only enjoyable it was something that is not usually associated with Jazz concerts. It was very entertaining as well.' - Rod Wilson, online review, 1 June 2012

'[Dawn is] readily accessible and played with great energy and a high level of proficiency.'  - BC Musician Magazine, 16 January 2012

'The arrangement by the band was wonderful and fresh ... wonderful arrangements of the rhythm section and the beautiful blend of the trumpet and the baritone sax ... By the time the band launched into the funky vamp intro of When the Saints go Marching In at the end of the service, we were all on our way to musical heaven.' - Rod Wilson, Kimberley Daily Bulletin, 23 February 2011

THE MUSICIANS

Bernie Primbs, a Grant MacEwan Music graduate, has played the sax for over 17 years. He has a great love for preforming and simply having a good time on stage. He plays the baritone and tenor saxes. He can also be found playing in a local show band called Boogie Supreme, which he founded.

Trumpeter and flautist Laurel Ralston studied classical music performance at the University of Ottawa, and has enthusiastically embraced the challenges of jazz, making her reasonably confident that one day she will no longer be square. Laurel is a longtime member of the Symphony of the Kootenays and former conductor of the Kimberley United Church Choir and Kimberley Community Band. She's currently honing her jazz skills as a member of Ralph Mercredi Quorum in Ottawa.

Sven Heyde took a Diploma of Music Performance from Grant MacEwan College before completing his BA and BEd. He is a versatile percussionist who has studied with Paul Walker (U of L), Brian Thurgood (Grant MacEwan), and Tyler Hornby (Mount Royal). He also plays with redGirl, a melodically-inspired-folk-rock-alt-country band; as an occasional player for Symphony of the Kootenays; and has performed with blues band Grand Larseny, littlejazz Orchestra, and WTFunk.

Tim Plait started piano lessons with Arne Sahlen in 1995. In Victoria, he studied piano in the Victoria Conservatory of Musics Diploma Program with instruction from Susan DeBurgh. He studied vocal accompaniment with Robert Holliston and organ with Nicholas Fairbank, and served four seasons as the Kimberley Summer Theatres accompanist and music director. Tim moved overseas in autumn 2012, where hes been getting inspired by the amazing music and culture in Germany, and looks forward to returning to western Canada this spring.

Joel Kroeker picked up the bass out of necessity. He was already fluent on several other instruments, including guitar, piano, and saxophone, but the ensemble needed a bass. Joel has a great ear, which compensates for his less-than-adequate sight-reading skills. Hes been dabbling in music his whole life, always pursuing that elusive song that will inspire the world. Joel appreciates all genres, though he more than often chooses to listen to classic rock on his iPod. Jazz has always intrigued him; he finds its complexity both challenging and rewarding. Joel currently teaches music and drama in Sparwood. If Joel were a chord, hed be a Dm7: evocative and enchanting.


Band Members