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Calgary Jazz in Mongolia during the Giant Steppes |
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Wednesday, 20 September 2006 |
By Cindy McLeod of Calgary, Canada
www.jazzelements.com
Calgary based jazz ensemble Northern Lights Quartet are about to take
the sound of Canadian jazz to far-away Mongolia where they are slated to
perform October 5-7th at the Giant Steppes Jazz Festival in Ulaanbaatar.
The quartet will appear alongside fellow headliners, pianist Steve
Tromans U-Bop Band (Ulaanbaatar) and pianist Bob Bellows (US) for the
Main Stage Concert Thursday October 5th. The program also includes
headline club performances on Friday October 6th and Saturday October
7th. Several events will be covered by the UBS Television and FM radio
stations.
Recognized leaders in Calgary, the Northern Lights Quartet is formed by
Bruce Petherick (piano), Keith Smith (guitar), John Hyde (bass) and
Robin Tufts (percussion), with each member highly regarded as musicians,
composers, and educators. The group will be joined for the tour by
Calgary vocalist Deb Rasmussen.
In addition to making their festival appearances the musicians will
spend a week collaborating with local artists and teaching students of
jazz, investing their talents in the growth of the fledgling Mongolian
scene. The group have also been invited to lend their expertise and
advice to the Ministry of Education and the UB Jazz Academy toward their
development of jazz education programmes.
The idea for the tour was spawned when Mongolian pianist/drummer N.
Ganbat traveled to Calgary last year and met the members of Northern
Lights Quartet at a local jazz club. Ganbat is an established leader in
his own right, and has collaborated with pianist/composer Steve Troman,
a UK native who currently lives in Ulaanbaatar, to found the Giant
Steppes festival and the UB Jazz Academy. They've also established the
U-/bop Band, a trio with US bassist Andrew Colwe, also living and
teaching in the Mongolian city.
When the Calgary musicians heard of their efforts to promote and foster
jazz music and education in Mongolia, they threw their weight on board,
taking the message out to the community. Contributions of items such as
instructional books, DVD's and videos, and music texts have been donated
by Calgary's business and music community, and the project has gained
the support of the provincial government through the Alberta Foundation
for the Arts, assisting the Canadian musicians to participate in the
festival.
For more information on Northern Lights Quartet and the Mongolian
project, you can visit their blog at
www.intendedaudience.com/prairiesteppes.
For more information on the Great Steppes Jazz Festival and UB Academy
visit www.jazzmongolia.com
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