Hot times, cool jazz
Cape Breton Jazz and World Music Festival will feature Juno winners
Now going into its fifth year, some of Canada’s top jazz musicians will be in Cape Breton over the next couple of weeks for the Cape Breton Jazz and World Music Festival.
According to festival founder and organizer Carl Getto, this year’s event tries to cover all aspects of the jazz spectrum.
“I like it all, but this year we’re trying to provide something for every angle of the jazz world,” said Getto.
As the festival grows, Getto said he’s now in the position where he has had to turn acts down because he couldn’t fit them into the festival’s schedule, much to his regret.
“I am overwhelmed by the musicians who want to perform here.”
As usual, this year’s event features a mix of local, national and international performers, which Getto feels adds a special touch to the event.
“We want to have the local performers involved,” he said. “We want everyone involved to feel welcomed.”
This year’s festival runs Aug. 4-12 with most evening events taking place at 7:30 p.m. at the Hearthstone Inn on King’s Road, Sydney. They will be held in the outdoor court but will be moved inside if the weather interferes.
The festival opens with Cuban-Canadian group Los Primos, featuring Augusto Enriquez and Jeff Goodspeed performing on Aug. 4 at the Northside Yacht Club and on Aug. 5 in Sydney, location yet to be determined.
Three Juno award winners will be featured, including guitarist and vocalist Mike Rudd and pianist and vocalist Steve Amirault on Aug. 9 and saxophonist Kirk MacDonald on Aug. 10. MacDonald will also perform on the same night with drummer Ethan Ardelli, who has assembled some top players to perform, including Ted Quinlan on guitar, Eric Burke on bass, Steve Amirault on piano and Ardelli on drums.
Singer Kevin Colford will front a group of Cape Breton musicians in a show featuring arrangements of classic jazz standards. The group will include Red Mike MacDonald on bass guitar, Ken Howatson on trombone, Steve MacInnis on trumpet, Bruce MacKinlay on alto sax, Russell LeBlanc on tenor sax, Ronnie Leadbeater on drums and Peter MacDonald on piano. The standards will include songs by Michael Buble, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and Diana Krall. The show will take place at the Hearthstone Inn on Aug. 7. Tickets cost $20 in advance at $25 at the door.
Canadian jazz guitarist Ted Quinlan will appear Thursday, Aug. 10, at the Hearthstone Inn. He’s a solo performer, session player, writer and educator who has performed with such people as Freddie Baker, Chet Baker, Eddie Harris, Jimmy
Smith, and Joey DeFrancesco.
Joe Murphy and Dan Doiron will headline the blues night on Friday, Aug. 11 at the Hearthstone. Joe Murphy has been entertaining audiences for many years in and around Halifax, and has shared the stage with most of Atlantic Canada’s blues players. Port Hood native Dan Doiron is an oustanding blues guitarist who has performed at the Halifax Jazz Festival.
The festival closing party will be held on Aug. 12 and will feature such well-known local performers as Joe Waye, Michele Stephens, Carl Getto, Charlotte MacDonald, Red Mike MacDonald, Johnny Hawkins and others.