Live music returns to Sherwood Park
New season of outdoor concerts begin Wednesday at Festival Place
Music lovers are thirsting to catch the vibes, live in concert, and Steve Derpack is hopping glad to make it happen. The artistic director of Sherwood Park's Festival Place already has weekly outdoor shows booked every Wednesday night this summer as he prepares to unveil a new season of shows inside the venue.
“I am really excited just to see people back at the theatre to experience art the way it was intended,” says Derpack
The venue's full season of some 30 indoor dates doesn't start until Sept. 24, but in the meantime there's that summertime tuneful fizz, the Qualico Patio Series, now into its 24th year.
The string of Wednesday evening double-act shows boasted hit status long before the pandemic made it desirable to sit outside. One change is that the “patio” itself has moved to the other side of Festival Place next to Peace Park as renovations begin to re-clad the building 's exterior. The all-ages licensed patio shows will continue to offer full barbecue.
Derpack's basic concept was to offer two different genres of music on each program. On Wednesday, that involves the jazz trio Up and Over followed by Fernie, B.C.'S altfolk-rock band Shred Kelly.
JAZZ IS BACK
You can hear it when extended friendships support solid music making the way they do in jazz, and the Up and Over trio is a perfect example.
Pianist Chris Andrew and bassist Rubim de Toledo were grudgingly reminded they are heading into decade four as professional musicians. But there's so much to be proud of, both as multi-awardwinning soloists, partners in projects like Bomba!, stacks of fine recordings and more. Two of the best, most versatile player-composers in Canada, they're brilliantly at home in jazz but conversant in related idioms. By now, these inspired fixtures of Edmonton's music scene are “like family” after they first met up at a gig for Big Miller in 1989 — add a few thousand shared sets since then.
Following a few virtual online dates this past year, the trio's handle Up and Over might reflect the thrill of returning to live audiences but Andrew admits all that unexpected time off had a silver lining.
“COVID, as brutal as it was, was a break to evaluate your process instead of just going from one gig to another, to sit down and look for deficiencies in your playing and get better. I think we all have that mindset. It has been an amazing journey and we're still growing,” he says.
And de Toledo sums up the chemistry, explaining, “Some musicians find what they do and stick to that forever, but we've enjoyed playing and listening to so many different types of music and types of jazz that there's always something new to explore and blend together. For all of us, it's a big adventure.”
Up and Over is the trio they have shared with drummer Jamie Cooper for three years. Another local music staple since he moved here from Labrador in 1999 to join the Royal Canadian Artillery Band, Cooper is a multi-genre player best known for his jazz chops, for several years with Boogie Patrol and occasional dates with everyone from Martin Kerr to the ESO Pops on top of 18 years in the army band. The three players also worked together in the WEM casino band for several years.
Between them, this jazz triangle has penned multiple angles of the genre from traditional swinging fare to tuneful contemporary explorations. On Wednesday, they expect to stay largely acoustic and focus on originals. When they hit the studio in October to record for Bent River Records, no one rules out using electric bass or keyboards.
“We still rehearse things but not much needs to be said,” notes de Toledo. “It's more about what happens. We trust each other and understand each other so it's easy to collaborate.”
The Patio Series continues July 21 with Ostella and Wafer Thin Mints and Sammy Volkov with Ayla Brook and the Sound Men July 28. Unfortunately, July shows are already sold out, in part because of the reduced site seating of 150 patrons.
The patio returns to its regular capacity of 450 on Aug. 4 with the musical multiverse of trombonist Audrey Ochoa, followed by country roots from singer Ryan Lindsay. Country-pop singer-songwriter Lucette and Edmonton's evolving quartet Party Jacket play Aug. 11. Catch pop songwriter Andrew Allen and the winning vocal harmonies of Alberta country trio Over The Moon Aug. 18. And finally, two gifted Edmonton acts, Steven Sware and the freshly-minted art-rock sound of Mallory Chipman & the Mystics share the bill Aug. 25. Further dates will fill out the series through Sept. 29.
Festival Place's indoor season includes replacement dates for previously cancelled shows with Colin James and Ireland's Dervish along with acts like Shane Koyczan, The Celtic Tenors, Matt Dusk and more.
I am really excited just to see people back at the theatre to experience art the way it was intended.