Interpreting the music of Led Zeppelin
Don’t think that lead vocalist Michael Shotton will walk out on stage with little else than a pair of jeans, shoulder-length golden curls flowing, and belt out one Led Zeppelin tune after another in some mid-1970s Robert Plant-cum-Adonis shtick when Jeans ’n Classics play the Brott Festival on Friday, August 5.
Well, leave in that bit about belting out the Zep tunes because that’s what he and his JnC mates will do at their 7:30 p.m. show, “The Music of Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same,” with the National Academy Orchestra in the McIntyre Performing Arts Centre, 135 Fennell Ave. W. But JnC is no tribute band, Led Zep or otherwise.
“We try and avoid the ‘tribute’ word,” said JnC founder-owner-arranger-guitarist Peter Brennan from the group’s London (Ontario) office. “What we say about ourselves is that, Jeans ’n Classics faithfully interpret the music of legendary rock and pop albums and artists with their own special flavour and flair, and currently for over 21 years,” added Brennan reading in part from a statement on his group’s website.
Though Brennan pointed out that Zep used strings on “All of My Love,” such a coupling was a rare occurrence for them. So, if Zep rarely used orchestral instruments in the first place, what’s this “faithfully interpret” business all about?
“The faithful thing, I think, is we don’t turn it into an ‘elevator’ treatment,” said Brennan. “It is a rock band that’s out there.”
So this won’t be a “Mantovani meets Led Zep” night after all?
“You don’t want that orchestra sitting there being wallpaper,” said Brennan. “You want that orchestra to be engaged. One has to keep in mind that you don’t want to turn what was a fantastic song that didn’t need an orchestra, because they were successful without doing this concept — how do I keep the essence of that song and keep that orchestra interesting. There’s not a formula for that. There’s just my approach, my imagination.”
The Zep show includes JnC drummer Jeff Christmas’s chart for “The Rain Song,” and bassist Mitch Tyler’s take on “When the Levee Breaks,” as well as Brennan’s arrangements of “In the Evening,” “Kashmir,” “Over the Hills and Far Away,” “Dazed and Confused,” and the 1971 smash, “Stairway to Heaven.”
The ticket price for the JnC-NAO-Led Zep show is $40 which includes a complimentary beer and wine tasting for adults. Call 905-525-7664.
Conductor Boris Brott will share the podium Thursday, with his apprentice, Karl Hirzer, recently named resident conductor at the Calgary Philharmonic. Brott with Hirzer and the NAO will present “An Evening of John Williams” featuring music from “Superman,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Harry Potter,” “Star Wars,” “E.T.,” “Jurassic Park,” and “Schindler’s List,” plus selections from Gustav Holst’s “The Planets,” as well as Alexander Brott’s “Spheres in Orbit” a 12-tone work from 1960 whose title was translated as “Sputnikov na orbite” (Satellites in Orbit) when Brott père conducted it in the USSR in 1962.
“I’ve never met him. I’ve performed a number of his concerti which are absolutely stunning,” said Brott of Williams. “I have a lot of respect for him as a composer.”
The concert takes place at 7:30 p.m. in the McIntyre PAC. Tickets are $32, senior $27, Brott35 $25, and student $15. Call 905-525-7664.