JAZZIN’ UP THE HOLIDAYS
Annual concert now a tradition for jazz lovers.
A desire to find a place to play jazz gave birth to one of Sydney’s most enduring holiday traditions.
For the past 20 years, Joe Waye’s Night of Jazz Standards for the Holidays has been giving fans a needed break from the annual barrage of Christmas music on Dec. 26 and it’s back again this year at the Sydney Curling Club at 8 p.m.
“We were just looking for a place to play,” says Waye, also known as Joe Waye Jr., who is generally considered to be one of the finest guitar players in Atlantic Canada. “It’s grown quite a bit in the last eight or nine years.”
No kidding. In addition to Waye Jr., the night features performers like Jody Cail, John Hawkins, Chris Lewis, Bette MacDonald, Mike MacDonald, Charlotte MacDonald, Malcolm MacNeil, Maynard Morrison and Matt Nicholson.
While older musicians get to flex their chops, the night also gives young players to chance to show their stuff. Waye usually encourages his guitar students to play, and this year, Malcolm MacNeil and Chris Lewis will be among the younger performers. One past performer, Breagh Joe Waye Jr. is one of this region’s most respected guitarists and the founder of Joe Waye’s Night of Jazz Standards for the Holidays, to be held this year at the Sydney Curling Club.
MacKinnon, has gone on to considerable success as a member of the band, Port Cities.
Because the concert is held in a small venue, Waye Jr. encourages people to pick up their tickets early since it usually sells out long before Dec. 26.
“There aren’t that many tickets and they go pretty fast,” says
Waye Jr.
The money raised from proceeds from an even-split draw held during the event will go to the Hospice Palliative Care Society of Cape Breton County.
“We’re not there for the money — it’s just a great night to play.”