Blue Spirits release debut album Includes tribute to late P.E.I. trumpeter Dan St-Amand

Halifax jazz group Blue Spirits will release its debut album, “Liquid Courage” online June 30 and on CD July 7.

Recorded at Joel Plaskett’s New Scotland Yard Studio and featuring seven original jazz tunes, Liquid Courage includes a personal tribute by bandleader Paul St-Amand to his late uncle, Dan St.-Amand, a longtime fixture on the P.E.I. music scene.

“There’s a lot of music in my family, but Uncle Dan was certainly the reason I chose the trumpet,” says St.-Amand. “When I was very young I loved hanging out in his basement studio and looking at his horns. Later he was my primary mentor as I learned the instrument.”

The elder St-Amand was principal trumpet for the P.E.I. Symphony Orchestra for decades. After he died in 2015, Paul briefly performed in Dan’s former chair with the orchestra.

“I came over to the Island and played several shows with the PEISO,” says St-Amand. “That experience meant a lot to me. Everyone was very kind and I got to play some great music.”

St-Amand formed Blue Spirits in 2016, recruiting several musicians from the ECMA-nominated band Unidentified Funk Object: guitarist Ross Avey and drummer Brendan Melchin. The group also features bassist Matt MacLennan. Andrew MacKelvie (saxophones) and Andrew Jackson (trombone) also perform on Liquid Courage.

With St-Amand swapping between trumpet and lead vocals, Blue Spirits sounds like an updated spin on Chet Baker, blending cool jazz, blues, bop, funk, and hip-hop influences. Liquid Courage features six instrumentals and one vocal, ranging from soulful ballads to funk-infused jams and New Orleans second line grooves. Included on the album is Blues for Dino, a mournful minor blues tribute to St-Amand’s late uncle.

“It’s my favourite track on the album,” says St-Amand. “The recording studio sort of disappeared when we recorded that one, and it felt like I was playing for Uncle Dan.”

Liquid Courage is available for pre-order now. A CD launch show will take place in Halifax on July 7. Blue Spirits will also appear at the TD Halifax Jazz Festival in July. Additional concert dates are planned for the summer and fall.