CD Details - Connections -East Meets West

WJO CD DETAILS

The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra’s eighth album release features new works by Canadian composers Fred Stride and Jean-Nicolas Trottier. A key goal of the WJO is fostering connections between jazz performers and composers across Canada. Several years ago, the WJO approached Montreal-based Trottier to propose a collaborative commission. Without hesitation, he suggested Fred Stride, whom he had met in 2011 when Stride was presenting masterclasses at the University of Montreal. The collaboration resulted in the stunning nine-movement suite featured on this album. Fred and Jean-Nicolas are prolific jazz composers and we are thrilled to bring them together on this project.

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Recorded at Musirex Productions, Winnipeg MB between December 2022 and July 2023.
Recording engineer, editing & mixing / Larry Roy Mastering / Guy Hébert
Produced by / Larry Roy

Cover / detail from an ad in the 11 October 1968 edition
of the Winnipeg Free Press for Eaton’s ‘Project Tomorrow.’ Artwork / Jon Snidal

This project was made possible by a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts,
and by on-going support from the Manitoba Arts Council & the Winnipeg Arts Council.

Connections - East Meets West
Released: February 7th, 2025

1. Sounds of Joy / Jean-Nicolas Trottier .......................................................... 7:54
2. Hello Jean-Nicolas / Fred Stride ...................................................................... 2:15
3. Leave No Stone / Fred Stride ............................................................................. 7:38
4. Echoes From Within / Jean-Nicolas Trottier ......................................... 1:45
5. The Healing Song / Jean-Nicolas Trottier ............................................... 7:56
6. Halfway Point / Fred Stride ................................................................................. 7:31
7. Another Look / Fred Stride .................................................................................. 5:26
8. The Jaws of Defeat / Jean-Nicolas Trottier ............................................3:36
9. The Great Return / Jean-Nicolas Trottier ..................................................5:19

Soloists:

1. Sounds of Joy / Niall Cade (tenor sax); Kyle Wedlake (bari sax)
2. Hello Jean-Nicolas / Jean-Nicolas Trottier (trombone)
3. Leave No Stone / Niall Cade (tenor sax)
4. Echoes From Within / Trombone Ensemble
5. The Healing Song / Larry Roy (guitar); Will Bonness (piano); Karl Kohut (bass)
6. Halfway Point / Jonathan Challoner (trumpet); Neil Watson (soprano sax)
7. Another Look / Andrew Littleford (trumpet)
8. The Jaws of Defeat / Fabio Ragnelli (drums); Niall Cade (tenor sax)
9. The Great Return / Will Bonness (piano)

Notes from the composers:

Sounds of Joy (Jean-Nicolas Trottier): “This movement was the first one I wrote and it was inspired by the great Joe Lovano. I really dig the concept that music is the sound of joy and that’s what I tried to put forward. I had the idea to use morse code as a rhythmic component and so the entire melody is based on this song’s title as rhythm. That set the tone for further exploration of this idea in the other movements.”
Hello Jean-Nicolas (Fred Stride): “Once we had each written a couple of substantial movements, Jean-Nicolas and I decided to write something short, of around 2 minutes in length. I wrote my ‘musical connector’ using an idea Jean-Nicolas used in his Sounds Of Joy: morse code. I then entered Hello Jean-Nicolas into an online morse code translator and transcribed the resulting rhythm. This was then looped, as if calling out: ‘Hello Jean-Nicolas’. Of course Jean-Nicholas has the solo spot.”
Leave No Stone (Fred Stride): “I’m attracted to music that has shifts in colours, textures, tension and release - music that tells a story with, hopefully, surprising twists and turns. Leave No Stone is a solo feature for tenor saxophone soloist Niall Cade to leisurely explore the changing harmonic settings and moods.”
Echoes From Within (Jean-Nicolas Trottier): “This movement is a choral feature for the trombone section. I felt that I needed something simple, so I went with the idea. Being a trombonist myself, it reminded me of some music that I’ve been playing in trombone quartets over the years.”
The Healing Song (Jean-Nicolas Trottier): “ This title perfectly explains the purpose of this tune… During the compositional process, I became ill at some point. I decided to write this song as a way to help me heal. I truly believe in the healing power of music and writing this piece helped me a whole lot to get through the rough times.”
Halfway Point (Fred Stride): “This virtuosic piece is the first movement I wrote for the suite, and it explores the connections between the instruments of the band, as ideas are quickly passed between individuals and sections. The title is a reference to Winnipeg which is very close to halfway (by air) between Vancouver and Montreal.”
Another Look (Fred Stride): “This movement, which is the last one I wrote, featuring the flugel horn and vibraphone, examines some of the musical ideas Jean-Nicolas and I had explored in our earlier movements. A musical reflection.”
The Jaws of Defeat (Jean-Nicolas Trottier): “ I felt that the suite needed a dissonant and very powerful movement, but I didn’t know how to approach it. I came up with a last-minute concept of letters with some pitch equivalence, and spelled Fred Stride’s name to see what I would come up with. Funnily enough, the name was a blues lick! So I used it all over the place in the movement. The fact that I found that idea at the very last minute was for me to “snatch victory from the jaws of defeat”, so I named that movement after that expression.
The Great Return (Jean-Nicolas Trottier): “ The great return is a postlude to the suite, written for my late cat: Le Gris. My family and I are lovers of cats, and this one was gone for 3 weeks at some point. We thought he was gone for good, but he came back one night! We were so happy not to have lost him, that I decided to write a piece for him. Le Gris was a really fat cat, so the melody of the song features a big instrument, the baritone sax!”

Fred Stride

Fred Stride has been an active professional musician in Vancouver, Canada for more than 40 years. A graduate of the UBC School of Music (1976), Fred also studied briefly in Los Angeles with Dick Grove at the Dick Grove Music Workshops. On his return to Vancouver Fred began his career in earnest, playing trumpet as well as arranging music for various projects and ensembles. His skills soon brought him in contact with many prominent Vancouver band leaders including Bob Hales and Dave Robbins. Fred also spent about 10 years working closely with Tommy Banks on various television and theatre projects in both BC and Alberta, including the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.

As a trumpet player Fred performed a wide range of gigs including concerts and shows with local and visiting entertainers and recording for both radio and television. During his trumpet playing days Fred also worked with local ensembles led by Bob Hales, Tommy Banks, The Wildroot Orchestra, Dave Robbins, Ray Sikora, Hugh Fraser's Veji, Gary Guthman, Allan Matheson, the Stride-Bjerring Band as well as many other Vancouver based groups.

Fred has now set aside his trumpet and has been concentrating on composition. Besides writing for his own big band, The Fred Stride Jazz Orchestra, Fred has composed works for the Vancouver Symphony, Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble, several Canadian Armed Forces bands, the Brampton Concert Band, the CBC Orchestra, saxophonist Julia Nolan, french horn soloist Martin Hackleman, various high school bands and many other solo performers and ensembles. Fred’s jazz compositions have been played and recorded around the world.

Fred has received several awards over the years including the 2008 IAJE/SOCAN Phil Nimmons Jazz Composer Award and first prize for The Center for Jazz Composition 2007 International Jazz Arranging Competition. Fred Stride is an associate composer of the Canadian Music Centre and a member of the Canadian League of Composers.

Jean-Nicolas Trottier

Since 2000, Jean-Nicolas Trottier is an active trombone player on the Montreal jazz scene. In addition of being the main musical director/composer/arranger of the Orchestre National de Jazz de Montreal, he is the leader of his own projects like Acid Bunny, Jean-Nicolas Trottier 4tet, Jean-Nicolas Trottier 10tet and Jean-Nicolas Trottier Bigband. He also have been playing in some of Quebec’s finest jazz ensembles such as Joe Sullivan Bigband, Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra, Trombone Action, Jazzlab Orchestra, L’ensemble Rémi-Jean Leblanc, and Rémi Bolduc Random Masters.

He has recorded 7 albums as leader, and over 60 others as sideman or guest soloist. Over the years, M. Trottier played in different countries such as USA, France, Belgium, Italie and Mexico. Jean-Nicolas was heard alongside numerous internationally acclaimed artists such as Slide Hampton, Steve Davis, Dave Brubeck, Ruffus Reid, Ingrid Jensen, Donny McCaslin, Seamus Blake, Yannick Rieu, Jean-Michel Pilc, Dan Weiss, Ari Hoenig, John Hollenbeck, François Théberge and others.

As a composer/arranger, he has collaborated with different ensembles such as MSO, QSO, GSO and I Musici. His catalogue counts more than 600 compositions/arrangements, for solo to symphonic orchestra, chamber music ensembles and Bigband. On the popular side, he as written music and/or played alongside many great national and international artists such as Frank Sinatra Jr., Gregory Charles, Patrick Watson, Arianne Moffatt, Herman Olivera, Nikki Yanofsky, Louis-Jean Cormier, Yann Perreau and many others.

Jean-Nicolas Trottier is a D.Mus graduate in jazz performance, composition and arrangement from The Schulich School of Music in Montreal and is now professor of jazz composition and arranging at University of Montreal.

PERSONNEL:
Neil Watson - Alto Sax
Jonathan Stevens - Alto Sax
Niall Cade - Tenor Sax
Monica Jones - Tenor Sax
Kyle Wedlake - Baritone sax
Jean-Nicolas Trottier - Lead Trombone
Jeremy Duggleby - Trombone
Karin Carlson - Trombone
Joel Green - Trombone
Isabelle Lavoie - Bass Trombone
Shane Hicks - Lead Trumpet
Jonathan Challoner - Trumpet
Matthew Walden - Trumpet
Richard Gillis - Trumpet
Andrew Littleford - Trumpet
Will Bonness - Piano
Karl Kohut - Bass
Fabio Ragnelli - Drums
Victoria Sparks - Vibraphone
Larry Roy - Guitar

PRESS QUOTES ABOUT THE ALBUM:

The WJO continues to run one of Canada's premier big band operations, bringing nationwide artists together and documenting them on record at a pace that our local big bands descending from the straight-ahead tradition will have to keep dreaming of.
Will Chernoff – rhythmchanges.ca

This is an exquisite listen! The arrangements are lush and beautifully played by these talented musicians.The compositions by Stride and Trottier are extremely well written, and MusicalDirector, Richard Gillis is to be commended for bringing this orchestra to digital life onChronograph Record label.They close with “The Great Return” a Trottier composition that is gorgeous.
Dee Dee McNeil – Making a Scene

East Meets West: Connections takes elements of classic and contemporary jazz to create a sculptural and expansive production in a big band setting. With tracks ranging from less than 2 minutes to up to 8 minutes, this an adventurous and exhilarating creation that allows each member to showcase their individual talents to their full potential. This then combines and collaborates, resulting in a musical soundscape that is stratospheric and transcendent that is a trademark for the WJO.
Marty – Jazz Music Blog

The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra simply gets better and better. Its latter albums show increased challenge with tight complex arrangements and terrific solos.... Throughout there is a maturity and confidence that is simply excellent.... This is a great album from a local treasure. The Connections are even unifying, if you will. 4.5/5 Stars
Keith Black – Winnipeg Free Press

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts

The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra is Generously Funded by:

Funding assistance provided by the Manitoba government. Aide financière accordée par le gouvernement du Manitoba.

We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

Education Sponsors:

The Play-Along App project is supported by the Government of Canada’s Healthy Communities Initiative.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.
Nous reconnaissons l'appui financier du gouvernement du Canada.

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The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra welcomes and shares its performance and creation of music - a universal language to all people irrespective of culture, race, sexuality, ability, language and gender.

Music is an agent of hope. A dynamic and valuable device that helps us to heal and to bring us together. The First Peoples of Canada understood this and used music to reunite, resolve and reconcile. In the spirit of reconciliation, we acknowledge that WJO activities take place on Treaty Territory – land that was maintained and earnestly cared for by Indigenous peoples before European settlement. Manitoba is the original lands of Anishinaabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota, and Dene peoples, and is the homeland of the Métis Nation. We acknowledge that Winnipeg benefits daily from Treaty 3 water that comes from Shoal Lake 40. It is with sincere sentiment that we recognize the mistakes of our recent and distant past. In working towards a Canada that benefits us all, we commit to seeking a greater understanding of Canada’s diverse cultural relationships through continued work with Indigenous communities; we commit to live in ways that honour and respect the treaties that were made on these territories; and we commit to stewarding the land in harmony for all who will come after us.

- Please refrain from wearing any fragrances or scented products as other patrons are allergic to them.
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- Please do not attend if you do not feel well. Call the box office at 204-632-5299 to arrange to go to another concert.

Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra / Box 68114, RPO Osborne Village, Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3L 2V9
Main: 204-421-9398 / [email protected] Box Office: 204-632-5299 / [email protected]

Fred Stride

Jean-Nicolas Trottier

PRESS QUOTES ABOUT THE ALBUM:

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