February 8th , 2023
No matter where in the world one looks, there is musical history worth exploring and celebrating—which is what the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra sets out to affirm on its sixth album, Voices: A Musical Heritage. Winnipeg is the capital of Canada's Manitoba
Province, and Voices pays tribute to the area's rich and expansive musical fabric via a series of eight compositions designed to exemplify some of Manitoba's far-flung heritage: First Nations, Metis, Ukrainian, Jewish, Chilean, Brazilian, Nigerian and
Icelandic.
As with any album based on enduring themes, it is best to separate purpose from result and appraise the music on it own merits. In that respect, the WJO performs brilliantly, with no nuance or accent overlooked or undervalued. In other words, the ensemble is fully invested in the enterprise from the outset and plays with awareness and passion. Unison passages—even the most demanding—are easily mastered, while soloists are ready and able to add contrast and color when needed. Soloists' names are not given, which is the album's lone miscue.
As for the music, it spans the gamut from singular to swing, always with an impressive discernment of its own. The session opens on a Ukrainian motif with "Keeyn," the first movement of John Stetch's three-part Parallel Steppes suite, based on the Ukrainian folk song "Chorni Ochka Yak Teren," whose contrapuntal and chorale-like formats lead to the enchanting "Ochka," based on a second folk theme, and the dynamic up-tempo "Yaseni" (or Yaseny), whose sax soli, virtuosic piano discourses and hopak and kolomiyka rhythms bring the suite to a close.
Rodrigo Munoz' "Homenaje" which uses delightful Latin rhythms including the Chilean cueca to make its point, was written as an homage to the important Latin American musician and activist Victor Jara, Jeff Presslaff's "The Living Mind" as a paean to the pentatonic scale, developed in ancient civilizations and still used in various musical settings to this day. Henry Onwuchekwa composed and Richard Gillis arranged the colorful and light-hearted "Oriri," which means "party" in Onwuchekwa's hometown
in Nigeria, a marked contrast to the austere landscape painted in Gillis' Icelandic "Shadows," which follows. The orchestra nails each one, as it does Marco Castillo's luminous salute to the Amazon rain forest, "Choro para Amazonia"; Andrew Balfour's tantalizing bow to the Ojibway culture, "Ishpiming"; and Michelle Gregoire's ardent "Bison Hunt," the album's closest
brush with mainstream contemporary jazz. But jazz isn't the essential point here; reverence is. The WJO is honoring Manitoba's vast musical narrative and doing so as tastefully and proficiently as it can. Mission accomplished. And if you'd like to sample
another superb album in the same vein, check out the Saskatchewan All-Star Big Band's Saskatchewan Suite (Chronograph Records 094).
★★★★1/2
Jack Bowers
----------------------------
Voices is #1 in the Top 30 list of CJSF Radio (Vancouver)
CHARTS, Connor Ashton, Music Director, CJSF Radio 90.1 FM, Dec 14, 2022 at 6:10 PM
"Crossing the line to our top spot is the fantastic Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra with their latest stellar release "Voices - A Musical Heritage". Featuring a delicately eclectic mix of language, composition, and a breadth of expression across winds, percussion and rhythm, "Voices" reflects Manitoba's diverse heritage, with samplings at the table from the Ukrainian, Métis, Jewish, First Nations, Chilean, Brazilian, Nigerian, and Icelandic cultures. The whole album is worth a spin, and highly recommended. "
CATS COOKIN’ FOR A QUARTER CENTURY The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra reflects on their past and upcoming season
Matthew Teklemariam
The Uniter, November 3, 2022
For those who’ve been snapping their fingers the last quarter century, now’s not the time to stop. On Oct. 27, the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra hosted an anniversary celebration concert to inaugurate their 25th season, which featured alumni from their first performance back in 1997.
Before the event, artistic director and trumpeter Richard Gillis said the celebration was designed to feature Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra alumni, rather than “just having a concert.” Most of the performed pieces were specifically chosen from past seasons, too.
Gillis, who teaches at the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music, says the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra started when he and Soviet defector Sasha Boychuk had the same bright idea on a school trip to France.
“We talked, and I told him that I had this idea of starting a professional big band like a symphony orchestra, city-based, and that you explore repertoire from history and commission new repertoire,” Gillis says.
“That was my vision. He said he had the same concept of having a professional big band. We got a lot of great musicians, so we started that fall.”
Darren Ritchie, fellow trumpeter and band teacher at Dakota Collegiate, was one of those selected musicians.
“Every day, I still feel super fortunate that they ask(ed) me to play in that band. I always think that there should be a hundred other trumpet players that are in it,” Ritchie says.
For both musicians, the thrill of performing is the main draw.
“Oftentimes, it’s moments within a particular concert. Maybe not the whole concert, but certain moments that are just amazing. Things come together. We play looking forward to those moments,” Gillis says.
“I love the spontaneity,” Ritchie says. “Just the fact that you can get up there and have a conversation musically without a word being spoken, and it can change every time.”
In a genre sometimes maligned by casual listeners for esotericism or inaccessibility, the group is devoted to a musically diverse experience that can appeal to a wide audience. Concerts later this season will feature music from The Beatles and Aretha Franklin, and a holiday special will showcase their own take on How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
“It’s very important for us to play a range of things for the audience’s sake. We need to be broad in the material we present to people, because otherwise we’re not doing the music or the art form its due,” Gillis says.
Consistent but not stagnant, the group has made strides in inclusion by welcoming more members over time and showcasing an all-women ensemble.
“It’s important for us to address (inclusion), because it really will propel us forward in terms of creativity and that sort of thing,” Gillis says.
The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra also has a forthcoming album planned that takes influence from a wide range of cultures, including Gillis’ own Icelandic heritage and contributions from Nigerian jazz fusionists of the Dr Henry Band.
With 25 years of accomplishments and musicianship behind him, Gillis focuses on and looks resolutely toward the future.
“We’ve involved more really good professional players. We’ve got more inclusion, more writers involved from Winnipeg than ever before. We’re just developing … a community that can really intersect with and through the WJO to create music with the idea that central to that is the big band,” he says. “As soon as the Oct. 27 concert is done, we’re on to the next 25 years.”
Celebrating 25 years of big band a real kick in the brassWinnipeg Jazz Orchestra welcomes new Voices to eight-concert seasonBy: Alan SmallPosted: 2:01 AM CDT Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022
The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra began in 1997 with a germ of an idea and an inauspicious beginning.
Richard Gillis and Sasha Boychouk believed there was room in Winnipeg for a big-band orchestra, featuring the city’s top jazz players and following a community model that helped launch the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in 1948.
“I just thought there was a need for something like that, and I see that all over the place. There should be a Vancouver Jazz Orchestra and there should be a Toronto Jazz Orchestra,” says Gillis, a flugelhorn player, University of Manitoba music professor, conductor and the WJO’s artistic director.
“That fall we put together a group. We played the first two concerts for nothing — we sort of pooled the money — and it was a good thing because we would have been broke after the first concert.”
Gillis remembers how busy he was during the buildup to the orchestra’s debut, as well as excited for everyone to join together on a concept that had few guarantees.
“It was rockin’,” Gillis says. “This was pretty special but it had to be, because there was so much work putting it together that the reward was certainly the music.”]
Over the next quarter-century, the orchestra grew to a roster of about 40 professional musicians, 17 of whom will be on the bandstand Thursday night when the WJO holds its 25th anniversary celebration at the West End Cultural Centre.
Ten of the musicians who were there on that first WJO concert, including saxophonist Janice Finlay, trombonist and pianist Jeff Presslaff and trumpeter Jeff Johnson, will be performing Thursday night as the orchestra plays works by Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Rob McConnell, who established the Boss of Brass big band in Toronto in 1967.
A big difference between 2022 and 1997 is how the WJO presents music. Twenty-five years has led to more experience in arranging their own versions of big-band classics or finding new works to play.
The organization has also has created an educational side, which includes jazz workshops and outreach to schools in Winnipeg and across Manitoba as well as special events, such as an online Women in Jazz Symposium it will host Saturday at 10:30 a.m. (visit winnipegjazzorchestra.com to register).
The WJO usually sets up a six-concert series during the fall, winter and spring months, but it has expanded to eight in its anniversary season.
After tonight’s show, the orchestra will present new works by Canadian composers Fred Stride and Jean-Nicolas Trottier, put jazzy spins on the Beatles and Aretha Franklin and the famous TV special How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and present an all-women’s version of the WJO that will showcase composers such as Mary Lou Williams and Lil Harden-Armstrong.
“We’re committed and dedicated to inclusion and involving more professional players in town,” Gillis says “It’s gradually become an organization that’s developing female players and players from different communities.
“What that does is that brings in new ideas, and ideas are one of the most important things you could have and that comes from people who think differently.”
A grant from the Canada Council for the Arts during the COVID-19 pandemic helped the WJO launch online concerts; it has continued with them in 2022-23 with a 10-show series available to stream, including Thursday’s concert, which will be available online from Nov. 11 to 24.
“There’s some people who aren’t ready to attend live concerts, but (the online shows) also make it possible for people outside Winnipeg to see some of our concerts,” he says.
Two of the WJO albums, 2018’s Suite 150 and 2021’s Twisting Ways, earned Western Canadian Music Awards nominations; a new record, Voices, will be released Nov. 23.
Gillis says it’s the orchestra’s most diverse musical venture yet. Voices includes eight new works representing eight different cultures, including: Chilean-, Brazilian-, Nigerian- and Ukrainian-themed works by city musicians Rodrigo Muñoz, Marco Castillo, Dr. Henry and John Stetch, respectively; a Gillis composition that is based on his Icelandic heritage; and Cree- and Métis-focused compositions from Andrew Balfour and Michelle Gregoire.
“You’d never get that kind of thing if we had stayed as a 16-piece group from the beginning,” Gillis says. “Dr. Henry’s piece, it’s a sound we would not have gotten to.”
Les artistes francophones à l’honneur avec l’Orchestre de jazz de Winnipeg
Mathilde Gauthier
Ici Manitoba, CBC, Publié 25 Juin, 2022
Le Centre culturel franco-manitobain collabore depuis plusieurs années avec l'Orchestre de jazz de Winnipeg, mais c’est la première fois qu’une série de trois concerts estivaux mettra en lumière des artistes francophones du Manitoba. Le Patio 340 accueille cette série dans le cadre de Saint-Boniface célèbre, et le premier des spectacles, prévu le 26 juin, sera animé par Suzanne Kennelly. « C’est né d’un désir pour l’orchestre de découvrir le public francophone et de faire entendre par le biais de son travail des artistes francophones. Tout le monde se donne la main et tout le monde travaille ensemble », précise Suzanne Kennelly, qui animera la première soirée, le 26 juin.
« Je pense que c'est important qu’on ait notre moment de gloire, nous les francophones, car on est moins important en nombre, mais on est là. On est tellement important en termes de développement du jazz à Winnipeg. C’est assez étonnant quand on commence à regarder le nombre de francophones qui sont des professionnels du jazz, ici à Winnipeg. Plusieurs ont développé des carrières impressionnantes, des musiciens qui sont reconnus partout au pays et en dehors des frontières », ajoute Suzanne Kennelly.
Chaque spectacle aura un thème spécifique.
Ce premier concert qui aura lieu dimanche à 19 h s’intitule Générations.
Suzanne Kennelly qui est chargée de ce premier concert a choisi de représenter la musique francophone à travers le temps.
« Du point de vue de la musique instrumentale, il va y avoir la musique de Michelle Grégoire, pianiste jazz très connue au Manitoba. Micheline Girardin va chanter du Gabriel Fauré, de vieilles chansons françaises et locales. Moi, je suis plus dans les années 1940-60, l’époque de Piaf et de bien d’autres. Et pour Kelly Bado, je voyais la représentation de notre présent et aussi de notre avenir. C’est le métissage des styles, des cultures et je trouve que Kelly représente ça de façon magistrale », explique Suzanne Kennelly. Rectificatif Une version précédente du texte comportait une erreur dans le nom de la pianiste invitée, qui est bien Michelle Grégoire. Nos excuses.
Ce sera aussi l’occasion de voir sur scène Micheline Girardin. « C’est important de mettre l’accent sur les talents comme Micheline Girardin, qu’on n’a pas beaucoup l’occasion de voir aussi souvent qu’on voudrait », ajoute Suzanne Kennelly.
Le concert dirigé par Richard Gillis est payant sur réservation , « car on aura sur scène une vingtaine de musiciens professionnels », précise Suzanne Kennelly. « Si on aime le big band, ce serait vraiment l’endroit où être dimanche soir. » — Suzanne Kennelly
Deux autres concerts sont prévus durant l'été. Le 24 juillet, ce seront Les grandes voix mises à l'honneur avec Sol James et David Grenon. Le 21 août, Jocelyne Baribeau et Ariane Jean seront les invitées d'honneur pour un concert intitulé Voix d’ici. 7/3/22, 4:02 PM Les artistes francophones à l’honneur avec l’Orchestre de jazz de Winnipeg | Radio-Canada.ca
Music Fills The Air
By KAREN MITCHELL
The Minnedosa Tribune, Friday, December 3, 2021, page 2
Area residents were able to spend a Sunday afternoon surrounded by music, storytelling and an abundance of Christmas spirit while attending the second Expressions Concert Series for the 2021/22 season. The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra (WJO) travelled to Minnedosa on November 28th to perform their rendition of A Charlie Brown Christmas with special guest and narrator, Quinn Green and vocalist Jayme Giesbrecht, before heading to Portage la Prairie for another performance.
“The WJO, led by Richard Gillis, was impressive in their ability to wing it,” stated Nathalie LeMoing with Expressions. “Any one of the musicians might be asked to do a solo at the last-minute flick of the conductor’s wrist.” Prior to playing music composed by Vince Guaraldi for “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, the orchestra played some
Christmas jazz standards which had the crowd of 100 tapping their toes and snapping their fingers.
“We were in the same situation as all arts groups during COVID,” explained Richard Gillis of the WJO. “On March 12th, 2020 the WJO had to cancel a sold-out concert at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights scheduled for March 15th, 2020. Our next live concert was not until October, 2021! Fortunately, the WJO received a Manitoba Safe at Home grant to produce four online concerts last February and March which were free to the public.
As musicians, performing for people is the reason we practise and rehearse. The response we get from a live audience is what keeps us going. We have a loyal audience base in Winnipeg, but we’d love to expand our audience throughout Manitoba.” The hospitality shown by Minnedosa during their recent visit was greatly appreciated and Gillis sends a special shout out to Nathalie and the Expressions Concerts team. “The concert was great, the audience was great and the standing ovation was so appreciated. The musicians also raved about the pizza we ordered from Corner Stone Grill after the concert,” said Gillis. “We would love to have the opportunity to perform in Minnedosa again.”
The next Expressions concert will be Bouey-Doucet; a piano-violin duo, held on January 17th at the United Church.
No matter where in the world one looks, there is musical history worth exploring and celebrating—which is what the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra sets out to affirm on its sixth album, Voices: A Musical Heritage. Winnipeg is the capital of Canada's Manitoba
Province, and Voices pays tribute to the area's rich and expansive musical fabric via a series of eight compositions designed to exemplify some of Manitoba's far-flung heritage: First Nations, Metis, Ukrainian, Jewish, Chilean, Brazilian, Nigerian and
Icelandic.
As with any album based on enduring themes, it is best to separate purpose from result and appraise the music on it own merits. In that respect, the WJO performs brilliantly, with no nuance or accent overlooked or undervalued. In other words, the ensemble is fully invested in the enterprise from the outset and plays with awareness and passion. Unison passages—even the most demanding—are easily mastered, while soloists are ready and able to add contrast and color when needed. Soloists' names are not given, which is the album's lone miscue.
As for the music, it spans the gamut from singular to swing, always with an impressive discernment of its own. The session opens on a Ukrainian motif with "Keeyn," the first movement of John Stetch's three-part Parallel Steppes suite, based on the Ukrainian folk song "Chorni Ochka Yak Teren," whose contrapuntal and chorale-like formats lead to the enchanting "Ochka," based on a second folk theme, and the dynamic up-tempo "Yaseni" (or Yaseny), whose sax soli, virtuosic piano discourses and hopak and kolomiyka rhythms bring the suite to a close.
Rodrigo Munoz' "Homenaje" which uses delightful Latin rhythms including the Chilean cueca to make its point, was written as an homage to the important Latin American musician and activist Victor Jara, Jeff Presslaff's "The Living Mind" as a paean to the pentatonic scale, developed in ancient civilizations and still used in various musical settings to this day. Henry Onwuchekwa composed and Richard Gillis arranged the colorful and light-hearted "Oriri," which means "party" in Onwuchekwa's hometown
in Nigeria, a marked contrast to the austere landscape painted in Gillis' Icelandic "Shadows," which follows. The orchestra nails each one, as it does Marco Castillo's luminous salute to the Amazon rain forest, "Choro para Amazonia"; Andrew Balfour's tantalizing bow to the Ojibway culture, "Ishpiming"; and Michelle Gregoire's ardent "Bison Hunt," the album's closest
brush with mainstream contemporary jazz. But jazz isn't the essential point here; reverence is. The WJO is honoring Manitoba's vast musical narrative and doing so as tastefully and proficiently as it can. Mission accomplished. And if you'd like to sample
another superb album in the same vein, check out the Saskatchewan All-Star Big Band's Saskatchewan Suite (Chronograph Records 094).
★★★★1/2
Jack Bowers
----------------------------
Voices is #1 in the Top 30 list of CJSF Radio (Vancouver)
CHARTS, Connor Ashton, Music Director, CJSF Radio 90.1 FM, Dec 14, 2022 at 6:10 PM
"Crossing the line to our top spot is the fantastic Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra with their latest stellar release "Voices - A Musical Heritage". Featuring a delicately eclectic mix of language, composition, and a breadth of expression across winds, percussion and rhythm, "Voices" reflects Manitoba's diverse heritage, with samplings at the table from the Ukrainian, Métis, Jewish, First Nations, Chilean, Brazilian, Nigerian, and Icelandic cultures. The whole album is worth a spin, and highly recommended. "
CATS COOKIN’ FOR A QUARTER CENTURY The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra reflects on their past and upcoming season
Matthew Teklemariam
The Uniter, November 3, 2022
For those who’ve been snapping their fingers the last quarter century, now’s not the time to stop. On Oct. 27, the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra hosted an anniversary celebration concert to inaugurate their 25th season, which featured alumni from their first performance back in 1997.
Before the event, artistic director and trumpeter Richard Gillis said the celebration was designed to feature Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra alumni, rather than “just having a concert.” Most of the performed pieces were specifically chosen from past seasons, too.
Gillis, who teaches at the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music, says the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra started when he and Soviet defector Sasha Boychuk had the same bright idea on a school trip to France.
“We talked, and I told him that I had this idea of starting a professional big band like a symphony orchestra, city-based, and that you explore repertoire from history and commission new repertoire,” Gillis says.
“That was my vision. He said he had the same concept of having a professional big band. We got a lot of great musicians, so we started that fall.”
Darren Ritchie, fellow trumpeter and band teacher at Dakota Collegiate, was one of those selected musicians.
“Every day, I still feel super fortunate that they ask(ed) me to play in that band. I always think that there should be a hundred other trumpet players that are in it,” Ritchie says.
For both musicians, the thrill of performing is the main draw.
“Oftentimes, it’s moments within a particular concert. Maybe not the whole concert, but certain moments that are just amazing. Things come together. We play looking forward to those moments,” Gillis says.
“I love the spontaneity,” Ritchie says. “Just the fact that you can get up there and have a conversation musically without a word being spoken, and it can change every time.”
In a genre sometimes maligned by casual listeners for esotericism or inaccessibility, the group is devoted to a musically diverse experience that can appeal to a wide audience. Concerts later this season will feature music from The Beatles and Aretha Franklin, and a holiday special will showcase their own take on How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
“It’s very important for us to play a range of things for the audience’s sake. We need to be broad in the material we present to people, because otherwise we’re not doing the music or the art form its due,” Gillis says.
Consistent but not stagnant, the group has made strides in inclusion by welcoming more members over time and showcasing an all-women ensemble.
“It’s important for us to address (inclusion), because it really will propel us forward in terms of creativity and that sort of thing,” Gillis says.
The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra also has a forthcoming album planned that takes influence from a wide range of cultures, including Gillis’ own Icelandic heritage and contributions from Nigerian jazz fusionists of the Dr Henry Band.
With 25 years of accomplishments and musicianship behind him, Gillis focuses on and looks resolutely toward the future.
“We’ve involved more really good professional players. We’ve got more inclusion, more writers involved from Winnipeg than ever before. We’re just developing … a community that can really intersect with and through the WJO to create music with the idea that central to that is the big band,” he says. “As soon as the Oct. 27 concert is done, we’re on to the next 25 years.”
Celebrating 25 years of big band a real kick in the brassWinnipeg Jazz Orchestra welcomes new Voices to eight-concert seasonBy: Alan SmallPosted: 2:01 AM CDT Wednesday, Oct. 26, 2022
The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra began in 1997 with a germ of an idea and an inauspicious beginning.
Richard Gillis and Sasha Boychouk believed there was room in Winnipeg for a big-band orchestra, featuring the city’s top jazz players and following a community model that helped launch the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra in 1948.
“I just thought there was a need for something like that, and I see that all over the place. There should be a Vancouver Jazz Orchestra and there should be a Toronto Jazz Orchestra,” says Gillis, a flugelhorn player, University of Manitoba music professor, conductor and the WJO’s artistic director.
“That fall we put together a group. We played the first two concerts for nothing — we sort of pooled the money — and it was a good thing because we would have been broke after the first concert.”
Gillis remembers how busy he was during the buildup to the orchestra’s debut, as well as excited for everyone to join together on a concept that had few guarantees.
“It was rockin’,” Gillis says. “This was pretty special but it had to be, because there was so much work putting it together that the reward was certainly the music.”]
Over the next quarter-century, the orchestra grew to a roster of about 40 professional musicians, 17 of whom will be on the bandstand Thursday night when the WJO holds its 25th anniversary celebration at the West End Cultural Centre.
Ten of the musicians who were there on that first WJO concert, including saxophonist Janice Finlay, trombonist and pianist Jeff Presslaff and trumpeter Jeff Johnson, will be performing Thursday night as the orchestra plays works by Duke Ellington, Count Basie and Rob McConnell, who established the Boss of Brass big band in Toronto in 1967.
A big difference between 2022 and 1997 is how the WJO presents music. Twenty-five years has led to more experience in arranging their own versions of big-band classics or finding new works to play.
The organization has also has created an educational side, which includes jazz workshops and outreach to schools in Winnipeg and across Manitoba as well as special events, such as an online Women in Jazz Symposium it will host Saturday at 10:30 a.m. (visit winnipegjazzorchestra.com to register).
The WJO usually sets up a six-concert series during the fall, winter and spring months, but it has expanded to eight in its anniversary season.
After tonight’s show, the orchestra will present new works by Canadian composers Fred Stride and Jean-Nicolas Trottier, put jazzy spins on the Beatles and Aretha Franklin and the famous TV special How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and present an all-women’s version of the WJO that will showcase composers such as Mary Lou Williams and Lil Harden-Armstrong.
“We’re committed and dedicated to inclusion and involving more professional players in town,” Gillis says “It’s gradually become an organization that’s developing female players and players from different communities.
“What that does is that brings in new ideas, and ideas are one of the most important things you could have and that comes from people who think differently.”
A grant from the Canada Council for the Arts during the COVID-19 pandemic helped the WJO launch online concerts; it has continued with them in 2022-23 with a 10-show series available to stream, including Thursday’s concert, which will be available online from Nov. 11 to 24.
“There’s some people who aren’t ready to attend live concerts, but (the online shows) also make it possible for people outside Winnipeg to see some of our concerts,” he says.
Two of the WJO albums, 2018’s Suite 150 and 2021’s Twisting Ways, earned Western Canadian Music Awards nominations; a new record, Voices, will be released Nov. 23.
Gillis says it’s the orchestra’s most diverse musical venture yet. Voices includes eight new works representing eight different cultures, including: Chilean-, Brazilian-, Nigerian- and Ukrainian-themed works by city musicians Rodrigo Muñoz, Marco Castillo, Dr. Henry and John Stetch, respectively; a Gillis composition that is based on his Icelandic heritage; and Cree- and Métis-focused compositions from Andrew Balfour and Michelle Gregoire.
“You’d never get that kind of thing if we had stayed as a 16-piece group from the beginning,” Gillis says. “Dr. Henry’s piece, it’s a sound we would not have gotten to.”
Les artistes francophones à l’honneur avec l’Orchestre de jazz de Winnipeg
Mathilde Gauthier
Ici Manitoba, CBC, Publié 25 Juin, 2022
Le Centre culturel franco-manitobain collabore depuis plusieurs années avec l'Orchestre de jazz de Winnipeg, mais c’est la première fois qu’une série de trois concerts estivaux mettra en lumière des artistes francophones du Manitoba. Le Patio 340 accueille cette série dans le cadre de Saint-Boniface célèbre, et le premier des spectacles, prévu le 26 juin, sera animé par Suzanne Kennelly. « C’est né d’un désir pour l’orchestre de découvrir le public francophone et de faire entendre par le biais de son travail des artistes francophones. Tout le monde se donne la main et tout le monde travaille ensemble », précise Suzanne Kennelly, qui animera la première soirée, le 26 juin.
« Je pense que c'est important qu’on ait notre moment de gloire, nous les francophones, car on est moins important en nombre, mais on est là. On est tellement important en termes de développement du jazz à Winnipeg. C’est assez étonnant quand on commence à regarder le nombre de francophones qui sont des professionnels du jazz, ici à Winnipeg. Plusieurs ont développé des carrières impressionnantes, des musiciens qui sont reconnus partout au pays et en dehors des frontières », ajoute Suzanne Kennelly.
Chaque spectacle aura un thème spécifique.
Ce premier concert qui aura lieu dimanche à 19 h s’intitule Générations.
Suzanne Kennelly qui est chargée de ce premier concert a choisi de représenter la musique francophone à travers le temps.
« Du point de vue de la musique instrumentale, il va y avoir la musique de Michelle Grégoire, pianiste jazz très connue au Manitoba. Micheline Girardin va chanter du Gabriel Fauré, de vieilles chansons françaises et locales. Moi, je suis plus dans les années 1940-60, l’époque de Piaf et de bien d’autres. Et pour Kelly Bado, je voyais la représentation de notre présent et aussi de notre avenir. C’est le métissage des styles, des cultures et je trouve que Kelly représente ça de façon magistrale », explique Suzanne Kennelly. Rectificatif Une version précédente du texte comportait une erreur dans le nom de la pianiste invitée, qui est bien Michelle Grégoire. Nos excuses.
Ce sera aussi l’occasion de voir sur scène Micheline Girardin. « C’est important de mettre l’accent sur les talents comme Micheline Girardin, qu’on n’a pas beaucoup l’occasion de voir aussi souvent qu’on voudrait », ajoute Suzanne Kennelly.
Le concert dirigé par Richard Gillis est payant sur réservation , « car on aura sur scène une vingtaine de musiciens professionnels », précise Suzanne Kennelly. « Si on aime le big band, ce serait vraiment l’endroit où être dimanche soir. » — Suzanne Kennelly
Deux autres concerts sont prévus durant l'été. Le 24 juillet, ce seront Les grandes voix mises à l'honneur avec Sol James et David Grenon. Le 21 août, Jocelyne Baribeau et Ariane Jean seront les invitées d'honneur pour un concert intitulé Voix d’ici. 7/3/22, 4:02 PM Les artistes francophones à l’honneur avec l’Orchestre de jazz de Winnipeg | Radio-Canada.ca
Music Fills The Air
By KAREN MITCHELL
The Minnedosa Tribune, Friday, December 3, 2021, page 2
Area residents were able to spend a Sunday afternoon surrounded by music, storytelling and an abundance of Christmas spirit while attending the second Expressions Concert Series for the 2021/22 season. The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra (WJO) travelled to Minnedosa on November 28th to perform their rendition of A Charlie Brown Christmas with special guest and narrator, Quinn Green and vocalist Jayme Giesbrecht, before heading to Portage la Prairie for another performance.
“The WJO, led by Richard Gillis, was impressive in their ability to wing it,” stated Nathalie LeMoing with Expressions. “Any one of the musicians might be asked to do a solo at the last-minute flick of the conductor’s wrist.” Prior to playing music composed by Vince Guaraldi for “A Charlie Brown Christmas”, the orchestra played some
Christmas jazz standards which had the crowd of 100 tapping their toes and snapping their fingers.
“We were in the same situation as all arts groups during COVID,” explained Richard Gillis of the WJO. “On March 12th, 2020 the WJO had to cancel a sold-out concert at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights scheduled for March 15th, 2020. Our next live concert was not until October, 2021! Fortunately, the WJO received a Manitoba Safe at Home grant to produce four online concerts last February and March which were free to the public.
As musicians, performing for people is the reason we practise and rehearse. The response we get from a live audience is what keeps us going. We have a loyal audience base in Winnipeg, but we’d love to expand our audience throughout Manitoba.” The hospitality shown by Minnedosa during their recent visit was greatly appreciated and Gillis sends a special shout out to Nathalie and the Expressions Concerts team. “The concert was great, the audience was great and the standing ovation was so appreciated. The musicians also raved about the pizza we ordered from Corner Stone Grill after the concert,” said Gillis. “We would love to have the opportunity to perform in Minnedosa again.”
The next Expressions concert will be Bouey-Doucet; a piano-violin duo, held on January 17th at the United Church.
Mise en Scene has hoppy new side hustle and WJO is back
By: Alan Small
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/music/mise-en-scene-has-hoppy-new-side-hustle-and-wjo-is-back-575591322.html, Winnipeg Free Press, Posted: 4:00 AM CDT Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021
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The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra will look back and move forward when it returns to the stage for its Welcome Back! concert Sunday at 2 p.m. at Seven Oaks Performing Arts Centre.
The show will be the orchestra’s first mainstage show since Feb. 9, 2020, and it will launch a three-concert mainstage series to round out 2021 at the three-year-old, 526-seat auditorium at 711 Jefferson Ave.
On Sunday, the WJO will go back to its very beginning, in 1997, and perform the first song it played that day, Ecaroh, by jazz piano great Horace Silver.
The orchestra will also honour the memory of Lianne Fournier, who died Sept. 28 at 67. The Winnipeg singer-songwriter’s work crossed many musical genres and organizations in the city, including the WJO. Along with vocalist and Winnipeg Jets’ anthem singer Stacey Nattrass, the orchestra will perform Fournier’s song Aphrodite and her arrangement of the jazz standard They Can’t Take That Away From Me.
The show, which takes place at 2 p.m. at the 526-seat Seven Oaks Performing Arts Centre (711 Jefferson Ave.) is also a step forward for the orchestra. Not only is it planning two more shows at Seven Oaks — Nov. 3 and Dec. 5 — the orchestra is holding "second stage" Wednesday night concerts at the West End Cultural Centre on Nov. 3 and Dec. 15, the latter being a holiday show: an encore presentation of the WJO’s A Charlie Brown Christmas, including Vince Guaraldi’s famous jazzy score.
Tickets cost $39, or $19 for students and those under 30; a household can stream the show for $22. Tickets are available at winnipegjazzorchestra.com. Like all concerts in Manitoba at the moment, attendees must provide proof of full vaccination, such as the Manitoba vaccination card, and masks are required except when drinking or eating.
[email protected]
Twitter:@AlanDSmall
By: Alan Small
https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/music/mise-en-scene-has-hoppy-new-side-hustle-and-wjo-is-back-575591322.html, Winnipeg Free Press, Posted: 4:00 AM CDT Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021
● ● ●
The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra will look back and move forward when it returns to the stage for its Welcome Back! concert Sunday at 2 p.m. at Seven Oaks Performing Arts Centre.
The show will be the orchestra’s first mainstage show since Feb. 9, 2020, and it will launch a three-concert mainstage series to round out 2021 at the three-year-old, 526-seat auditorium at 711 Jefferson Ave.
On Sunday, the WJO will go back to its very beginning, in 1997, and perform the first song it played that day, Ecaroh, by jazz piano great Horace Silver.
The orchestra will also honour the memory of Lianne Fournier, who died Sept. 28 at 67. The Winnipeg singer-songwriter’s work crossed many musical genres and organizations in the city, including the WJO. Along with vocalist and Winnipeg Jets’ anthem singer Stacey Nattrass, the orchestra will perform Fournier’s song Aphrodite and her arrangement of the jazz standard They Can’t Take That Away From Me.
The show, which takes place at 2 p.m. at the 526-seat Seven Oaks Performing Arts Centre (711 Jefferson Ave.) is also a step forward for the orchestra. Not only is it planning two more shows at Seven Oaks — Nov. 3 and Dec. 5 — the orchestra is holding "second stage" Wednesday night concerts at the West End Cultural Centre on Nov. 3 and Dec. 15, the latter being a holiday show: an encore presentation of the WJO’s A Charlie Brown Christmas, including Vince Guaraldi’s famous jazzy score.
Tickets cost $39, or $19 for students and those under 30; a household can stream the show for $22. Tickets are available at winnipegjazzorchestra.com. Like all concerts in Manitoba at the moment, attendees must provide proof of full vaccination, such as the Manitoba vaccination card, and masks are required except when drinking or eating.
[email protected]
Twitter:@AlanDSmall
The Shows must go on
by Ryan Simpson
https://www.portageonline.com/local/the-shows-must-go-on, Portage Online, Published: Thursday, 21 October 2021 06:00
It's been close to two years since a live show with a crowd in attendance was held at the Glesby Centre Auditorium in Portage. That is about to change next month. Prairie Fusion Arts & Entertainment Executive Director Stephanie McKim says they have just booked their first show and more will be coming. "We are super excited to announce that we have just finalized details on our first concert since March of 2020. The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra will be coming out on November 28th to help us reopen the theatre. It will be a big band rendition of 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'. Our first in-person concert since the pandemic started."
McKim says they are approaching things with caution and all restrictions and protocols will be in place, whatever they may be at that time. For now, the province is saying the current rules will most likely be in place until at least spring. "We feel that people are ready and we're ready to help bring in the joy of the holiday season. We really, really want people to experience the arts again, both visual and performing. Music is a big part of that and we want to provide those opportunities again."
McKim adds negotiations have also started to bring in more acts but most of that will be planned in 2022. Those announcements are still a few weeks away. As for other types of events, the centre has held in the past, McKim says people are starting to make plans. "We've certainly seen a large increase in people reaching out to find out about things like weddings, meetings, AGM's and more. People still seem to be a little apprehensive about things like Christmas parties, but we're definitely seeing people wanting to resume some of their normal activities and there have been quite a few inquiries."
Fall and winter programs are also underway and McKim says they have seen a record number of participants. Program registration has seen plenty of support. "It's super exciting for us. It's great to see people are trusting us to prioritize the health and safety of our students and teachers and that they believe in our programming." The Glesby Centre has hosted some big names in entertainment over the years including the likes of Michelle Wright, Aaron Pritchett, Gord Bamford, Doc Walker, Mariana's Trench and more. Many up-and-coming artists and local entertainers have also been afforded the opportunity to grace the main stage.
by Ryan Simpson
https://www.portageonline.com/local/the-shows-must-go-on, Portage Online, Published: Thursday, 21 October 2021 06:00
It's been close to two years since a live show with a crowd in attendance was held at the Glesby Centre Auditorium in Portage. That is about to change next month. Prairie Fusion Arts & Entertainment Executive Director Stephanie McKim says they have just booked their first show and more will be coming. "We are super excited to announce that we have just finalized details on our first concert since March of 2020. The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra will be coming out on November 28th to help us reopen the theatre. It will be a big band rendition of 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'. Our first in-person concert since the pandemic started."
McKim says they are approaching things with caution and all restrictions and protocols will be in place, whatever they may be at that time. For now, the province is saying the current rules will most likely be in place until at least spring. "We feel that people are ready and we're ready to help bring in the joy of the holiday season. We really, really want people to experience the arts again, both visual and performing. Music is a big part of that and we want to provide those opportunities again."
McKim adds negotiations have also started to bring in more acts but most of that will be planned in 2022. Those announcements are still a few weeks away. As for other types of events, the centre has held in the past, McKim says people are starting to make plans. "We've certainly seen a large increase in people reaching out to find out about things like weddings, meetings, AGM's and more. People still seem to be a little apprehensive about things like Christmas parties, but we're definitely seeing people wanting to resume some of their normal activities and there have been quite a few inquiries."
Fall and winter programs are also underway and McKim says they have seen a record number of participants. Program registration has seen plenty of support. "It's super exciting for us. It's great to see people are trusting us to prioritize the health and safety of our students and teachers and that they believe in our programming." The Glesby Centre has hosted some big names in entertainment over the years including the likes of Michelle Wright, Aaron Pritchett, Gord Bamford, Doc Walker, Mariana's Trench and more. Many up-and-coming artists and local entertainers have also been afforded the opportunity to grace the main stage.
WJO in the news:
Online article: Les artistes francophones à l’honneur avec l’Orchestre de jazz de Winnipeg, https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/1893816/musiciens-francophones-orchestre-jazz-winnipeg-ccfm, Ici Manitoba, CBC, Mathilde Gauthier, Publié 25 Juin, 2022
Article: Music Fills The Air, The Minnedosa Tribune, KAREN MITCHELL, Friday, December 3, 2021, page 2
Article: Mise en Scene has hoppy new side hustle and WJO is back, https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/music/mise-en-scene-has-hoppy-new-side-hustle-and-wjo-is-back-575591322.html, Winnipeg Free Press, Alan Small, Posted: 4:00 AM CDT Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021
Article: The Shows must go on, https://www.portageonline.com/local/the-shows-must-go-on, Portage Online, Ryan Simpson, Published: Thursday, 21 October 2021 06:00
Article: Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra preparing to get back into the swing of things, https://www.lh-inc.ca/ , Lögberg-Heimskringla, Stefan Jonasson, Published January 15, 2021
Article: CJNU Presented: The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, https://www.cjnu.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/CJNU-2020_June_final-2-min.pdf , CJNU Nostalgia Notes Community Newsletter, Published: June, 2020
Article: Celebrating Christmas in the City, https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/our-communities/column/Celebrating-Christmas-in-the-city-565734412.html , Canstar Community News, RoseAnna Schick, Published: December 3, 2019 10:12 AM
Article: WJO Bringing Charlie Brown Christmas to Winkler, http://www.winklermordenvoice.ca/split_document.aspx?doc=WinklerVoice112819.pdf&fbclid=IwAR1np4jwY1IIN_gD3_opGFFqP0gEWCaUlt8fo44VTN7d6uaO5YQ_2oPN3-8 , Winkler Morden Voice, Published: November 28, 2019
Article about WJO involvement in the formation of the Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra. https://saskatoon.ctvnews.ca/saskatoon-jazz-orchestra-continues-big-band-tradition-1.4591236, Joseph Bernacki, CTV News Saskatoon, Published Thursday, September 12, 2019 7:16PM CST
Article in the Pembina Valley online about Jamie Giesbrecht and her new album. (https://www.pembinavalleyonline.com/local/winkler-singer-marks-20-year-career, Steven Sukkau, Pembina Valley online, Published: Wednesday, 24 July 2019 10:00
November 19, 2017 |
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Jennifer Hansen - December 17, 2017 |
