Merry Christmas and Happy New Year Friends!
I hope everyone had a fantastic and relaxing holiday. December has been a busy month of performances for me, and I’m glad I have a bit of time to relax now before the new year begins.
Speaking of the new year – did you get a membership to the Bassment jazz club for Christmas? Is your new year’s resolution to see more jazz shows? Or are you an avid supporter of live music in your community? Either way, I would like to invite you to a show at the Bassment featuring my latest musical project, the Gerard Weber Group, on January 7, 2017 @ 8:00pm.
The Gerard Weber Group is comprised of Silas Friesen (trumpet), Paul Suchan (keyboards), Graham Pritchard (guitar), Nevin Buehler (bass), and Brett Graham (drums). For this show, we will be performing the music of jazz and fusion guitarist Pat Metheny, whose career has spanned nearly forty years of touring, composing, and teaching. From Bright Size Life (1976) to the Pat Metheny Unity Band (2012), we’ve chosen selections from his greatest recordings and collaborations. “Faux Jazz” (Ecole Canadienne Francaise Musique 30 class), Led by Sarah Suchan, will open up the show with a few jazz standards.
Since I was a kid, I’ve always loved Pat Metheny’s music. One of my favourite qualities of his music is that on the surface level, his music is very accessible with a good balance of interest and challenge for the listener, but on a deeper level, I always discover new things to appreciate on repeated listening. Pat Metheny is also one of the most versatile jazz musicians today. Just take a look at his discography and you’ll see what I mean: he has recorded and performed with Jaco Pastorius, Charlie Haden, Joni Mitchell, Jim Hall, Lyle Mays, David Bowie, Ornette Coleman, Christian McBride, Michael Brecker, Brad Mehldau, and most recently, Chris Potter and Antonio Sanchez, to name a few.
Click here for more information and tickets (tickets can be purchased online or at the door). If you’ve never heard Pat Metheny’s music before, I would be happy to introduce you to some of my favourite pieces of his at the show!