By Malcolm Holt

Special to the Record

This week鈥檚 Georgia Straight Jazz Society concert at The Little Red Church in Comox features the amazing modern jazz music of bassist Mark Godfrey: a brilliant young musician who has quickly become one of the new faces in Canadian jazz.

Godfrey will be performing here as the westernmost concert on his national tour across Canada with his group, the Mark Godfrey Quintet.

Hailing from southwestern Ontario and currently living in Toronto, he has established himself as a mainstay in the city鈥檚 jazz community.

Godfrey is known for his strong sound and rhythmic presence on the instrument; his accolades include the 2019 Emerging Jazz Artist of the Year Award by the Toronto Arts Foundation, the 2021 Juno Award for Vocal Jazz Album (Sammy Jackson/With You), and the 2014 Grand Prix de Jazz (Pram Trio/Montreal Jazz Festival).

Composing and performing for many years with his contemporary jazz group, Pram Trio, Godfrey鈥檚 work as a co-leader, bassist, and composer has garnered international recognition. His versatility on both electric and double bass has allowed him to record and perform with a variety of other Canadian jazz artists over the last decade including: Kellylee Evans, Joanna Majoko, Jesse Ryan, Jake Koffman, and the Toronto Jazz Orchestra.

On Feb. 21, 2020, Mark released his album Square Peg; his second release as a leader. It found him taking a quintet through 10 originals that he wrote during a four-year period while frequently travelling between Toronto and New York in a 2006 Dodge minivan.

Godfrey鈥檚 band is an assembly of skilled and cohesive musicians - a group with a distinctive verve and sparkle, a big full sound, instigative piano/drum work from Chris Pruden and Nick Fraser, respectively, and wonderful unison blowing interspersed with intricate interlacings from the saxophonists, Matt Woroshyl and Allison Au. With compositions ranging from hard-hitting swing grooves to odd meter improvisations, Godfrey鈥檚 quintet takes you on an enjoyable and turbulent joyride from start to finish.

This is your opportunity to discover why it is that the Comox Valley has an enviable jazz scene, and a nationwide reputation. The goal of the Georgia Straight Jazz Society is to keep live jazz alive in the Comox Valley, and the society features local, regional, national, and international acts every Thursday at affordable prices.

Admission is $15 for members, $20 for non-members. Doors open at 7 p.m. Downbeat is at 7:30 pm. 2024 Memberships ($25) will be for sale at the door.

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Tickets will be available at the door for Maureen Washington鈥檚 Dec. 14 concert 鈥淎 Sprinkle of Jazz & Blues鈥� ($35), and they鈥檙e already for sale at House of Colour, Courtenay and Blue Heron Books, Comox (cash only). Please visit and select the Calendar tab to see the upcoming diverse range of jazz concerts between now and May 2024.

Malcolm Holt is the president of the Georgia Straight Jazz Society