Having opened its season with a dynamic organ quartet and followed up last week with a stunning guitar trio, the Georgia Straight Jazz Society combines guitar and organ, presenting the Sam Kirmayer Trio featuring Ben Paterson and David Laing at The Avalanche Bar (275 8th St. in Courtenay) at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19.
Kirmayer鈥檚 first CD, Opening Statement, issued in 2017 shortly after he graduated from McGill University, received rave reviews and the Julian Award for Excellence for Emerging Canadian Artists. Katie Malloch, former host of CBC鈥檚 Jazz Beat and Tonic, wrote, 鈥楽am鈥檚 dexterity, his love for the richness of jazz and his sheer joy at making music are all over this CD, a great introduction to Sam鈥檚 solid sense of swing; get ready to groove!鈥�
Kirmayer credits his jazz career to seeing the Blues Brothers movie and getting a beat-up, one-string classical guitar from a garage sale. Immersing himself in the history of the guitar in jazz, Kirmayer was 鈥渂lown away by the depth of expression some people had been able to pull out of the instrument. People like Jim Hall, Grant Green, Jimmy Raney and Kenny Burrell all have such a personal touch. Once I caught on to that, I had very little interest in any of the effects or pedals that some guitarists go in for.鈥�
Kirmayer is touring in support of his second CD: High and Low.
To complement his warm tone and lyrical focus, Kirmayer turned to New York-based organist Paterson. Thomas Conrad in Jazz Times asserts that Paterson 鈥榤ay be the most purely musical organist out there,鈥� and Frank-John Hadley wrote in Downbeat Magazine that Paterson is 鈥榓s soulful a pianist/organist as exists anywhere.鈥�
Paterson鈥檚 work is tied to the tradition of groups that emphasize subtle and intuitive communication between the musicians. In 2018, he was named winner of the Ellis Marsalis International Jazz Piano Competition.
Senior statesman of the trio is drummer Laing, a member of the McGill University jazz faculty who has toured the world and appeared on over 60 recordings with Mulgrew Miller, Slide Hampton, and Benny Golson, and Canadians Oliver Jones, Ranee Lee, and John Stetch, among many others.
Whether it鈥檚 the exquisite chording and comping on the jazz standard On A Clear Day, or the sharp and clean melodic lines of Kirmayer鈥檚 original Cazelias Oubli茅, the band鈥檚 renditions are never overstated and always expressed with sensitivity and eloquence.
This is the first opportunity to hear these musicians on the Avalanche stage.
Admission is $10 for members, $12 for non-members.
