It鈥檚 been many years since Tony Morrison, saxophonist and flautist, last appeared at Georgia Straight Jazz Society鈥檚 Thursday Night Jazz.

Morrison was one of the founding participants in the society nearly two decades ago, but since his life has been stretched between Vancouver Island and Montreal, this is his long-awaited return to our stage.

鈥淥riginally, I played with Dave and Charlotte Harvey and Liam Grimm, and many others from that bygone era, but I ultimately started to bring a group of my own a few years ago,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hose intervening years have been a pleasure and a journey of growth. Though I have been geographically unstable lately, I always have a horn nearby and music on my mind. The crowd and venue have been steadily welcoming over the years and I feel extremely grateful to still enjoy the opportunity to perform here once again.

鈥淲e鈥檒l be playing some of my favourite standards with an eye for a variety of feeling, key, and tempo. There鈥檒l be ballads, blues, some Latin tunes, and swing.鈥�

Tony is proud to present his quartet.

鈥淧arksville-based Gary Lovell pianist and vocalist is extremely busy. He鈥檚 fun to play with, and very lyrical, astute, and interactive in a group setting, and one of my favourite musicians. He sings with mesmerizing vocals and plays lyrical melodic solos.

鈥淲ayne Finucan, percussionist, is now Vancouver Island-based, after a terrific career in Winnipeg and Vancouver. Wayne is full of joy and pep, and it鈥檚 a delight and a privilege to play with him. What I like most, is you can tell as Wayne plays, he always has the melody and even lyrics in mind. He鈥檚 had an illustrious career in music since playing in his early years in the 鈥�60s with jazz legend Lenny Breau.

鈥淎nd I鈥檝e been blessed to team up with Richard Kilburn, upright bass, after his 50-year career, mainly in New York, playing with jazz notables including Mose Allison, Dave Brubeck, Paul Desmond, Gerry Mulligan, Diana Krall, Chet Baker and many more. Richard is another illustrious Island-based (recently relocated to Parksville) who has added to the jazz-rich inventory of local musicians.鈥�

Concert time is 7:30 p.m., April 6 at The Little Red Church in Comox. Doors open at 7 p.m.

Admission to this concert is $15 for members, and $20 for non-members.

Annual memberships ($20) will be for sale at the door. You鈥檙e invited to discover why it is that Comox Valley has become the five star venue for live jazz in British Columbia, by attending this fine performance in an safe and easy-to-find, friendly venue. For more information about upcoming concerts through to the end of August, please visit www.georgiastraightjazz.com and select the Calendar tab.

Malcolm Holt is the president of the Georgia Straight Jazz Society