South Delta Jazz

New Site

2010-03-26T23:42:00.001-07:00

This blog has now moved to our main site at www.southdeltajazzfestival.com . Check out the "news" page on this site and you will find the latest in what is happening with the festival.

Festival 2010

2010-01-10T11:22:00.000-08:00

The Seventh Annual South Delta Jazz Festival will be held from Tuesday July 6 - Saturday July 10, 2010 in Delta, British Columbia. The centre of our operations this year will be the McKee Heritage House and the Ladner Community Centre. Look for more information about the festival and a new updated website this spring.
Happy New Year to everyone.

Death by a thousand cuts

2009-09-15T09:56:00.000-07:00

Delta Community Music School, like everyone else has lost the financial support of the Goverment of BC with cutting of the Direct Access grants from Gaming. We have been receiving this grant for many years, in fact it is the only support we receive from any level of Government; municipal, provincial or federal. Last year we received about $18,000, which amounts to about 8% of our operating costs. While none of those funds goes directly into operating this program, those funds do go towards the operating costs of the school, which include our studios, utilities, admin staff, and the like. So indirectly those cuts will effect the operation of the of our summer jazz program as well.

I have been hearing a lot of complaints lately about how artists are all "lazy bums" who live off of grants like welfare recipients. I hear complaints about how artists are not really that important. I hear that if we were any good we would be famous like Madonna or Avril Lavigne and would have multi-million dollar recording contracts before the end of puberty. Our CD's would be available at WalMart. I hear that investing in us is just a waste of time. We are all bottom feeders like imaginary welfare bums that live on free handouts like in Vancouver's downtown east side, Actually if we down and out and living on the downtown east side we would probably be getting more respect.

What seems to missing from the diatribe is some inkling of truth. The honest truth here is that thousands of grass roots arts, dance, youth, sports, and education organizations throughout British Columbia have had their grants removed. For most of us this little bit of money - maybe 5 - 20% of operating costs is the difference between existing and not existing. It is the difference between keeping our costs down or having to charge 10 - 15% more. So who benefits from funding arts councils, youth groups, schools, play grounds, violin lessons, soccer teams, and hockey?

Families. our social fabric; and this notion that I was brought up with that if you live in Canada, no matter who you are, you will have a chance. If your parents are rich, you have a chance to do something with your life and make a success. If you are middle income you have a chance to do something with your life and make a success. If you are poor, you can still go to school, have a doctor, pay an affordable fee to play on the baseball team or take a piano lesson. To me, that is what living in Canada means. Glorious and Free. Canada means if you are poor you still can have a chance. If immigrate to Canada you can come here, work hard and have a chance to succeed.

These grants of a few dollars here and a few dollars there are our investment in what Canada is, and what British Columbia is. These grants allow the program costs to be affordable to anyone who feels the desire to partake. For me this is what it means to live in a "free country". Canada ; a land of opportunity.

Without the grants, then we are a society of those who have, and those who have not. Only the rich can afford the better education at the private school, ballet and dance class, early morning hockey practice, violin lessons after school, and to travel with the band to the festival. The rest of us need not apply.

This is not my Canada. My country is a place where anyone who has the desire, makes the effort to develop their talents can have the right to work hard and develop those talents. We have a birth right to succeed if we decide we want to work hard and invest in ourselves to become better citizens. That is my Canada.

What these grants and community investments in social profit organizations do is help level the playing field. It is like asking why we have universal health care? These grants do not make artists rich. Most of these grants do not even go to artists, they go to community organizations so that they can keep costs affordable to a greater percentage of the population at large.

What is happening to British Columbia right now with all these cuts, well - this is not my Canada. The country I grew up in would not do this. The most important investment any nation can make is an investment in itself, in its citizens, and in its own liberty. . Without that, what are we? Who are we, and what do our actions say about us?

2009 Wrap up

2009-07-12T07:27:00.001-07:00

The 2009 festival is now complete. Thanks to all our workshop particpants for a great week of music making. This is probably the largest and best group of workshop parcipants that we have had since starting the program. It was a fun week of great music making all around.

Special thanks to our Sponsors and volunteers. Without you our program could not run and continue to thrive. Special thanks to Bill Roberts and R&R Music in North Delta for providing us with instruments and a great PA system to use for the week. Thanks to MainRoad Construction and BC Arts Council for your support in this project. Thanks to all of our patrons and volunteers who were there to help us this week financially, as well as move equipment, set up venues, sell tickets, and just be around at events. Thanks to the Corporation of Delta Parks and Recreation for their support with facilities and Craig and the crew at Ladner Community Centre. Thanks to Delta Arts Council for their support with the theatre and especially to Ernie who came to operate sound and lights for us. Thanks to all of our guest artists this week for coming and sharing their art with us, and for graciously working with our workshop participants. Thanks to Dave, Steve, John and Chris for being there for us and making a difference. Thanks to our teaching assistant Chad Leyte for being available this week and helping us out with the workshop.
It was great to see so many young musicians turn out to our open jam session at Petra's in Tsawwassen. Thanks to all of you who took the time to come and enjoy some great music making.
In the coming weeks participants will be contacted about sharing photos and mp3's of some of the performances. There is quite a bit of editing to do but within the next couple of weeks there will be some pictures and sound bytes from the workshop for you to download.
From all of us at the workshop, Steve, Jared, Rob, Brad and Stan - Thank You!!
We are looking forward to seeing you back next year so put it in your calendar:
July 6 - 10, 2010.

Day 5

2009-07-11T22:49:00.000-07:00

Today was the final day of the sixth edition of the South Delta Jazz Festival. After a morning of some fine tuning rehearsals to get ready we moved all our gear from the community centre over to Delta Hospital to prepare for our afternoon performance under the Envision tent for the folks at Delta Hospital. Our five student workshop combos performed from 12 until 3pm on the outdoor stage at the hospital. Thanks to Envision Credit union for providing the tent for this year's event, and for Delta Hospital Foundation for organizing such a fine event.

This evening was our final performance of the festival. Steve Maddock delivered a wonderful concert of standards with Lorne Kellett at the piano and the faculty band. A great evening was had by all. What a great wrap up to a wonderful week of music making.
Looking forward to next year!

Day 4

2009-07-10T23:29:00.000-07:00

Jazz workshop day 4, the week continues... Today featured local Vancouver saxophonist David Branter in two performances and a masterclass with our saxophone students. Dave performed with the faculty band at lunch and gave us a small taste of what was to come this evening. Dave chose a mix of compositions including standards and original compositions by both himself and Jared Burrows.

Dave gave a saxophone masterclass this afternoon. His class was about jazz improvisation and use of Bebop scales. He took our students through a series of quick exercises that explored the use of myxolydian scales and a few patterns to help unlock the doors to modern bebop playing and help us aquire the technical facility to play such complicated patterns.

Dave teaches at Vancouver Community College and has a website of saxophone essentials that has some online lessons, complete with mp3 and video clips. I would encourage our musicians to check it out.

Tonight's evening concert was a gas, easily one of the best performances of the fesitval so far with Dave and the band receiving a rousing standing ovataion at the end. Bravo!!

Tomorrow is the final day, with the student ensembles performing at Delta Hospital from 1 - 3pm, and the special evening concert with Steve Maddock and Lorne Kellett at the Tsawwassen Arts Centre. Tickets are going fast, only $10 - available at South Coast Casuals and at the door.

Day 3

2009-07-09T22:56:00.000-07:00

Day 3 of the workshop we welcomed our second guest performer of the week, John Doheny from New Orleans. John gave a rousing noon hour performance, followed by a guest lecture about the life and music of New Orleans. John teaches at Tulane University in New Orleans, and one of the courses he teaches there is about New Orleans and its rich tradition of jazz, from the street music Caribbean roots to its traditional brass bands and funeral marches, something we will probably never really see in this country, or even in other places in the US.

Tonight was the live jazz jam at Petras with our workshop students and extra guests. About 100 people came through this evening to see friends and hear our students performing. The weather came through for us, after being rainy and cool earlier this week today it warmed up and sun came out. It was a great evening, with lots of workshop musicians and other guests coming out to perform. Thanks to Petra for hosting us.

Tomorrow we have Dr. Dave Branter coming out to work with us. Dave is one of Vancouver's top saxophonists, and we are looking forward to having him perform and work with our students.

Day 2

2009-07-08T23:04:00.000-07:00

Day 2 of the workshop and festival was another busy day of music making. Today the faculty band was featured in a concert at the McKee Seniors Recreation Centre. This evening some of our workshop students performed at Diefenbaker Park with the Bossa Boys in a free concert sponsored by Delta Parks and Rec.

Tomorrow's noon hour concert will feature saxophonist John Doheny. Originaly from Seattle, John lived in Vancouver for a while in the 1970's and again in the early 90's. John has toured with a wide range of Jazz and pop groups including the Platters, the Drifters, and Doug and the Slugs. John now lives in New Orleans, where our resident workshop basist, Rob Kohler also lives and works.

Tomorrow evening (Thursday) is the open jazz jam session at Petra's Kafe in Tsawwassen. Come out and enjoy some live jazz, and of course - bring your horn!

Day 1

2009-07-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

Today was the first day of the sixth edition of the South Delta Jazz Workshop and festival. The rain did not dampen any spirits as we met with all the workshop students and divided them out into our ensemble groups. The first noon hour concert of the festival featured a spirited performance by Delta's own Chris Davis on trumpet. Chris also gave a master class to our trumpet students this afternoon.

Originally from Florida, Chris finds himself living here in Ladner BC with his family and is fast becoming part of the local Vancouver Jazz scene. I caught Chris playing this past weekend with clarinetist James Danderfer at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, and his performance both today and last Sunday was very fine. He displayed his wonderful talents today on both trumpet and fugelhorn.

Tomorrow the Fesitval continues with a noon-hour concert at the McKee Seniors Recreational Centre featuring our Workshop Faculty Band.

South Delta Jazz Workshop instructions

2009-07-05T10:30:00.001-07:00

Greetings Jazz Workshop Participants,

This is important information. Please read all of it!

I hope you are all looking forward to the South Delta Jazz Workshop as much as we are! We have a great week of music, learning, and fun planned for everyone.

The workshop begins Tuesday, July 7 at 9:30 am. We will meet at Ladner Community Centre. 4734 - 51^st St. in Ladner.

Please do not be late as we will have a lot to do on the first day!
If you have a drum set or other gear to unload, please come a little earlier
Parents, please plan to stick around for the first 30 minutes or so.

As usual we have a wide range of students from beginner level high school players through to very advanced semi-pro players. Students will be assigned ensembles to work with on the first day. Placement may change as we get to know your abilities, needs, and personalities. Our full-time faculty members will rotate among the groups on a daily basis. We expect a high level of courtesy and respect among all participants in the Workshop. We have never had any behaviour problems in the past and we hope to keep it that way again this year.

Please bring everything you will need for making music: extra reeds, valve oil, patch cables, picks, strings, staff paper, pencils and eraser. Drummers, bass players, and guitarists are requested to bring their own amplifiers and drum kits. This equipment can be left at the workshop for the duration. If you don't have an amplifier or drum kit please contact us immediately so we can help arrange to get one for you. We will have music stands available. Make sure all of your gear is labelled clearly so it doesn't get lost.

All students should bring a lunch and a snack or two. There is very limited time for students to purchase a lunch from the mall as lunch time is also concert time with our guest artists and faculty and all students are required to attend the these concerts. Food is important for an event of this kind. We strongly suggest that you bring something healthy that will provide you with the energy you will need for a very full day of music making.

Daily Schedule of Events:

9:30 – 10:20 Aural Skills

10:20 -10:30 Break

10:30 – 11:30 Improvisation Class/Ensemble Rehearsals

11:30 – 12:00 Lunch and noon concert set-up time

12:00 – 1:15 Noon Concert (you can keep eating while you listen!)

1:15 – 2:45 Ensemble rehearsal and/or masterclasses with guest artists

2:45 – 3:00 Break

3:00 – 4:30 Ensemble rehearsal 2

Jam Session at Petra’s Arts Kafe

Thursday July 9 from 7-9pm is our workshop jam session. This is open to workshop participants and to anyone in the community who plays jazz. This is a really fun part of the workshop. If you don't know what a jam session is or how it works, DON"T WORRY the workshop will prepare you for it!

Final Concert Information

Saturday (July 11) schedule will be a little different as the student concert will take place from 12-3pm at the Delta Hospital Grounds. Our final performance will be part of the Delta Hospital Foundation Summer Gala. Parents, spouses, and friends are all welcome to this concert or any of the noon hour shows. Admission to noon shows and final student concert is free. Rehearsals on Saturday will run at the Community Centre as usual from 9:30-11 and then we will be heading over to the hospital grounds for our final performance. We will need help transporting students between the Community Centre and Delta Hospital, so if you can help us drive on that day please let us know.

Please note that there are evening concerts on July 10 and 11.

Students receive free admission to these events and are expected to attend these concerts as part of the learning process. The evening concerts are an important and required part of the program for workshop participants. We could use some help selling tickets to these concerts. We can give you one free ticket for every three that you sell. Tickets are only $10. Check our website for show details. www.southdeltajazzfestival.com

If you have received scholarship funding to attend the camp you will be notified before the start of the workshop. You will be asked to write a letter thanking our various sponsors. We will provide the mailing address and other information for this letter.

Photographs

We’ll be taking photographs of workshop activities throughout the week. The photos will help us promote the workshop in coming years and help us get funding from sponsors and government organizations. If you do not want pictures of yourself or your child used in this way, please let us know. If you take some photos yourself, we'd love to have digital copies for our website or facebook page

Please contact us if you have any questions.

We look forward to working with all of you!

Best regards,

Jared Burrows and Stephen Robb

Directors, South Delta Jazz Workshop

South Delta Jazz fest on Facebook

2009-07-05T10:26:00.000-07:00

South Delta Jazz Festival is a group on Facebook. find us here

Jazz takes Centre Stage next week

2009-07-05T10:00:00.000-07:00

Sixth annual South Delta Jazz Workshop and Festival features afternoon and evening performances

Dave Willis, The Delta Optimist

Published: Saturday, July 04, 2009

Fans of jazz music have plenty to look forward to next week.

The sixth annual South Delta Jazz Workshop and Festival, featuring a range of lunchtime and evening performances, runs from Tuesday to Saturday in Ladner and Tsawwassen.

"I'm really excited about it," says co-founder and organizer Jared Burrows. "The concerts, I think, will be really exciting."

South Delta Jazz Festival co-founder Jared Burrows (above) will all perform next week.

Burrows, a guitarist and Delta Community Music School faculty member, will be performing with the Dave Branter Quartet on Friday at the Tsawwassen Arts Centre, one of the event's two evening shows.

"Dave was a person I looked up to as a musician when I was a teenager," says Burrows, adding that Branter is well known as a teacher and large ensemble conductor.

Branter is the department head at the Vancouver Community College School of Music and has directed, co-directed or co-produced four CDs with the Pacific Symphonic Wind Ensemble, a group he formerly directed.

He's performed with the CBC Jazz Orchestra, the Alan Matheson Nonet and the Colin MacDonald Pocket Orchestra. Branter has also played lead alto sax in Burrows' big band, the East Van Jazz Orchestra.

"In my mind, he's one of the most exciting saxophone players around," Burrow says.

The second evening show will feature vocalist Steve Maddock and pianist Lorne Kellett performing with workshop faculty members Rob Kohler on bass and Stan Taylor on drums.

Maddock, who has been a soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Vancouver Chamber Choir and the Dal Richards Jazz Orchestra, was at the South Delta event two years ago.

"He's a fantastic vocalist," says Burrows. "It'll be great to have him back."

Tickets for both evening concerts, which are sponsored by the B.C. Arts Council, are available at South Coast Casuals in Ladner Village. Tickets cost $10. Both shows are set for 7:30 p.m. at the Tsawwassen Arts Centre.

Aside from Maddock, the other guest artists -- Branter, trumpet player Chris Davis and saxophonist John Doheny -- are newcomers to the event.

"I think audiences like to know some of the people on stage but I think it's important to have some variety," says Burrows, noting the workshop faculty members are all returning artists.

Students taking part in the five-day jazz workshop will get a chance to perform jazz standards and original compositions for the public Saturday at Delta Hospital from noon to 3 p.m.

SOUTH DELTA JAZZ FESTIVAL LINEUP:

Tuesday, July 7 at noon -- Chris Davis at the Ladner Community Centre.

Wednesday, July 8 at noon -- Workshop faculty band at the McKee Seniors' Recreation Centre.

Thursday, July 9 at noon -- John Doheny at the McKee Seniors' Recreation Centre.

Thursday, July 9 from 7 to 10 p.m. -- Jazz Jam at Petra's Arts Kafe.

Friday, July 10 at noon -- Workshop faculty band at the Ladner Community Centre.

Friday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m. -- Dave Branter Quartet at the Tsawwassen Arts Centre.

Saturday, July 11 from noon to 3 p.m. -- Student ensembles at Delta Hospital.

Saturday, July 11 at 7:30 p.m. -- Steve Maddock in concert with Lorne Kellett at the Tsawwassen Arts Centre.

Festival 2009

2009-06-30T16:21:00.000-07:00

This year's festival is almost upon us. We have two great evening shows scheduled.

Friday July 10 - Dave Branter with the workshop faculty band
Saturday July 11 - Steve Maddock with Lorne Kellett

Both of these concerts will be truly excellent featuring two of the best musicians in the Vancouver area. Check out Steve Maddock at his website. Some great sound clips and a taste of what you are going to hear.

Both Concerts are at 7:30pm at the Tsawwassen Arts Centre. (56th St. at 12th Ave.)
Tickets are only $10 each, avalable from South Coast Casuals on 48th Ave. in Ladner Village.

festival update

2009-05-21T12:18:00.000-07:00

Our website is now almost up to date with faculty and concert info. Registration for this year's workshop is now open. This year we will be having two free concerts at the new McKee Seniors Centre in Ladner, as well as the outdoor Jam at Petras in Tsawwassen and the two evening concerts at Tsawwassen Arts Centre. We are looking forward to a great sixth annual festival.

Concerts 2009

2009-04-26T23:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the financial support of the British Columbia Arts Council we will be offering two evening concerts this year.

On Friday July 10th Saxophonist David Branter will be performing with our workshop faculty. On Saturday July 11th vocalist Steve Maddock with pianist Lorne Kellett will be performing with workshop faculty Rob Kohler and Stan Taylor. Both shows will be held at the Tsawwassen Arts Centre. Dave will also be doing some teaching for us this year and working with the workshop students.

Noon hour concerts will feature a couple of guest artists. Saxophonist John Dohenny will be appearing with the faculty ensemble along with trumpeter Chris Davis. Both of these gentlemen will be around to do some masterclass and coaching work with our students in the workshop as well.

As well on the Saturday afternoon July 11 our student ensembles will once again be performing on the grounds of Delta Hospital. More information about concerts, tickets and other info will be available on our website later in May.

Jazz Night in Tsawwassen

2009-04-15T13:50:00.000-07:00

the Delta Music School Jazz Ensembles under the direction of Dr. Jared Burrows will be performing on Friday April 24th at 7:30pm at the Tsawwassen Arts Centre (56th St. at 12th Ave. Tsawwassen). The concert will feature all of the Delta School student ensembles plus Jazz workshop faculty Jared Burrows (guitar), Brad Muirhead (trombone) and Stephen Robb (clarinet, piano).
This concert is a fundraiser for the sixth annual South Delta Jazz Festival and Workshop, which will be held July 7 - 11 2009 in Ladner and Tsawwassen BC.

Workshop 2009

2008-11-10T11:30:00.000-08:00

The 2009 edition of the South Delta Jazz Workshop will be from Tuesday July 7 - Saturday July 11, 2009. Stay tuned for more information about our 6th annual workshop

Fraser MacPherson Scholarship

2008-09-25T22:04:00.000-07:00

The Fraser MacPherson Music Scholarship Fund was initiated to foster the music education of BC's most promising young jazz instrumentalists. Scholarships are available up to the amount of $2,000 each and are open to resident BC jazz instrumentalists (not vocalists) through age 25, except members of the Board of the Fraser MacPherson Music Scholarship Fund and their immediate families. Check the Coastal Jazz and blues website for more information and application forms

Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival 2008

2008-08-24T07:16:00.000-07:00

For those interested some of our jazz workshop faculty are involved with this years Renfrew Ravine Moon Festival. This is a community festival that has been running for some years in east Van. The performance will be on Saturday September 13 starting around 4pm and ending about 9 pm. The music for the event is a suite of jazz/world music based composed by Brad Muirhead with Jared Burrows and Beverley Dobrinsk.

Information about the festival is available from www.moonfestival.net

SDJF on Facebook

2008-07-15T10:37:00.000-07:00

Come check out South Delta Jazz Festival on Facebook. Come check out photos and other info about this years festival.

Festival Wrap up

2008-07-15T09:57:00.000-07:00

The fifth edition of our South Delta Jazz Festival came to a fine conclusion with our two festival concerts. Friday night featured singer Carmen J. Price singing a selection of jazz standards with the festival band with Lorne Kellett on piano and Ed Orgill on tenor saxophone, with Rob Kohler on bass and Stan Taylor on drums.

Saturday afternoon featured our student workshop ensembles performing on the grounds of Delta Hospital Fine weather and Hot Jazz entertained the crowds from ourf 7 student groups and faculty guests.

Here are some photos of the crowds relaxing in the shade on a warm summer day. Thanks to the Delta Hospital Foundation for cosponsoring this performance with us. Thanks to Envision Credit Union for providing the tents for the day. A special thanks to our Festival title sponsor Century Group who has been with us since the beginning.

Day 2 of the workshop

2008-07-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

The workshop portion of the festival is now well underway. Day 2 featured a group ear training class to start the morning followed by masterclasses with instructors on all instruments. Len Aruliah and Ed Orgill gave a saxophone class, while other classes were offered for brass, guitar, bass, drums and piano at the same time. During this time instructors are able to give more individual attention to students needs.

After an afternoon of ensemble rehearsals we finished the day with a live Jam session with all the students outside of Petra's Arts Kafe in Tsawwassen.

Article in South Delta Leader

2008-07-04T19:32:00.000-07:00

An article about the Jazz Fest and workshop appeared today in the South Delta Leader. Check out the article here

Music at Tsawwassen Mall

2008-07-04T08:40:00.000-07:00

Saturday July 5th from 12 noon - 4 pm there will be live jazz at Tsawwassen Centre Mall as a part of the South Delta Jazz Festival. Tenor Saxophonist / Guitarist John Patton will be featured along with all of the South Delta Workshop faculty members. Come by and see some great jazz in the heart of South Delta.

Information for workshop participants

2008-07-04T08:37:00.000-07:00

Greetings Jazz Workshop Participants,

This information is important. Please read all of it!!

I hope you are all looking forward to the South Delta Jazz Workshop as much as we are! We have a great week of music, learning, and fun planned for everyone.

Please note that the workshop will be held at South Delta Secondary School 750 – 53^rd St in Tsawwassen.

Directions to South Delta Secondary School, 750 53^rd Ave, Tsawwassen

-Take Highway 17 to Tsawwassen

-Turn left on 56^th St. (the main street in Tsawwassen)

-follow 56^th south a few blocks past the Tsawwassen Mall to 8A avenue

-turn right on 8A Ave

- follow 8A Ave to the 4-way stop at 53^rd St. You will see SDSS on your left

- turn left on 53rd

-the band room is at the southeast corner of the school

1. The workshop begins Tuesday, July 8 at 9:30 am. We will meet in the band room . Please do not be late as we will have a lot to do on the first day! Parents, please plan to stick around for the first few minutes or so.

Daily Schedule of Events:

9:30 – 10:15 Aural Skills

10:15 -10:30 Break

10:30 – 12:00 Ensemble Rehearsals

12:00 - 12:30 Concert set-up / Lunch

12:30 – 1:30 Concerts (you can keep eating while you listen!)

1:30 – 2:30 Masterclasses and group workshops

2:30-2:45 Break

2:45 – 4:30 pm Ensemble rehearsals

Please arrange to pick up your son or daughter at 4:30 each day. We will do our best to finish promptly at 4:30. Our final concert of the week will be Saturday, July 12 at noon. On that day, the schedule will be quite different. Please see item 6 in this regard. On the evening of Wednesday July 9, there will be a jazz jam session at Petra’s Café in Tsawwassen from 7-10pm. The Café is located near the intersection of 12^th Ave and 56^th St. We encourage students to participate in this event.

2. As usual we will have a wide range of students from beginner level high school players through to very advanced semi-pro players. Students will be assigned ensembles to work with on the first day. Placement may change as we get to know your abilities, needs, and personalities. Our eight full-time faculty members will rotate among the groups on a daily basis.

3. We expect a very high level of courtesy and respect among all participants in the Workshop. We have never had any behaviour problems in the past and we hope to keep it that way again this year. Criticism or poor treatment of other students or disrespectful behaviour towards instructors will not be tolerated. Students who have problems in this regard may be asked to leave the Workshop at our discretion. If a student experiences any kind of discrimination, negative or hurtful comments from others, or if other personal issues arise, he or she should make these problems known to a member of staff immediately.

4. All students should bring a lunch and some snacks every day. There will not be time to drive to the Tsawwassen Mall to get food. Lunchtime is also concert time with our faculty performing from 12:30-1:30pm. Food is important for an event of this kind. We strongly suggest that you bring something healthy that will provide you with the energy you will need for a very full day of music making. Please help us minimize our environmental impact (and our imposition on the school’s custodial staff) by bringing reusable containers for drinks etc. where possible.

5. Please bring everything you will need for making music: extra reeds, strings, patch cords, valve oil, staff paper, pencils and eraser, etc

Drummers, bass players, and guitarists are requested to bring their own amplifiers and drum kits. This equipment can be left at the workshop for the duration of the event and will need to be picked up after the final concert July 12. We cannot store or transport gear for you. If you don't have an amplifier or drum kit please contact us immediately so we can help arrange to get one for you. We will have music stands available. Make sure all of your gear is labelled clearly so it doesn't get lost.

6. Final Concert Information for July 12

Saturday's schedule will be a little different as the student concert will take place from 12-3pm, on at the Delta Hospital Grounds in Ladner. Parents, spouses, friends and relations are all welcome and invited to attend. Bring a picnic lunch and enjoy listening to our students a s they showcase the week’s accomplishments. Admission is free. Rehearsals on Saturday will run from 9:30-10:45 and then we will be heading over to the Delta Show Stage on the hospital grounds for our final performance. We will need help transporting students between South Delta Secondary and Delta Hospital, so if you can help us drive on that day please let us know.

7. The Workshop functions as part of the South Delta Jazz Festival. Please note that there is an evening concert on July 11 at the Equinox Theatre (at the same location as the workshop). Workshop students receive free admission to this event and are expected to attend this concert. Tickets for this show are only $10 for non-workshop participants. Admission to noon hour concerts (12:30 -1:30 Tuesday through Friday) is by donation and admission to final student concert is free. There will be music at the Tsawwassen Town Centre Mall from 12-4 on July 5. Please see the website for more information about concerts. www.southdeltajazzfestival.com

8. Our scholarship money was very limited this year and we have done our best to distribute the available funds in a way that rewards students with high levels of achievement as well as helping those with financial need. Please don’t take it personally if you didn’t get a scholarship. If you have received scholarship funding to attend the camp you will be notified before July 4. You will be asked to write a letter thanking our various sponsors. We will provide the mailing address and other information for this letter and will be taking a group picture to send to them.

Please contact us by responding to this email if you have any further questions.

We look forward to working with all of you!

Best regards,

Jared Burrows and Stephen Robb

Directors, South Delta Jazz Workshop

Jazz at the Breezeway 2008

2008-04-17T08:38:00.000-07:00

Once again Century Group will be sponsoring a series of outdoor concerts at the Tsawwassen Centre Mall. From May 31 - September 7, 2008 there will be a series of Jazz concerts, Saturdays from 12 noon - 2 pm.

May 31 - Marty Franklin
June 7 - Tim Barrett
June 14 - Brad Muirhead
June 21 - Clyde Reed
June 28 - Marty Franklin
July 5 - South Delta Jazz Workshop Quintet
July 12 - Cory Weeds
July 19 - Children's Day (no Jazz Music)
July 26 - Stephen Robb & Tommy Babin

August 2 - Ross Bliss Gypsy Guitar duo
August 9 - Brad Muirhead
August 16 - Marty Franklin
August 23 - Ross Bliss Gypsy Guitar duo
August 30 - Tim Barrett
September 6 - Toozdays Rhythm
September 13 - Tim Barrett
September 20 - Cory Weeds
September 27 - Toozdays Rhythm

Save the CBC Radio Orchestra

2008-04-16T08:28:00.000-07:00

I'm interupting your regular jazz fest posting here to inform you about the fact that the seventy year old CBC Vancouver Radio Orchestra is being disbanded in November 2008. The pudits will tell you that radio orchestras are a dying breed (this was the last one here in the Americas, but such organizations are still flourishing in Europe). What has been forgotten is that the mandate of our national broadcaster is to promote and foster home grown Canadian talent in both the classical and jazz idioms. The CBC orchestra has been responsible for many commissions of new music by Canadian composers. Also the CBC has cut its Young Composers Competition and is currently removing most of its quality jazz and classical music programing from Radio 2.

If you care about classical and jazz art music in Canada, please sign the petition at savecbcorchestra.com

Faculty 2008

2008-03-11T10:28:00.000-07:00

Our main workshop faculty has now been confirmed and bios are now up on our faculty 2008 page. We welcome the return of some familiar faces this year including Rob Kohler from New Orleans, Len Aruliah from London England, and Chris Tinidad and Brad Muirhead from here in Vancouver.
We welcome saxophonist Ed Orgill to the faculty this year (picture on right). Faculty bios are found on our site here.

Student Workshop 2008

2007-12-30T07:29:00.000-08:00

The 2008 edition of the South Delta Jazz Festival will be held from July 7 - 12th, 2008. More information about this years events will be posted here and on our website over the next few months.

Festival 2007 Wrap-up

2007-07-09T08:45:00.000-07:00

Thanks to all our workshop participants for making the 2007 South Delta Jazz Festival a success. Some thirty students attended our five day workshop this year. This year our student concert held on the final day was in partnership with the Delta Hospital Foundation. The student performance took place on the Delta Outdoor stage on the Hospital grounds.
Thanks to the Corporation of Delta for use of the stage and to Shelly at the Delta Hospital Foundation for all her help in organizing this event.

July 1st at Diefenbaker Park

2007-07-03T20:54:00.000-07:00

We had Great Weather and Great tunes on July 1st at Diefenbaker Park in Tsawwassen with our three great bands.

The day started with Allan Mathesson's Red Onion Rhythm Kings playing a variety of dixieland tunes and hot jazz swing.

Next was the Cuban Band Zapato Negro which played a great mix of Cuban and salsa jazz. I heard great reviews about this band from other musicians in the audience. This was a band not to be missed!.

The Day was rounded out by a performance by Len Aruliah's Quintet. Len is originally from the Vancouver area but has been living for more than a decade now in London England where he performs regularly.

Top Right - Red Onion Rhythm Kings
Middle Right - Zapato Negro
Bottom Right - Len Aruliah & Jared Burrows.

Thanks to our sponsors for this July 1st concert:
Envision Credit Union and Century Group

Hitting the Right Notes

2007-07-03T20:48:00.000-07:00

Hitting the right notes
South Delta Leader - Friday June 30th, 2007

By Philip Raphael
Reporter

Jun 29 2007

Jazz festival enters fourth year with expanded concert series

Judging by the number of faces Stephen Robb saw in the crowds flocking to last year’s edition of the South Delta Jazz Festival, locals love live music played in their own community.

And, fortunately for the week-long event, that fact hasn’t been lost of the event’s sponsors who have played a bigger role in helping get performers front and centre for its fourth year which gets underway Saturday (June 30) in the Breezeway area of the Tsawwassen Town Centre Mall.

“Having a lot of people come out to the concerts is fabulous because so often people say there are not enough things to do locally,” says Robb, an instructor at the Delta Community Music School. “This gives people the opportunity to do something here and not have to go downtown, and stay on the south side of the tunnel for a change.”

It also provides student musicians of all ages the opportunity to attend the South Delta Jazz Workshop where they learn about jazz improvisation.

One of the highlights of the performance part of the festival is a series of free outdoor concerts. The biggest is on Canada Day at Diefenbaker Park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This year’s featured performers include the Red Onion Rhythm Kings, Zapato Negro, and the Len Aruliah Quintet.

South Delta Secondary’s music room will be a busy place during the following week as the Morgan Scott Quintet performs July 3, followed by Brad Muirhead and the South Delta Jazz Workshop faculty ensemble on July 4. Alan Matheson and the SDJW is up on July 5, and the Kevin Hoferer Qunitet entertains July 6. All performances start at 12:30 p.m. and admission is free. That evening, vocalist Steve Maddock will also perform at the Tsawwassen Arts Centre at 7:30 p.m.

And on July 7, a group of local muscians from the South Delta Jazz Workshop will display their talents performing jazz standards and original compositions on an outdoor stage at Delta Hospital from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The festival concludes that night at 7:30 p.m. with the East Van Jazz Orchestra featuring some of Vancouver’s finest musicians on the stage of the Genesis Theatre at Delta Secondary school in Ladner.

Robb, who along with Jared Burrows helped get the festival off the ground in 2004, says the event brings with it a vibrancy that develops a further sense of community.

Plus, it’s a chance to experience some really great music.

“Getting things started in our first year it was really a labour of love,” Robb says. “We didn’t really have any funding, but we went ahead with the hope that in following years it would become a beneficial event.”

And after three editions, Robb says the festival has gained the stature he envisioned.

“I had thought that by our fifth year we’d have an event that matured and showcased music locally. I guess we’re a little ahead of that,” he says. “Now all we need is for the weather to be nice.”

n More information on the South Delta Jazz Festival is available at: www.southdeltajazzfestival.com

In tune— Zapato Negro will be among the groups performing at this year’s edition of the week-long South Delta Jazz Festival which gets underway Saturday. Contributed photo

Courtesy - South Delta Leader Newspaper

Vancouver International Jazz Festival

2007-06-01T09:16:00.000-07:00

Some of us are once again playing downtown at the Jazz Fest. Come check us out.

Ross Bliss Trio - June 23rd - Grandville Island Stage - 12 noon
Djangophilia - June 24th at Victory Square - 4 pm.
Burrows / Clark 4 - June 28 - Canada Place - 12 noon

Jazz in the Breezeway

2007-06-01T08:58:00.000-07:00

Thanks to our friends at the Tsawwassen Centre Mall, South Delta is going to be swinging all summer long to the sounds of Jazz on Saturday afternoons. 12 - 2 pm. Come out to the Tsawwassen Centre Mall (56th St. at 12th Ave. in Tsawwassen) to here some fine jazz duos and trios.
Here is the roster of performers.

June 2 - Marty Franklin
June 9 - Rob Mackenzie
June 16 - Marty Franklin
June 23 - Tristan Rogers
June 30 - South Delta Jazz Festival
July 7 - Cory and Bill Weeds
July 14 - Karen Graves
July 21 - Ross Bliss
July 28 - Stephen Robb & Tommy Babin
Aug. 4 - Ross Bliss
Aug. 11 - Marty Franklin
Aug. 18 - MCT
Aug. 25 - Marty Franklin
Sept. 1 - MCT
Sept. 8 - Django Project
Sept. 15 - Marty Franklin
Sept. 22 - Clyde Reed

East Van Jazz Orchestra

2007-04-18T13:00:00.000-07:00

On Saturday May 5th the East Van Jazz Orchestra will grace the stages of the Tsawwassen Arts Centre. This sixteen piece big band led by Brad Muirhead and Jared Burrows will perform a mix of new compositions written for this ensemble. Come out and support the South Delta Jazz festival as we raise funds for scholarships and facility rental for our summer student workshop.

The Band Features:
David Branter - alto and soprano saxophones
Stephen Robb - clarinet and alto saxophone
Tim Barrett - tenor saxophone
John Paton - tenor saxophone
Chad Makela - baritone saxophone
John Korsrud - trumpet
Geeta Das - trumpet
Norm Quinn - trumpet
Brian Davies - trumpet
Rod Murray - trombone
Paul Christian - trombone
Tim Ping - trombone
Brad Muirhead - bass trombone/composer/director
Jared Burrows - guitar/composer/director
Stan Taylor - drums
Tommy Babin - double bass

Tickets are $15 and available at Mud Bay Wines at the Tsawwassen Centre Mall, or you can purchase tickets online through Ticketstonight.ca

Faculty line up for the 2007 workshop

2007-02-04T08:09:00.000-08:00

Our faculty line up for the 2007 jazz workshop is now online. We welcome back Rob Kohler, Len Aruliah and Stan Taylor this year to our faculty line up. Also as our enrolment demands have increased we are able to bring in two new faculty members this year. Kevin Hoferer and Morgan Scott will be joining us for the week. Kevin is a wonderful saxophonist and jazz educator from the east coast. He was last here in 2003 for series of concerts in Vancouver and a saxophone masterclass at the Delta Community Music School. Morgan Scott was in town for a brief visit last spring, some may remember him performing with the faculty ensemble at a fundraising event for the festival and workshop last March. They are both looking forward to joining the workshop this year. Trumpeter Alan Mattheson will also be joining us for a few sessions again this year, along with trombonist Brad Muirhead.

Steve Maddock at the Coast

2007-01-17T09:39:00.000-08:00

Our first concert of the spring series is coming up. Steve Maddock will be appearing at the Coast Hotel along with the Jared Burrows trio. Steve has a fantastic voice in the tradition of the great jazz singers of yesterday and today.
This is Steve's second appearance in South Delta in recent years, he was a guest at last year's Delta Youth Orchestra Cabaret, where he was extreamly well received by a sold out audience in the ballroom of the Town and Country Inn. If you enjoyed that concert, then you will really enjoy this one as well. Also Steve is appearing in early February with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra in a special concert for Valentines day.
As always make your reservations early, these shows at the Beaches lounge tend to be sold out.

Django at the Coast

2006-11-16T01:10:00.000-08:00

Hey, Thanks to everyone who came out tonight to hear Djangophilia at the Coast Hotel in Tsawwassen. We had a full house on a very blustery and rainy Wednesday night. Good food and good tunes.

World Music Event

2006-09-27T08:33:00.000-07:00

Ta-Ki-Ta and Sangha in Concert.
December 1st at St. Marks Anglican Church, 2nd and Larch Streets in Vancouver.

Two of Vancouver's more unique world music groups are going to be performing a concert of Indian, Persian and world music. Ta Ki Ta is a mix of improvised music and classical Indian genras mixed to create a blend of interesting sounds . More info about them at www.ta-ki-ta.com. From their website:

Ta Ki Ta combines North Indian classical music, jazz, and other world music styles into a seamless whole where Eastern and Western instruments, rhythms and melodies are treated on equal footing. The origins of Ta Ki Ta began in 2004 as a series of musical experiments and concerts by Hari Pal (tabla) and Jared Burrows (guitar). Though they played and performed well with many other fine musicians, it was after meeting Ken Wells (sarode) that a really unique and powerful group sound emerged. The group's name, Ta Ki Ta is a reference to the syllables commonly used in Indian music to represent a three-part rhythm.

Also on the same program will be Sangha. From their website at www.sanghamusic.com :

Sangha is a Tar, Oud, Tombak and Tabla Quartet from Vancouver B.C. Like its instrumentation suggests Sangha is a combination of a number of improvisational traditions, predominantly Arabic, Persian and Indian. There are Indian classical rhythms mixed with Persian Improvisation in one piece, Arabic melodic modulation set in a Persian mode in another, and an African melody set inside a Westernized improvisational structure in the next. Having such a mix of styles the music could sound chaotic and directionless but due to each traditions emphasis on listening, subtlety and space the music comes off as purposeful and organic. With traditions this varied a mixture of styles is inevitable, so the musicians focus on creating music in the moment. This allows the varied influences to naturally blend together without being forced or diluted. The result is a sound similar to Vancouver, a melting pot of musical traditions forging a new path. Sangha has performed for Caravan World Rhythms, Kelowna’s Summer Arts Festival, the Asian Heritage Month Western Front concert series, a CBC National broadcast, and the Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Gardens Enchanted Evenings concert series.

The concert will be December 1st at St. Marks Anglican Church, 2nd and Larch Streets in Vancouver. Check www.southdeltajazzfestival.com for info about tickets.

Fall Concerts

2006-09-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

This years fall concerts begins November 15th at Beaches Restaurant. After a sold out performance last July at the Coast Hotel Ballroom Djangophilia is making a return engagement at the Beaches Hotel in Tsawwassen. Djangophilia is an acoustic jazz quartet that pays homage to the music and style of Django Reinhardt. This will be a really fun performance, featuring Ross Bliss and Tommy Babin on the bass with fest organizers Jared Burrows and Stephen Robb.

Come join us at Beaches on November 15th, 7 - 10 pm.

2006 - 07 Season

2006-09-14T07:31:00.000-07:00

The summer hiatus has come to an end. We are now back planning our Winter / Spring concert series. There will be a couple of concerts coming later this fall closer to Christmas in both Vancouver and South Delta. Also there will be 2 or 3 pre festival event happening in Spring 2007 leading up to our main event in July 2007. Information about these and other events will be posted here, and our main website.

Goodbye and Thanks

2006-07-09T17:51:00.000-07:00

The 2006 festival is now complete. Thanks to all of our sponsors for making this happen. Thanks especially to Century Group, GML Mechanical, Blakes, Envision and Great Canadian Casinos for their support of the student workshop and festival. We look forward to planning our next festival in July 2007.

Here is a picture of 2006 workshop participants and faculty.(Courtesy of S. Wright) As we move closer to the 2007 festival once again you will see news and information posted here. Have a great summer, see you next year.

Final Weekend

2006-07-08T07:18:00.000-07:00

Friday was a day of contrast with two great but very different concerts featuring faculty. The arts centre was packed for Jazz for kids as we performed a number of jazz favorites from the era of those seven dwarfs, Fred and Wilma, and Linus and Lucy. We ended with our sponsored mascot "Salty the Seagull" parading through the isles with the kids to a spirited rendition of the Saints go Marching in . Friday night featured Len Aruliah and the quartet transported into the post- John Coltrane world with a suite of tunes inspired by Canadian trumpeter Kenny Wheeler. It is performances like these that indicate how wide the spectrum for jazz really is at the dawn of the 21st century, from Dixieland to post-modern avant guard

As we head into the final weekend of the festival, we would like to thank our audiences and supporters for coming out to our events this week.

Today features the student concert at 2pm. This will feature workshop participants who have spent the last 4 days at the arts centre learning about jazz improvisation and the skills required to master their instruments. Tonight at the Coast Tsawwassen Inn will feature local Vancouver guitarist Ross Bliss with Djangophllia. This is a straight ahead 1940's approach to traditional swing featuring the music of Django Reinhardt .

On Sunday at All Saints Anglican Church Ta-Ki-Ta will be performing in the final event of the festival. This is group creates a fusion of classical Indian music with jazz. The trio consists of two traditional Indian instruments with tabla player Hari Pal, Kenneth Wells on Sarode, together with the western influence of Jared Burrows on guitar. A beautiful and easy to listen to mix of sounds that you will enjoy. Admission is free.

Friday Concerts

2006-07-07T08:19:00.000-07:00

Today features two unique performances as Tsawwassen Arts Centre. First off at noon is Jazz for Kids, which will feature our faculty performing and interacting with our young audience in a performance that will outline just what this "jazz" thing is. Look for us to get our audience involved in the performance and get everyone involved in the "jazz" thing.

Friday evening will feature Len Aruliah, our resident workshop saxophonist for this year's workshop. He will be performing with the faculty quintet a new suite of his own compositions inspired by Kenny Wheeler, the great Canadian trumpeter and composer who also resides in England. Both of today's concerts are at the Tsawwassen Arts Centre. Admission is Free. Thanks to Vancouver Port Authority and Terminal Systems for sponsoring today's concerts.

Festival update

2006-07-07T08:02:00.000-07:00

Today is Friday and the festival is well underway. We have had a good audience for the first three days of festival concerts. Tuesday brought Brad Muirhead to perform and work with our workshop students on listening and improv skills. Karen Graves was in fine form Wednesday performing on various woodwinds and working with vocals. Thursday brought our first double bill with trumpeter Al Matheson performing and working with our students through a series of three masterclasses on improvisation in the afternoon, offering some great advice to our students. Thursday evening featured vibrophonist Marty Franklin with Nino DiPasquale in a concert of jazz standards and a tribute to Milt Jackson.

Here is a picture of Marty Franklin performing at Beaches in Tsawwassen on Thursday evening. We had a good crowd for the event despite some confusion in location.

The outdoor concert

2006-07-03T08:32:00.000-07:00

Great tunes and great weather helped make this year's outdoor concert a success. Thanks to Envision for use of the tent and to the M&M's Meats for providing food and fixings. Here is a photo taken near the end of the day of the Tristan Rogers Trio. The Student workshop starts on Tuesday.

Almost there...

2006-06-30T01:20:00.000-07:00

The third annual Delta Jazz Workshop is almost upon us. An article about the workshop was published in the South Delta Leader last Friday. Thanks to Chris Bryan for writing about us. Our first event is the outdoor concert this Sunday July 2 at Diefenbaker Park (56th St. at 1st Ave. in Tsawwassen). This concert features local musicians and bands from the Delta area. We still need volunteers to help with this event. If you are a jazz fan and are able to come and help out please contact Jamie. Thanks to Delta Parks and Rec for helping us make this event possible.

Jazz Elements

2006-06-21T08:12:00.000-07:00

An interesting blog with lots of information about various Canadian jazz artists, news, concerts and reviews can be found at jazzelements.com. This website has lots of info about various artists and events happening across Canada. Also check out the article about our very own South Delta Jazz Festival

Ross Bliss at Vancouver Jazz Festival

2006-06-21T08:07:00.000-07:00

The Ross Bliss Trio will also be appearing at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. June 24th at 6pm. at the Victory Square Stage in Gastown. Details on the festival website

The Quartet

2006-06-11T11:23:00.000-07:00

Here is a pic of the quartet taken just before the June 10th concert at the arts centre. A fine performance featuring many of Len's own tunes.

Our workshop enrolment is almost full. Students wanting to come to the July workshop should get their application forms in this week.

Hot Jazz in June

2006-06-09T07:12:00.000-07:00

Come out to the Arts Centre this Saturday June 10th for our pre-festival concert "Hot Jazz in June" featuring Len Aruliah. A few tickets are still available at the door on Saturday. Show is at 7:30 pm, come early to get a good seat. There is an afterparty at Beaches, down the street at the Coast Hotel at about 10pm.

Volunteers

2006-05-28T21:04:00.000-07:00

We need volunteers for our festival. If you can help us out during the week of the festival, help set a stage, distribute flyers, etc. drop us a line at info@southdeltajazzfestival.com

Festival line up

2006-05-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

Our concerts and festival line up for July is now set. Check out Festival Concerts

Relay for life

2006-05-11T11:11:00.000-07:00

A few of our volunteer festival organizers will be out in force in support of the Canadian Cancer Society's Relay for Life which will be held this Saturday May 13th at South Delta Secondary School in Tsawwassen.
Look for our Jazz Fest wandering minstrel's...

Vancouver International Jazz Festival

2006-05-10T22:33:00.000-07:00

Several of our performers will be appearing in this years festival.

Marty Franklin- June 23, 2006 12 noon - Granville Island Stage.

Clark / Burrows / Taylor - June 24th, 2006 12:30 pm - Gastown Stage.

Djangophilia

2006-05-10T22:29:00.000-07:00

An evening of acoustic music featuring Gypsy Jazz and Hot Club Swing. The music of Django Reinhardt. Jared Burrows, Ross Bliss - guitar, Stephen Robb - clarinet, Tommy Babin - bass
Saturday May 27th, 7:30 pm. Friends Meetinghouse 1090 W. 70th Vancouver. Tickets: $15 More Info

Welcome to the South Delta Jazz Festival Blog

2006-05-10T22:27:00.000-07:00

Here you will find information about our upcoming third annual festival and events, and other news items relating to the event in Delta BC