All star jazz band to play Parksville
LISSA ALEXANDER
reporter@pqbnews.com
Distinguished trombonist Ian McDougall wanted to be a drummer when he was a young lad, but his dad gave him a piece of advice fitting for that time.
"My dad said,"No son, play the trombone, a good trombone player is never out of work," McDougall said. He was just 11 years old at the time and said in those times the comment was true. But when he told that story to hundreds of trombone players at the International Trombone Association in Las Vegas in '95 the musicians couldn't help but laugh.
"They just started to laugh like hell because of course it's not true. You can't make very much money as a trombone player anymore," he said.But he's not just in it for the money these days.
His current band the Ian McDougall 12-tet is made up of the best jazz musicians in Western Canada, he said, and he's having the most fun playing in a band since he left the well-known jazz group The Boss Brass in '91.The Ian McDougall 12-tet, featuring local multi-Juno award winner Phil Dwyer among other star musicians, will play at Know United Church Sat, Dec. 1 at 8 p.m.
The concert is being presented by U-Jam, the Universal Jazz Advocates & Mentors Society, based in Victoria.McDougall, who is now 74, said he's had many highlights in his career, including playing with big names like Tony Bennet and Ella Fitzgerald and being invited by Rob McConnell to join Boss Brass.
"It was literally was the best big band of the world for about 25 years," he said.McDougall hand picked all the musicians in his 12-tet and each one is talented and enthusiastic about playing in the band, he said.At the concert at Knox United, people can expect to hear a solid band playing arrangements created by himself as well as Dwyer and a couple others in the group. The music has the flavour of the swing era in the '30s and early '40s, he said, reminiscent of Duke Ellington in terms of arrangements but a bit more involved harmonically, he said.
Tickets are $35 for adults, $30 for U-JAM members and $15 for students. Advanced tickets may be purchased at a discount through the U-JAM website www.u-jam.ca or at www.ticketbud.com. A new CD will also be available for purchase at the show. For more on McDougall and his 12-tet visit his website at www.ianmcdougall.com.
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