Tag: vancouver jazz

Buy a Record, Make a Difference 27: Sara Kim

Buy a Record, Make a Difference is a new series we have created to help local musicians generate income during COVID-19. It is based on the principle that we should support and reward the hard work local artists have already put into recordings, as it is an immensely difficult undertaking to be creating new material under current circumstances. There is currently a lot of emphasis on livestreaming and innovation in our industry, and while those things absolutely have their place, we think it’s also important to boost projects that have already been completed.

In each post, we’ll ask a local artist a series of the same questions, give them the opportunity to talk about recordings they’re proud of, and ask them to talk about other local musicians whose work they admire. It’s our hope that you’ll take the time to listen to & purchase the work of local artists, or at the very least share their work with others.

SARA KIM

The-Watermill-Project-02-22-2020
1. Who are you?

My name is Sara – I was born in Korea (my Korean name is also Sara but pronounced more like ‘Sah-Rah’.) I grew up in Vancouver, B.C. and studied jazz at Capilano University. For the past few years, I have been singing, writing, and performing music in Vancouver.

2. Describe your music as best you can.

As a singer, I think I always try to explore my voice and use it in a diverse way. I was first drawn to jazz after hearing Ella Fitzgerald’s scatting, and fell in love with improvising. Therefore, I like improvising and use different “colors” of the voice. More recently, I am in awe of traditional P’ansori singers and traditional Korean music. There is a “wave” in every sound they make and I find it very beautiful and raw. Most importantly, I always wish to sound honest and natural, and I try to do that in my music too.

I‘ve been making music mostly with two groups. One is my Watermill Project (물레방아 프로젝트) that explores traditional Korean music and folk songs in a jazz quartet. From this project, a duo was formed between Mili Hong (the drummer of the band; she’s an incredible drummer and a dear friend of mine) and I, and we’ve been having fun exploring traditional Korean art form called P’ansori together. Lastly, I write and sing in Omianan, a collective group that plays original music and tends to end up going anywhere and everywhere.

3. What’s your latest recording (or a recording you’d like to promote)? Where can people get it?

We haven’t done a proper recording/album from the Watermill Project yet. But, you can check out some of the music here.

Omianan put out a demo/EP in 2019, and you can check it out here. 

4. Is there another local musician whose work you’d like to give a shout out to? 

Honestly, there are so many wonderful music and musicians out there, but since it’s the summer and that reminds me of the Jazz Festival season, I want to say Waxwing (Peggy Lee, Tony Wilson, Jon Bentley) who I heard for the very first time two years ago at the Roundhouse. It was truly coincidental and I am so glad that I was there at that place at that time. You can check them out here. 

Buy a Record, Make a Difference 26: Jodi Proznick

Buy a Record, Make a Difference is a new series we have created to help local musicians generate income during COVID-19. It is based on the principle that we should support and reward the hard work local artists have already put into recordings, as it is an immensely difficult undertaking to be creating new material under current circumstances. There is currently a lot of emphasis on livestreaming and innovation in our industry, and while those things absolutely have their place, we think it’s also important to boost projects that have already been completed.

In each post, we’ll ask a local artist a series of the same questions, give them the opportunity to talk about recordings they’re proud of, and ask them to talk about other local musicians whose work they admire. It’s our hope that you’ll take the time to listen to & purchase the work of local artists, or at the very least share their work with others.

JODI PROZNICK

Photo by Michele Mateus

 

1. Who are you?

I am a 2x JUNO-nominated bassist, composer, producer and educator who lives in Port Coquitlam B.C. with my husband and son. I was raised in South Surrey and studied music at McGill University in Montreal. In 2007, I completed my M.Ed. in Arts Education at SFU. I have previously been a faculty member at Capilano University and Kwantlen Polytechnic University but I am currently working as the Jazz Department Chair at the VSO School of Music where I have been helping to develop programs such as the Summer Jazz Workshop, Girls’ Jazz Day, Da Capo Program from Seniors, the VSO SoM Honour Jazz Combo, the Songwriting Workshop, the Performance Prep Program and all of the year long jazz course and lesson offerings.

In 2007 and 2008, I was awarded the National Jazz Award for Bassist of the Year and in 2019 the Western Canadian Music Award for Jazz Artist of the Year. I just finished an interim position as the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra Manager of Education and Community Outreach during the 2019/2020 season.

2. Describe your music as best you can.

I am a jazz bassist by training who loves to collaborate with musicians from all backgrounds. My music is firmly rooted in the jazz tradition but I love incorporating new colours and perspectives from other genres. Recent collaborations include Triology with Miles Black and Bill Coon, the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble, Chor Leoni, the Fusion Ensemble with Mohammed Assani/Itamar Erez/Hamin Honari, and the Sisters Jazz Orchestra.

I love playing with other joyful and openhearted musicians and I think the music reflects that.

3. What’s your latest recording (or a recording you’d like to promote)? Where can people get it?

My latest album is called Sun Songs and it features wonderful local players Tilden Webb on piano, Jesse Cahill on drums and Steve Kaldestad on saxophone as well as Canadian treasure, Laila Biali on vocals. You can find it in the store on my website where you will receive a hard copy, a handmade thank you note and the digital download.

You can also find it on iTunes, Spotify, Google Play and all of the other digital platforms.

Please feel free to sign up for my mailing list to stay in touch!

4. Is there another local musician whose work you’d like to give a shout out to? 

There are three local musicians I would like to give a shout out to—Vocalist Dawn Pemberton, guitarist Tristan Paxton and trumpet player Chris Davis.

These three are unbelievably talented creators and collaborators, wonderful people and deserving of our love and support.

Buy a Record, Make a Difference 25: Alvaro Rojas

Buy a Record, Make a Difference is a new series we have created to help local musicians generate income during COVID-19. It is based on the principle that we should support and reward the hard work local artists have already put into recordings, as it is an immensely difficult undertaking to be creating new material under current circumstances. There is currently a lot of emphasis on livestreaming and innovation in our industry, and while those things absolutely have their place, we think it’s also important to boost projects that have already been completed.

In each post, we’ll ask a local artist a series of the same questions, give them the opportunity to talk about recordings they’re proud of, and ask them to talk about other local musicians whose work they admire. It’s our hope that you’ll take the time to listen to & purchase the work of local artists, or at the very least share their work with others.

ALVARO ROJAS

Photo by Tyler Wilson
1. Who are you?

I’m a composer, guitarist, husband and father amongst other things. I’ve been involved in various local music communities since the early 2000’s, and enjoy meeting and collaborating with creative people of all sorts.

2. Describe your music as best you can.

Well, I grew up playing “alternative” music, prog rock and metal, then went through the jazz studies program at Capilano U, and since then have had extended flings with writing film music, chamber music, electronic music, and a bunch of other stuff. The music I’m writing now is the product of all these experiences of course, and I find the music comes out sounding more interesting when I get out of the way and just let all of these elements coexist.

I try to make music that is colourful, energetic, challenging, and most importantly, melodic. Improvisation, and working wth improvising musicians is also an important part of my music, and we are blessed in having a huge community of great players in Vancouver that bring so much life and character to whatever material they are given to work with.

3. What’s your latest recording (or a recording you’d like to promote)? Where can people get it?

My latest recording is called ‘Gran Kasa’, and was released on July 17. A single featuring a guest vocal by Peruvian icon Susana Baca came out on July 3. The band on this recording is completely stacked with some of the finest members of the aforementioned community (Peggy Lee, Meredith Bates, Chris Gestrin, James Meger, Sam Cartwright, and Liam MacDonald are the core, and there is some extra sparkle from Elisa Thorn and Sam Davidson), and everyone sounds amazing! I couldn’t be any happier with how this record turned out, and I’m stoked to finally be able to put it out into the world.

This record is very important to me as it sums up much of my musical activity from the past 10 years or so. Also, for this project I wanted to incorporate some elements from Afro-Peruvian music, an incredibly rich and interesting world of music that I was hipped to through my parents listening to Susana Baca and others around the house when I was growing up. To have her participation on this record is a huge honour, and brings things around full circle.

If I were to sum up this record in a few words, I might say it sounds a bit like a 70s prog band, a salsa band and a string quartet going on a road trip together. Or perhaps like an alternate universe Mahavishnu Orchestra that took a shine to Latin instead of Indian music.

It is available on bandcamp here, as well as all of the usual streaming platforms.

4. Is there another local musician whose work you’d like to give a shout out to? 

There are many, but I’ll just mention two. One of the shows I was really looking forward to playing during this years festival was with Chris Gestrin’s ‘Shadows’ project. The batch of music Chris wrote for this project is really diverse, and very fun to play. His writing is very detailed and beautiful, and incorporates improvisation in really creative ways. He is also a complete keyboard wizard and read my mind more than a few times during the recording of my album (“why of course this song needs an atonal 2 keyboard solo with R2D2 noises!”).

I’d also like to give a shout out to guitarist Chad MacQuarrie, whose music I’ve gotten reacquainted with during some COVID cleaning/organizing… He has a ton of his own projects, and plays guitar on some other great local releases. His writing ticks all the boxes for me, and he’s an inspiring and passionate performer. You can explore his vast discography here. I recommend starting with “In Formation Go the Heard” and spiral outwards from there…

Ok, one more. Mili Hong and Eli Davidovici started a Patreon page of top notch bass/drum play along recordings that I’ve been having a blast practicing along with during this weird time. Also, when I’m playing along and my family asks me to turn down it even feels like a real gig!