Georgia Straight Jazz Society presents its special Christmas concert at The Avalanche Bar and Grill at 7:30 p.m. this Thursday, when Micah Barnes performs his Christmas In New York.
Barnes is a Juno-nominated Canadian jazz and pop artist who scored a Billboard #1 hit as a solo act after touring and recording as a member of the world-renowned pop acapella group The Nylons. His chart-topping CD New York Stories won him the Best Jazz Act of 2014 at the Toronto Indie Awards.
Barnes promises a wonderful blend of New York classics and Christmas favourites.
“New York has long been an inspiration to musicians in the jazz world so it’s no surprise that when I began writing my latest disc New York Stories while living in the Big Apple I found the energy and the musical history of the city deeply inspiring.”
Living in an apartment right on the site of the legendary Savoy Ballroom and writing in a piano studio near Time Square, Barnes told me that he found a deep connection to the jazz and blues standards written in the 30s and 40s, by folks such as Cole Porter, George Gershwin and Howard Arlen, many of which debuted at The Cotton Club or in Broadway shows.
The creative explosion of Doo Wop and early R&B written and produced at The Brill Building and heard at The Apollo Theatre was also a huge influence on Micah as he composed the romantic songs that make up his chart-topping release New York Stories.
The Courtenay gig is one of Barnes’ west coast tour venues through Vancouver Island and Vancouver. Tickets are still available at Bop City in Courtenay: $20 for members, $25 for non-members. Call ahead (250-338-6621) to check on current availability.
Note, there is a break between Christmas and New Year. Regular Thursday concerts resume on Jan. 4. For full information about the performance calendar between now and the end of May 2018, please visit georgiastraightjazz.com.