A familiar face, and talented line-up of local favourite jazz musicians grace the stage at The Avalanche Bar 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 21, when Georgia Straight Jazz Society presents The Greg Bush Quintet.
Trumpeter Bush will be joined by Alicia Murray on drums, Dan Craven on sax, bassist John Hyde and Chad Geekie on keyboards.
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Greg Bush-Trumpet
Prior to moving to Nanaimo to join the music faculty at Vancouver Island University, Greg was director of jazz studies at Abilene University in Texas. In addition to his broad teaching experience, Greg has also enjoyed a career as a busy freelance jazz trumpet player, arranger, and composer. As a sideman, he’s had the good fortune of playing in big bands and orchestras that have accompanied such artists as Big Miller, Paul Horn, Bobby Shew, Lee Konitz, Dizzy Gillespie, and Bob Brookmeyer. He has also performed in various venues in Australia, the Fiji Islands, Germany, Italy, and at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland. Locally, Greg is the music director of the Georgia Straight Big Band and performs regularly with the Arrowsmith Big Band and the NOLA Nighthawks.
As a teacher, Greg is committed to sharing his love and knowledge of music and jazz with young people.
Alicia Murray - Drums
Alicia holds a BA in Jazz Studies from Capilano University. She plays in several bands, playing everything from folk to arrangements of video game songs and sea shanties on her accordion.
Dan Craven - Saxophone
Dan teaches music on central Vancouver Island, and brings the benefit of extensive performance experience to his students. A 2001 recipient of the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence, he is an educator who has also had the privilege of sharing the stage with top Canadian musicians. In 2007 Dan joined Phil Dwyer’s Sax Summit, which first launched in 2002 with the release of Sax Summit on CBC Records, and has recurred in various incarnations throughout the country since then. Dan has performed frequently around Canada’s West from Victoria to Fort Nelson, is the Artistic Director of CYMC’s Island Jazz Intensive, and has served the local jazz community as festival clinician, honour band conductor and guest performer.
John Hyde - Bass
John, a great favourite with local jazz audiences, was born in Edmonton, Canada into a family which valued the arts. He studied at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton and McGill University in Montreal, participating in and studying jazz as well as classical music. Returning to Edmonton in the late 70s he was hired to teach at Grant Mac Ewan in Edmonton where he was a first call recording session player, freelance jazz bassist and classical bassist with many organizations including the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and the Tommy Banks Band.
Chad Geekie - Keyboard
From Vancouver Island, Chad Studied at McGill and works as a sideman mainly with the Damian Graham Trio and with Tina Jones. Chad also plays with the Dave Stewart Sextet and is often seen performing for the Georgia Straight Jazz Society at the Avalanche in Courtenay.
Admission to this great performance is $10 for members, $12 for non-members.
More information at www.georgiastraightjazzsociety.com