Thursday Night Jazz at the Elks' features something extra special this week as the Nanaimo Musicians' Association Big Band will fill the stage.
What do Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Doris Day, Perry Como and Rosemary Clooney all have in common? They all began their singing career as featured vocalist with a big band.
That was the way countless singers started out, right up to the time that big bands ceased to be economically viable. Comox Valley's own Diana Krall sang with this band when she was in high school. Phil Dwyer, Ingrid Jensen and Christine Jensen are band alumni as well. It was a great way to gain musical experience, before striking out on their own.
Those opportunities are not readily available to aspiring singers today – except in Nanaimo. And we get the opportunity this Thursday to see for ourselves in the Comox Valley.
The Nanaimo Musicians’ Association Big Band has longtime connections with Vancouver Island University. The band comprises some of the Mid-Island’s best big band musicians and has been directed by VIU faculty members Steve Jones and Bryan Stovell for most of the last 20 years; top VIU Jazz Studies program students play in the band, and vocal students from that program are able to take advantage of this unique opportunity to work with a great big band.
This combination of talents will be on show on April 5 when the NMA Big Band will perform at The Elks Club and will feature vocalists Sydney Needham and Niall Harvey.
Sydney was born and raised in Victoria into a musical family, and has been singing from an early age. She has trained with Victoria legend Louse Rose and performs in many musical styles. She was the winner of Victoria Idol contest in 2011, and is currently studying vocal jazz at VIU
Niall hails from the Comox Valley, and as well as singing in the style of Frank Sinatra and Michael Buble, he also plays trumpet. He plays and sings with many local bands, and is also enrolled in the Jazz Studies program at VIU.
Sydney and Niall will front Nanaimo’s own NMA Big Band in this evening of big band music, from the swing era through to contemporary big band arrangements.
So treat yourself to a most amazing evening. Show time is 7:30 p.m. but you are advised to arrive a little earlier than that if you want the best seats in the house.
Jazz fans and Comox Valley residents alike are advised that the Georgia Straight Jazz Society will be participating in the May 5 Courtenay Culture Crawl (a.k.a. Elevate the Arts) by offering a rare Saturday evening concert of various jazz genres on the Elks’ stage. Watch our weekly press releases for forthcoming information.
– Elks