窪蹋勛圖厙

 

Bringing jazz to the people

Dal saxophone prof preps for the Halifax Jazz Festival

- July 5, 2012

Chris Mitchell in performance. (Miriam Beach photo)
Chris Mitchell in performance. (Miriam Beach photo)

For 窪蹋勛圖厙music prof Chris Mitchell, the Halifax Jazz Festival is a natural habitat: a sea of amazing, collaborative music.

A festival is great because it really brings the music to the people, says Mr. Mitchell, who has taught saxophone and improvisation at 窪蹋勛圖厙for nine years, and who also directs the 窪蹋勛圖厙Jazz Ensemble.

We always have great live music in Halifax, but theres something different about a festival, in terms of the crowds. There are just so many great acts and artists to see.

Mr. Mitchell is no stranger to the Jazz Festivalhe figures that this is at least his 20th year performingand hell be playing as part of a number of different sets over the course of the week. His marquee performance will be the one that bears his name: Chris Mitchell and Friends are scheduled to take over the Company House Sunday night, starting at 11 p.m., bringing the festivals first weekend to a close.

The friends include percussionist Mark Kelso, trumpeter Kevin Turcotte, bassist Jamie Gatti and pianist David Braid, who won this years JUNO award for Traditional Jazz Album of the Year.

Were going to play some originals by Jamie, David and myself. And Ive done up some spanking new arrangements of classics by Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Lee Morgan and others.

Tapping into jazzs life pulse


Mr. Mitchell, originally from Kitchener, Ont., makes his home in St. Margarets Bay, but frequently travels to and from Toronto for shows. Those connections in both parts of the country helped him assemble his acclaimed set of players for his Sunday showcase.

Hes also excited about performing in an intimate, late-night setting.

The late night is an environment thats energized because its after the main stage show. Its a place where people can take that energy thats been building through the entire day and bring it home for one last set. And youre so close to the audience that when you get into that vibe, you can dig deep and be creative.

To Mr. Mitchell, whos released four solo albums and has won the Prix du Montreal award, thats what jazz music is all about.

For me, its about exploring your creative side to communicate both with the other musicians on stage, and with your audience. Its tapping into that life pulse.

Mr. Mitchells other performances include playing with Riot Squad on Monday and the David Staples Septet on Tuesday. For a complete schedule of the week, visit the .