ZULA Presents
SEPTEMBER 2005 AT RIME
Click here to download the calendar in PDF
Appearing at Rime every Tuesday in September as our Artist in Residence (AIR), Gordon Grdina, a native Vancouverite, plays the guitar and the Arabic oud. A protégé of jazz great Gary Peacock, he is a well respected contributor to the jazz, improvised, and world music scenes, constantly being sought after for projects that need a unique sound. Gordon studied the oud with Iraqi oud virtuoso Serwan Yamolky and performs in such diverse groups as Box Cutter (genre-bending modern jazz) , Maqam (modern interpretations of Iraqi folk music), Loose Acoustic (improvising groove trio) and Sangha (Arabic/Indian/Persian traditional ensemble). He has also performed or recorded with François Houle, Eyvind Kang, Jesse Zubot, Chuck Isreals, John Stowell, and Dylan Vander Schyff.
Thu, Sep 1/ The Unsupervised (9 pm, $5-10)
As an adventurous, commited, expressive local quintet, The Unsupervised unapologetically dissolve all musical borders and joyfully explore everything from modern jazz and free improvisation, to beautifully quirky country music and greasy funk grooves. Jeff Younger guitar; Kristian Naso trumpet; Dan Pigott saxes; Russell Sholberg bass; Mike Magnusson drums
***Suggested itinerary for September 2-4: Dinner at Rime, off to Silent Summer Nights at Grandview Park at 8 pm, back to Rime after 10 pm… 🙂
Silent Summer Nights
Grandview Park, Commercial at William St.
8 pm, September 2 – 4
Free of charge!
Celebrate the end of summer in style. Saunter into Grandview Park for the 5th annual Silent Summer Nights: three enchanting evenings of silent and not-so-silent films featuring original live music by Eye of Newt and invited guests. A Labour Day Weekend classic co-presented by Radix, Rumble, Rime & Zula, under the musically visionary direction of Stefan Smulovitz.
Friday, September 2/ L’homme qui plantait des arbres (1987) (The man who planted trees)
Winner of the Academy Award for “Best Short Film, Animated”, this gem is a true hommage to nature as it tells the story of one man who turns a desert into a forest.
A Soldier’s Tale (1918) (L’Histoire du Soldat)
Igor Stravinsky’s translation of the Faustian tale into a mundane context, where a soldier’s experiences as he struggles with temptation are more like our own. This is a Faust we can feel sorry for!
Music by Eye of Newt.
Saturday, September 3/ Koyaanisqatsi: Life Out of Balance (1983)
Godfrey Reggio collaborates with cinamatographer Ron Frike (Baraka) and celebrated composer Philip Glass to create a defining cinematic tale of life inside modern technology, our “beautiful beast.” Sweeping shots of nature clash with images of man’s artificial environment to create an unprecedented cinematic interpretation of modern life.
Music by Adios.
Sunday, September 4/ Battleship Potemkin (1925) (Bronenosets Potyomkin)
Director Sergei Einstein’s groundbreaking filmic montage depicts the 1905 uprising against tsarism in Russia: a protest on board the Battleship Potemkin when the crew is given rotten meat for dinner ends in a widespread riot. Labelled as agit prop and censored accross Europe for over 20 years, this ingenious piece effectively attacts and manipulates our senses.
Music by Silent Summer Nights Monster Orchestra.
www.thedrive.ca/eventsilent.shtm
Fri, Sep 2/ Inhabitants (10 pm, $5-10)
“Blissful, yet dissonant ambiance” – The Stranger (Seattle) From melodic to minimalist, from deep groove to all out noise; this quartet inhabits the nether regions of Vancouver’s music underground… JP Carter trumpet; Dave Sikula guitar; Pete Schmitt bass; Skye Brooks drums
Sat, Sep 3/ (aft) Espiritu Do Brasil (3 pm, by donation)
Saturday afternoons in September (except the 17th): Silky, seductive bossa nova infused with a contemporary jazz. Vancouver’s Espiritu do Brasil offers a fresh, modern take on the venerated musical achievements of Antonio Carlos Jobim, Ellis Regina, Joao Bosco and others, incorporating current sounds, grooves and a harmonic lexicon inspired by the sound of New York jazz. Valeria Matzner voice, percussion; Daryl Jahnke guitar; Ian Cox piano, keys; Karlis Silins bass; Nino Di Pasquali drums
www.turnerme.com/espirito.shtml
Sat, Sep 3/ (eve) The Breakmen (10 pm, $5-10)
Providing a refreshing take on traditional bluegrass, The Breakmen slide from smoky 1920’s Delta blues to swinging originals with ease. Archie Pateman banjo, guitar, vocals; Lee Watson guitar, vocals; Ben Rogalsky mandolin, vocals; Matt Lawson bass, vocals
Sun, Sep 4/ (aft) Rich Rabnett & Amaya O’Duir (3 pm, by donation)
Sunday afternoons in September: Guitarist Rich Rabnett (Rabnett 5) covers much musical ground in intense duo settings with different guests. This afternoon, he will make some fresh music with vocalist Amaya O’Duir.
Sun, Sep 4/ (eve) Silent Summer Nights (not so) Monster Orchestra (10 pm, free)
….attacks Rime…”The Russians are coming!!” Some of the city’s finest improvising players follow up their grand performance at Grandview Park with a hot finale at Rime! There will be smaller ensemble playing, as well as much of the Monster Orchestra assembled to blow away Rime patrons…
Mon, Sep 5/ Artistic Arithmetic Collective (9 pm, $5-10)
A self-sustaining collective of artists creatively & resourcefully collaborating on all aspects of creation, production, performance, and promotion, Artistic Arithmetic performances vary from Acadian bilingual/bluesplattered folk run through a wringer, to beer and whiskey fuelled twangy funk, to satiri-comedical bluegrass with possible dub/hip-hop undertones to some spoken word tweaking between slam/jazz/rant with Sophie Richard -Acadian bilingual silkenvoiced songstress; M.D. Wren -lyrics tainted with whiskey & regret set to a funky groove; shayne avec i grec -rants , raves & jazz poems about murder; Ory No’man -folkadelica on heroin; Neil Conway -everything from country to hip hop to punk to folk; plus some notorious, local guest.
www.orynoman.ca + www.neilconway.ca
Tue, Sep 6/ AIR: Gord Grdina & Chris Gestrin / Loose Acoustic (9 pm, $5-10)
Jazz great, keyboardist Chris Gestrin & guitarist Gord Grdina will perform some tunes and some improvisations, followed by Loose Acoustic blending beautiful melodic statements with earthy driving grooves… great for getting people on the dance floor… Gord Grdina guitar; Jeremy Holmes bass; Liam MacDonald drums
“Loose Acoustic harnesses progressive energy in ways that most cannot”… – Roman Sokal (Exclaim)
Wed, Sep 7/ Mike Allen Quartet (9 pm, $5-10)
Warner artist/saxophonist Mike Allen and his Western Canadian Music Award winning, super-talented jazz unit featuring pianist Bruno Hubert, bassist Sean Cronin and drummer Julian MacDonough are set to perform an unforgettable evening of original music.
Thu, Sep 8/ Corcovado (9 pm, $5-10)
A common love of Brazilian music (samba, bossa nova, choro, baiao, frevo) has brought the members of Corcovado together to cover much ground; from cool, urban sounds of Rio to the joyful exuberance of Brazilian folk music. Jill Russell flute, sax, percussion; Steve Charles guitar, cavaquinho; Daryl Jahnke guitar; Paul Bergman bass; Nick Apivor vibes, percussion; Phil Belanger percussion
www.turnerme.com/corcovado.shtml
Fri, Sep 9/ Flophouse Jr CD Release “Houseboat” / The Beige (10 pm, $5-10)
Formed as a side project by Jon Wood some five years ago Flophouse Jr has wandered out of the woodwork once again with a brand new recording, Houseboat, a collection of cinematically charged ditties that stroll gracefully along with distinctively rich vocal harmonies and strong melodic counterpoint.
With atmospheric songs and soundscapes from a jazzy folk place somewhere under the radar, The Beige‘s wry, soulful stories travel different roads, from sublime tragedies to the everyday lives of people born with tails. This music is all about hypnotic grooves and wide open spaces.
Similar line-up for both bands: Jon Wood banjo, lap steel, guitar, vocals; Rick Maddocks guitar, organ xylophone, vocals; Jane Gowan accordion, trumpet (Flophouse Jr.); Andrew Arida keyboards (The Beige); Mark Haney double bass; Geoff Gilliard drums
Sat, Sep 10/ (aft) Espiritu Do Brasil (3 pm, by donation) see Sep 3 for details
www.turnerme.com/espirito.shtml
Sat, Sep 10/ (eve) Shango Ashé (10 pm, $5-10)
Percussionist Jack Duncan has assembled some of Canada’s finest musicians to create The Shango Ashé World Jazz Ensemble, a group that blurs the lines between jazz and Latin music. Intense Afro-Latin rhythms are the foundation from which this group launches their musical explorations, explorations that allow each of the members the freedom to showcase their strengths as players. The maturity of this group and their collective experience makes for a great listening experience. Mike Braverman sax; John Korsrud trumpet; Louis Mastroianni piano; Allan Johnston bass; Raphael Geronimo timbales; Jack Duncan congas
www.turnerme.com/shangoashe.shtml
Sun, Sep 11/ (aft) Rich Rabnett & Kiyoshi Elkuf (3 pm, by donation)
Rab5 bandmates guitarist Rabnett and saxophonist Elkuf burn on an acoustic set of mostly original music.
Sun, Sep 11/ (eve) Christine Fellows / Great Aunt Ida (9 pm, $10)
Christine Fellows lives in Winnipeg and writes stories, punches them full of holes, fashions them into songs using anything she finds lying around, scrapes them clean, and delivers them to us in a voice that is at once immediate and utterly original. Her work has often been described as filmic and sparse, carefully crafted “handmade folk” that would be as fitting performed in an orchestral setting as it would be on a rickety back porch. Christine Fellows piano, vocal; Leanne Zacharias cello, vocal; Greg Smith bass; Barry Mirochnick drums,vocal
A long awaited vehicle for Ida Nilsen‘s talents as a singer and songwriter, Great Aunt Ida also includes Barry Mirochnick drums, Annie Wilkinson bass, and JP Carter trumpet. Extolled for their contributions to some of the most innovative and acclaimed bands to surface amid Vancouver’s independent music scene, Great Aunt Ida’s talented co-conspirators provide the perfect foil for Nilsen’s pretty voice, instantly memorable melodies and elegant piano…great songs by a great band … with fond memories of the *great* (sugar refinery)…
www.hivestudios.net/hive_fi/ida
Mon, Sep 12/ Kevin House / Willie Kuklis (9 pm, $5-10)
As the instigator of the whole “Artist In Residence” idea at Rime and our first resident in February, guitarist, singer Kevin House is one troubadour, whose spooky, impressionistic fairy tales with ornate, burnished melodies stun audiences each and every time.
A founding member of Cultured Cowboy, an eclectic folk band, Victoria resident, guitarist, vocalist Willie Kuklis writes and performs poignant songs in the neo-folk vein.
Tue, Sep 13/ AIR: Gord Grdina & Mariam Matossian / Gordon Grdina Quartet (9 pm, $5-10)
Vocalist Mariam Matossian‘s music is informed by her Armenian heritage and her travels, expresses her ties to her roots beautifully through song with the aid of Gord Grdina on oud
www.garycristall.com/matossian_perfpro.shtml
Gordon Grdina Quartet is comprised of musicians who have played together in different scenarios for years and have now formed a band that performs original tunes as well as standards and contemporary pop tunes. Don’t miss the inaugural performance of this exciting new group. Gord Grdina guitar; Jon Bentley sax; Paul Rushka bass; Nino Dipasquale drums
Wed, Sep 14/ Bruce Freedman Quartet (9 pm, $5-10)
A veteran jazz unit of great skill & killer instincts, this quartet plays creative fire music… Bruce Freedman saxophones; Rod Murray trombone; Clyde Reed bass; Stan Taylor drums.
Thu, Sep 15 – Sat, Sep 17/ The 2nd Vancouver Steel Guitar Festival (8 pm, $12 advance, $15 door, $30 all 3 nights)
Lovers of the steel guitar in all its glorious configurations rejoice as some of BC’s finest steel players for 3 nights covering everything from Hawaiian to Western Swing, blues and beyond are brought to us by Kat Wahamaa & Tony Rees!!
Thursday, September 15 they kick things off with guitarist, vocalist Steve Dawson‘s “We Belong to the Gold Coast” CD release. A multi-Juno Award winner he has been playing and recording professionally since he was 15 years old. He has toured extensively in North America and Europe both as a frontman and sideman for various groups. His instrumental abilities have allowed him to share the stage with internationally-known musicians such as Bob Brozman, John Lee Hooker, Chris Whitley, Kelly Joe Phelps, and many others. Wahamaa/Rees/Flunkert play an opening set.
Friday, September 16 features Lorene & Art Ruymar, premier purveyors of Hawaiian, the genesis of the steel guitar. Both are accomplished steel guitarists and music educators. Kamoe & The Outriggers Dancers further the evening’s Hawaiian motif. Kamoe and his wife Kalola formed the OutRiggers Polynesian Dance Band & Revue which performs across Canada and the U.S. Kamoe plays many musical instruments, but specializes in the Hawaiian steel guitar. Talented Steel guitarist Tim Tweedale (Blue Island Trio) will also play a solo set. Blind God, a beautifully raw & powerful duo with a huge New York sound, will bend our ears in a very different direction at the end of the night. Vampire-Delta blues… music you already know deep down! Dave Olajide steel guitar, vocals; Ray Garroway drums.
Saturday, September 17 features blues, improv, jazz fusion, Western Swing and some serious string bending. Scott Smith (Bughouse 5, Bottleneck) has been a fixture of the Vancouver roots music scene since the mid 90’s. He’ll perform with his blues band Terminal Station. Georgia Straight columnist Alexander Varty (Resin) is also a musician and steel guitar collector. Alex will mostly improvise on “prepared” steel with percussion. Aaron Joyce (Carolyn Mark, Rae Spoon) brings the ensemble the Microscopic Orchestra to the mix. Their unique combination of steel, violin, cello, tabla, electric guitar and original compositions result in a beautiful musical tapestry. Michael Dunn (Hot Club of Mars) highlights the Saturday evening. He has spent most of his working life as a luthier, building Weissenborn and Knutsen style guitars. He will perform on a 1929 National squareneck, and a Kona style instrument of his own design. Michael Flunkert, also known as the Steel Doctor (Kat Wahamaa, Eldorado, Hi-Rise Dex and the Stellar Jays) closes the fest with old friends Kat and Tony in the Shiny Buckle Band with some rousing roots rock, blues and Western Swing.
Saturday, September 17th from 3 – 5 pm In addition to all these great performances, Lorene Ruymar will also offer a basic steel guitar workshop on at Rime. Ruymar is the author of How to Play the Lap Steel, an instruction course she originally designed for high schools of Hawaii, as Ruymar helped significantly in the repatriation of steel guitar to its Hawaiian roots. www.shinybuckle.com
Sun, Sep 18/ (aft) Rich Rabnett & Kiyoshi Elkuf (3 pm, by donation)
Rab5 bandmates guitarist Rabnett and saxophonist Elkuf burn on an electric set of mostly original music.
Sun, Sep 18/ (eve) Moritz Behm Trio / Selina Koop (9 pm, $5-10)
The Moritz Behm Trio, featuring Moritz Behm on violin, Jesse Pinner on drums, and Billy D. on bass, play music based on a mix of Celtic, rock, and classical influences, launching into improvisational new directions at the drop of a hat.
Selina Koop (Millicent) is a sensitive and raw young vocalist, playing a blend of ragtime, blues and contemporary piano compositions.
Mon, Sep 19/ George McFetridge: Anatma (9 pm, $5-10)
Modern jazz outfit performs elegant, intricate compositions a la early 70’s Miles Davis. George McFetridge piano, soprano sax; Dave Say saxes, electronics; Josh Cole double bass, electronics; Dan Gaucher drums, electronics
www.vancouverjazz.com/home/mcfetridge
Tue, Sep 20/ AIR: Gord Grdina’s Improv Night – Trios (9 pm, $5-10)
An improv party that combines some of Vancouver’s veteran improvisers with some newer contributors in different trio combinations…exciting, fresh and adventurous stuff! Gordon Grdina guitar, oud, dobro; François Houle clarinet; Jesse Zubot violin; Stefan Smulovitz laptop, viola; Torsten Müller bass; Kenton Loewen drums
Wed, Sep 21/ François Bourassa “Rass” Quintet (9 pm, $10)
Featuring François Bourassa on piano and compositions, Andre Leroux on saxes and flute, Greg Ritchie on drums, Aboulaye Kone on African percussion and, replacing Guy Boisvert for this tour, bassist Miles Perkin, this group fuses modern jazz with free and has undertones of world music for a contemporary sound that is altogether their own.
Thu, Sep 22/ Ion Zoo (9 pm, $5-10)
Inspired by bebop, noise, baroque aria, blues & Weimar cabaret, this band creates an aural feast of haunting melodies. Stephen Bagnell reeds, percussion; Clyde Reed bass; Carol Sawyer voice
Fri, Sep 23 & Sat, Sep 24/ Veda Hille, Nick Jaina (10 pm, $10-15)
Our good neighbour and earthy, charming songstress of great gems, Veda Hille is back at Rime for two magical nights on piano and guitar! Veda writes about the natural world, the constant threat of tragedy, the trickiness of love, and anything else that amazes her.
“Hille is one of the most acclaimed artists in the country – visceral, luminescent, fierce, haunting, and with talent to burn . . . seeing her live is like discovering that the giant talking wizard’s head actually is a giant talking wizard’s head.” Anna Lemond, The Coast, Halifax, November 2000
“She’s a gift from God, or at least from Canada.” The Independent, Santa Barbara, CA, December 1998
Visiting us from Portland, Nick Jaina of Binary Dolls plays guitar and piano ballads with devastatingly good lyrics. He will be featuring songs from his new album “The Bluff of All Time”, mixing the grace and smoothness of Paul Simon with the street vernacular and grittiness of Tom Waits.
Sat, Sep 24/ (aft) Espiritu Do Brasil (3 pm, by donation) see Sep 3 for details
www.turnerme.com/espirito.shtml
Sun, Sep 25/ (aft) Rich Rabnett & Meredith Bates (3 pm, by donation)
Guitarist Rich Rabnett is joined by violinist Meredith Bates for some lively Gypsy-jazz.
Sun, Sep 25/ (eve) Roger Dean Young’s “Sunday Evening Coming Down” (8 pm, $5-10)
Revered alt-roots musician, Copperspine recording artist Roger Dean Young -with his band The Tin Cup & other friends- curates one Sunday each month of lusciously quiet, beautifully sparse mood music, just right for the occasion. Tonight he will be joined by eclectic country/roots guy Kent McAllister.
Mon, Sep 26/ Randy Raine-Reusch & Stefan Smulovitz / Wild Elio (9 pm, $5-10)
Music pioneer, 25 year veteran Randy Raine-Reusch is an extreme multi-instrumentalist, an inspired composer, and a driving force integrating diverse cultures in contemporary music. Talented laptopper & violist Stefan Smulovitz has joined forces with Raine-Reusch to create some new music of great beauty & depth, encompassing jazz, new music and world music elements.
Three fine fellows searching for a truthful sound. Long time now they been searching. Influenced by folk, jazz, Mediterranean and other world beat elements, Wild Elio plays a variety of original compositions and covers in English and Italian creating a sound of romantic and mystical moods. Elio Rota accordion,vocals; Enrico Renz guitar, vocals; Steve Lazin percussion
Tue, Sep 27/ AIR: Gord Grdina & Sangha (9 pm, $5-10)
Drawing from a melting pot of, predominantly Arabic, Persian and Indian, musical/improvisational traditions, yet forging a new path, Sangha plays anything from Indian classical rhythms mixed with Persian improvisation in one piece, Arabic melodic modulation set in a Persian mode in another, to African melody set inside a westernized improvisational structure in the next. Gord Grdina oud; Neelamjit Dhillon tabla; Hamin Honari tombak, daf; Reza Honari kamanche.
“The whole vibe is very positive… it sounds like dancing” – Gary Peacock
Wed, Sep 28/ Flamenco Alcala (9 pm, $5-10)
“…extraordinary guitarist, quite simply world class.” – The Weekly
New Orleans born Flamenco guitarist Gerardo Alcala is one of the few foreigners to be respected as a full-fledged Flamenco artist by the gypsy Flamencos of Andalucia, among whom he lived the authentic Flamenco lifestyle for many years. He learned his art from the masters: Rafael del Aguila, Parrila de Jerez, Nino Jero, Rafael Alarcon, Eduardo de la Malena, and Pedro Bacan. Gerardo’s style represents a return to a more raw, traditional way of feeling and playing Flamenco, based primarily in the school of Jerez. Gerardo Alcala guitar; Angel Romero vocals; Affifa Moxness dance; Bonnie Stewart dance; plus guests.
“Absolutely impeccable.” – Jaleo
www.flamenco.ca/biographies/gerardo_alcala/bio.html
Thu, Sep 29/ Karin Plato (9 pm, $5-10)
“There’s a sense of danger about her work that’s enthralling.” – Geoff Chapman, The Toronto Star
Jazz vocalist and composer, Karin Plato graces the Rime stage with her trusty band with pianist Lou Mastroianni, trombonist Rod Murray, bassist Paul Rushka and drummer Nino DiPasquale. A National Jazz Award and Juno Award nominee, Karin’s own compositions sit comfortably next to her arrangements of jazz, blues and latin standards.
“An underrated Vancouver singer whose real strength is in her original composition.” – Ken Eisner, The Georgia Straight
Fri, Sep 30/ The Highballs (10 pm, $5-10) Party hearty! A faux Mexican extravaganza from start to finish, The Highballs are sure to knock you on your ass (if not, the tequila will) with their brand of mariachi-punk-ska-surf-Tex-Mex like you’ve never heard! Puerco guitar; Guaco bass; Senor Discount drums; Manuel Labour banjo; Marco Esperanza saxophone
ZULA Presents 