Calgary's Jazzy, Star-Studded Comeback

Source: www.globeandmail.com - Norval Scott

(June 27, 2008) CALGARY — Dave Brubeck has only to walk to his piano to gain a standing ovation from a sold-out Calgary audience. A dapper figure who doesn't entirely look his 87 years, the jazz legend sits and starts to play.

The packed house falls completely silent, hanging on every note, and erupting into reverent applause at every opportunity. While Brubeck's performance has elicited many reactions throughout his long career, on Thursday his music signalled something very particular: Jazz in Calgary is back from the brink.

The current resurgence is clearest at the city's annual summer Jazz Festival, which for years has struggled both to attract marquee names and to make money, and which almost collapsed in 2006 when its promoter pulled out at the last minute. But bands booked to be at the 2006 fest appealed to a separate local association, C-Jazz, to find somewhere for them to play. In response, C-Jazz effectively took over the festival, and has steadily been rebuilding its reputation.

The lineup for this year's festival, which opened Tuesday, is by far the strongest in recent memory. As well as Brubeck, such big names as trumpet virtuoso Wynton Marsalis, and Maceo Parker (a one-time band mate of both James Brown and George Clinton) all played this week to capacity crowds.

“People are coming to play, and the city's getting into it,” says Patrick Maiani, executive director of C-Jazz. “We have an intelligent population with a hunger and thirst for the finer things in life, and people are looking to enjoy culture and music.”

Despite Calgary's reputation in some quarters as a cultural backwater, the city has long been a hub of country-and-western music. As well, it nursed a thriving blues scene in the 1960s and seventies, and aficionados say that historical connection is still there for the right acts to tap into.

But until recently, Calgary hasn't been able to attract the big names. Not only did the city's main jazz festival play second fiddle to Edmonton's own, larger event, but the promoter who ran both shows, Marc Vasey, developed a reputation for not paying artists on time. As a result, many of the big names shunned Alberta, and the festival began to die.

But the change of leadership – and the renewed willingness of major names to travel to Calgary – has breathed new life into the festival. Ticket receipts for this year's shows are four times those of 2007, and 16 times those of 2006.

In an interview, Brubeck said he was delighted at the reception he received. “It was a great audience, and a great auditorium. All the things that make a concert good happened.”

“It's just rocking right now, there's so much happening,” says Dale Turri, communications director with the Calgary Professional Arts Alliance. “Jazz has had its problems in Calgary in the past, and that's made it hard to keep things running. But now the right people are at the helm, and it's remarkable how much has happened in such a short period of time.”

Another boost has come from Calgary's burgeoning oil wealth, which has helped create a range of benefactors keen to support the city's ongoing cultural development. Pipeline giant TransCanada Corp. is the main sponsor of this year's festival, while oilmen like Richard Gusella, chief executive of oil-sands firm Connacher Oil and Gas Ltd., have also stepped up. “Any exposure to great music is good for a city like Calgary,” says Gusella. “And if there's a chance to hear Dave Brubeck … well, we all played the piano as kids. Why wouldn't you step up?”

While a confluence of factors is improving the lot of jazz in Calgary, it's clear a key element in that rebirth is the leadership of Maiani, a 46-year-old self-confessed jazz buff whose lazy, hipsterish drawl completely fails to mask his passion for bringing the music he loves to a wider audience.

“It always takes one crazed individual – one dedicated, insane person – to spearhead a festival, and that's him,” says John Reid, Prairie regional director of the Canadian Music Centre and founder of the original Calgary Jazz Festival. “He's gone and raised money to get the big names in, and that's got everyone talking. Calgary has always had a strong audience for jazz, but hasn't always had the [shows] or the infrastructure. Now Pat's doing a great job lining that up, and things are blossoming.”

With this year's festival already a success, Maiani is confident that next year's 30th-anniversary fest will do even better. “We have a new young audience, and there's tons of money and belief in this town,” adds Maiani. “Is it possible to create this whole new core of happening things in Calgary? I think it is, and the festival can be a catalyst.”