Building the best

Sometimes the best gifts are not found under a Christmas tree, but rather in a music hall. All season the St. Albert Community Concert Band and the Saint City Big Band have tuned up their musical mastery to a higher level in terms of proficiency.

Tonight at the Arden Theatre the two bands are closing the season with Spring Concert, a varied, breezy repertoire suited to summer. Expect to hear jazz, musical theatre, march adaptations, ethnic flavoured rhythms and children’s music.

Despite the evening’s lightness, this concert will have bittersweet undertones as the community concert band pays tribute to one of their own – a musician and dear friend. Baritone saxophone player Murray Cowden, who was also part of the Saint City Big Band and Saxophobia, passed away this season.

For years Cowden had tried to persuade music director Dr. Angela Schroeder to inject composer Alfred Reed’s Armenian Dances into the program. It is a five-movement work with distinct time signature changes and moods.

“Murray was very persistent. It was something he’d played in high school and it meant something to him. We pulled it out a couple of years ago and crashed and burned. So we put it away,” said Schroeder, describing the advanced level piece.

“The music of Alfred Reed is very complex. But when you hear it, you don’t hear the complexity. That’s what makes it special. This year we were ready for the challenge and had it in our folder. It is sadly ironic that Murray won’t be here the year we’re tackling this piece.”

The 75-member mixed band is also pulling all the stops on a medley of Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story and the Disney hit When You Wish Upon a Star.

Schroeder also introduces Hollywood arranger Ira Hearshen’s After the Thunderer, the second movement of four he composed as part of Symphony on Themes of John Philip Sousa. The Thunderer, one of Sousa’s compositions showcasing a weighty drum and bugle score, is one of his most famous works.

The settings for After the Thunderer range from chorale-like, to mysterious, to reflective.

“After the Thunder takes themes from (Sousa’s) light, joyful march and creates a more sombre, deeper form. He (Hearshen) tackles the same melodies and transfers something different and especially beautiful. It’s powerful, emotional and absolute genius,” Schroeder said.

The concert’s second half is filled out with the seven charts from Saint City Big Band. Under the auspices of music director J.H. Picard, the jazz band has raised the level of musicianship.

“We’re in a transition phase,” said Picard, who saw some musicians leave after harder numbers were introduced.

While musicians boosted their chops, Picard planned a program that has quite a few body-shakin’ charts.

Right off the bat there’s Sammy Nestico’s Wind Machine, a fast swing piece featuring the sax and brass section.

Larry Schrum from Edmonton’s River City Big Band has worked on a special arrangement of Just Friends featuring solos from saxophonist Cameron Johnson and trombonist Bill Hewitt.

Picard is also featuring the Latin beats of Juan Tizol’s Perdito, a booty shakin’ mambo-swing chart. And there is also a surprise vocalist performing Mustang Sally, At Last and Sir Drake.

Picard closed by saying, “You’re going to be really impressed with this band. It’s the strongest version I’ve had.”