Celebrating a prolific decade

By Anna Borowiecki

In the jazz world an eight-person ensemble is an unconventional grouping. Dave Brubeck had a stellar octet. Dave Pell had another.

But they are rare. Making a wide palette of instruments fit with a solid rhythm section requires a self-assured composer-arranger skilled in the art of diplomacy.

Since 2005 when Kent Sangster’s Obsessions Octet made its debut at Yardbird Jazz Festival, it went on to record two CDs, win a Western Canadian Music Award (WCMA), perform at Carnegie Hall and tour Europe.

Celebrating a decade of success as a fixture of Edmonton’s musical culture, the star-studded octet hosts a 10th anniversary concert on June 8 at the Yardbird Suite. Its major salvos are the instrumental charts of tango revolutionary Astor Piazzolla and Sangster’s originals.

“Ten years is a lot. But what counts in life are the moments we enjoy. And we enjoy playing together, especially after our tour. We are like a different group. Our playing is never the same. Every time we play, it’s a different experience for us and the audience,” said violinist Joanna Ciapka-Sangster, also an Edmonton Symphony Orchestra musician.

Obsessions Octet is actually two quartets – a classically trained string quartet and a jazz quartet (sax, piano, bass, drums) that plays chamber-jazz and encourages improvisation.

When you have an octet of classically trained musicians grooving to jazz rhythms, the performances are mesmerizing.

The octet brings together artists with rich and diverse musical backgrounds including the handiwork of St. Albert’s John Taylor (upright bass), Ronda Metszies (cello) and Neda Yamach (violin).

This unique collaboration originally started as an experiment. It was a dream the Sangsters shared. After receiving a $10,000 grant from Magic 99, Edmonton’s now defunct jazz radio station, the ensemble recorded Obsessions (2006).

Starting as a trial recording it went on to earn a WCMA and a Juno nomination. As the octet played its first gig at the Yardbird, CBC recorded it and the performance went national.

After each level of success, the ensemble has reached for greater heights. And in this case, it has developed into a band whose sum is greater than the individual.

For each musician, the concert is as much a way of giving thanks to their loyal fans as flexing their musical muscle.

“We’ve split the concert into different textures and there will be some moments for the audience to participate. Since it’s our 10th anniversary, we are preparing something unusual.”