PREVIEW
Marquee Pianos Cabaret
Saturday, Feb. 3 at 8 p.m.
Morinville Community Cultural Centre
9502 – 100 Ave
Tickets: Adult $38, Senior $35. Call 780-939-7888 or online at http://www.tixonthesquare.ca
It’s a dicey proposition when a couple of duelling pianists perform an all-request show.
Every performance turns into a high-octane adventure. No one knows what’s going to happen, and that’s all part of the fun for Jesse Peters, the driving force behind Marquee Pianos.
Audiences attending Marquee Pianos Cabaret on Saturday, Feb. 3 at Morinville Cultural Centre (MCC) can expect to hear songs from Tony Bennett to Jay-Z and everything in between.
At the beginning of each show, duelling pianists hand out request lists. People can ask for songs from rock, country, pop, hip hop, jazz oldies – anything in the Top 40 recorded in the last 70 years.
“Crowds determine what we play. They tell us what to do. There’s a sing-along. There’s comedy. We jump around. It’s very interactive,” said Peters.
“The show is off the cuff. We don’t plan too much because we don’t know what to expect. But every show is a blast. It’s so much fun, and we get to play so many other things we wouldn’t normally do.”
He launched Marquee Pianos 10 years ago while living in Edmonton. Depending on availability, different pianists partner with him.
This time around Calgary’s Chance Devlin, pianist for the Livin’ In Swing Orchestra, joins Peters for four sets of great music.
“He’s very good at engaging the crowd. We’ve worked together a number of years and we know each other’s styles. He’s very easy and fun, and we like to see how far we can push everything."
One of Peters’ last appearances in the region before moving to Calgary four years ago was opening the 2012 MCC season as part of a cheeky jazz trio.
Drawn to the improvisational quality of jazz, Peters recorded several albums: Paramedics (2007); Love, Doubt and Soul (2008); Facetime (2011); Swingtime (2013). The records' individual flavours meshed funky soul, hip hop, R&B, gospel and jazz.
His latest release, Love Letter to Survival, is a collection of raw and honest songs about abuse, recovery, healing and hope.
The seven-track is his most personal album, and came about organically after Calgary’s Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services mounted their #I Believe You campaign.
Peters wrote the song, Not Your Fault, and submitted it to the association letting them know they were free to use it to raise awareness.
Not quite sure what to expect, the bold pianist later stated he was honoured to have his music used as a solidarity banner for sexual assault survivors.
“At the media launch at the National Music Centre, I sang the song. I listened to these incredible women who had the courage to tell their story. It was super interesting and super amazing.”
He recorded a duet of Not Your Fault with female singer Eddy Edgar that is now available on Love Letter to Survival.
Peters, also a survivor of abuse, describes Love Letter “as almost a chronicle of the past, how I learned to heal and the lessons I take from it.”
