Obsessions Octet weaves sophisticated jazz

An outstanding jazz ensemble is about to drop some great music tomorrow afternoon at the Polish Hall. And it’s exactly two years to the day since their Carnegie Hall debut.

Obsessions Octet, an ensemble that seriously engages the audience and makes their cohesive effort seem like shadow play, is performing Classical-Tango-Jazz following an extraordinarily successful summer tour of Greece, Poland and Czech Republic.

“We were accepted with enthusiasm everywhere we went and people loved our project. We were unknown to them and at concerts we got standing ovations and at least one curtain call. Audience reactions were so uplifting,” said Edmonton Symphony Orchestra violinist Johanna Ciapka-Sangster.

Led by sax impresario Kent Sangster, the Edmonton International Jazz Festival producer, the octet picked up engrossed audiences wherever they played.

Rounding out the crack lineup of classically trained musicians that deliver all those riveting lines are Leanne Maitland (viola), Chris Andrew (piano) and Jamie Cooper (drums).

Additionally, three ESO musicians from St. Albert – John Taylor (bass), Ronda Metszies (cello) and Neda Yamach (violin) – are also members.

The octet, which probably doesn’t receive nearly the recognition it deserves, performed in a variety of venues and working conditions ranging from the Apollo Theatre on Syros, the seventh oldest opera house in Greece, to Poland’s renowned Jazz in the Woods festival and Gdansk’s 754-year old St. Dominic’s Fair.

Peter Tiboris, director of the annual Festival of the Aegean on the island of Syros, later raved about the group and called their performance an impressive success.

“These extraordinary, virtuosic and creative visiting artists brought an elegance and uniqueness to the festival which is simply amazing. They are world-unique and we look forward to having them return soon,” said Tiboris.

For professional musicians whose jazz engagements are limited, the tour was an opportunity to work together daily, figuring out jazz structure more deeply and refining their harmonic warmth and melodic power.

“We took our music project to a different level. We now are more free to move and understand each other more intuitively,” Ciapka-Sangster noted.

Their nuanced Sunday program is anything but sleepy. It mixes the compositional styles of Astor Piazzolla, Chucho Valdes, Cole Porter and Frederic Chopin.

Sangster is also introducing several original compositions. Thrones is inspired by the Vikings and Game of Thrones television series’ music whereas Travels No. 1 was penned for the ensemble’s debut at Carnegie Hall.

Sangster has also just completed the final touches to Song for Jarek, an ode to Polish jazz musician Jarek Smietana. Little known in Canada outside jazz circles, Smietana was one of Poland’s jazz legends for over 40 years. Based out of Krakow, he toured throughout Europe and played with Sangster at the Yardbird Suite.

“He (Smietana) was a very versatile, excellent guitarist. He was able to perform every kind of music.”

Obsessions Octet has plowed a great deal of fertile ground in the last few years, however this concert promises to reach new levels of sublime music.