Take 5 with RĂ©mi Bolduc Jazz Ensemble

Even here in Alberta, the heart of country music, RĂ©mi Bolduc’s broad-based jazz ensemble is respected and admired for its eloquence, energy and musicianship.

It’s not that Bolduc and the jazz ensemble tours here that often. It doesn’t.

But Bolduc’s music catches the ear whether it’s a modern twirl of dissonant jazz, an improvised spiral or the catchy rhythms of one of the greats.

The Montreal-based saxophonist’s current project is a 10-track CD that salutes Dave Brubeck, one of America’s most iconic jazz composer-pianists.

Bolduc is bringing a concert version of Tribute to Dave Brubeck to the Arden Theatre tonight as part of a major tour taking him across the country.

Accompanying him is guest pianist Francois Bourassa, as well as his standard rhythm section, bassist Fraser Hollins and drummer Dave Laing. The latter two have played with Bolduc for 15 years.

The saxophonist-composer is renowned for exploring different styles whether it’s odd-metered jazz of his 2013 album Random Masters or the golden standards of jazz’s glory days. Of the eight albums available on his website, no two are alike.

Brubeck is not the first jazz musician-composer Bolduc has built a tour around. The music of Charlie Parker was his first.

Judging by Internet reviews, audiences are reveling in the new burst of Brubeck covers – tunes that range from signature pieces Blue Rondo a la Turk and Take 5 to the obscure Far More Blue.

Bolduc was introduced to the saxophone in high school at 14. A year later, he was playing with a bunch of friends and by the time he was 19 he’d moved to Montreal for further studies.

He played disco jazz in clubs and met Charlie Parker who encouraged him to learn improvisation. The younger saxophonist’s attraction to jazz simply evolved from the form’s mode of expression.

“I remember feeling when I played jazz, I didn’t have to think how I should play. At college I had to play with written notes and that did not come naturally to me,” Bolduc said.

From his perspective, “music is a language, a way to communicate. If you don’t connect with the music, it will translate into how you express the music. You will be in a box and the emotion doesn’t get through.”

And it’s this all-important connection that as chair of jazz performance at Montreal’s McGill University underpins his vision of education and execution.

He first learned of Brubeck after listening to alto saxophonist Paul Desmond and tenor saxophonist Jerry Bergonzi play with the great one.

“I only met Jerry. He did a concert with me about a month ago. He told me when he played with Brubeck, that he (Brubeck) never told him how to play. He always let his musicians improvise.”

Through Random Masters, Bolduc examined the world of odd metres. In discussions with other jazz aficionados, he discovered Brubeck’s group was one of the main sources to pioneer odd metres. In part, this led to the current Brubeck tribute.

“Also, another motivation was to feature the piano and this gave me an opportunity play with Francois Bourassa. He was a key element of the project and he helped put it all together,” said Bolduc.

The Paris-based Bourassa and Bolduc had played together in the past, but nothing steady. In this project, Bolduc wanted a pianist that was comfortable with improvising, as well as written music – a skill not all jazz musicians are at ease with.

For each concert, the quartet plays the complete album with slight variations each time.

“Every time we try to introduce something different to the concert. Francois and I do duets and we change things here and there.”

As for Bolduc’s next project. It’s quite diverse. In Sax ZĂ©nith Bolduc teams up with four renowned Canadian saxophonists: P.J. Perry, Phil Dwyer, Kirk MacDonald and Kelly Jefferson.