By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:53-08:00January 17, 2016|
Happy New Year! I hope that wherever you are 2016 is shaping up to be a wonderful year for you! How are those resolutions going….? This week’s Sunday Slow(ish) Jam features a track by saxophonist Charles Lloyd. For some reason […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:54-08:00December 27, 2015|
Happy New Year! I hope that you survived the “Christmas Craziness” and had a beautiful time with friends and family. After the holidays begin to wind down, I enjoy taking a few moments to think about what is important, set […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:54-08:00December 20, 2015|
The holidays are upon us and it always seems a little bit crazy this time of year. The eternal “to do” list is always way too long and it often feels like the madness will never end. Perhaps this is […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:54-08:00December 13, 2015|
Joni and Mingus. These two artists managed to influence the world with their musicality, expressivity, bright ideas, and progressive thoughts and approaches to making music. The fact that they can be identified by first or last name alone speaks to […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:55-08:00December 6, 2015|
Canadian alto saxophonist Dylan Cramer found music at a transformative time in his life. He was 13 years old when he initially heard a Sonny Criss recording and knew that he wanted to study with him. Six years later Cramer […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:55-08:00November 29, 2015|
“…Have I lived to see the milk and honey land where hate’s a dream and love forever stands or is this a vision in my mind?” I like to believe that Stevie Wonder has written a song for every moment. […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:55-08:00November 22, 2015|
This week’s Sunday Slow Jam features a classic tune called, “A Remark You Made” by the prodigious Weather Report. This highly influential band was stacked with monster musicians who liked to seek out the in-between spaces and just hang there. […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:55-08:00November 15, 2015|
Today’s Sunday Slow(ish) Jam features the spunky and creative Scott Amendola Band. A little bit funky, a little bit sideways and outside the box, always stretching and searching, This band is bold and fearless. It features some really great musicians […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:56-08:00November 8, 2015|
The Mike Allen Quartet is one of Vancouver’s shining gems and an undeniable musical force that plays everything from heavy hitting originals to beloved standards. Check out this great tune “Walk in The Rain” from the quartet’s 2007 release called […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:56-08:00November 1, 2015|
You know you’re a bad mamajama when you can give yourself the designation of “Doctor” and no one protests. Dr. Lonnie Smith is that heavy of a musician and character. People have been calling him “Doctor” for more than forty […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:56-08:00October 25, 2015|
This week Vancouver’s music community lost its sparkle as we heard about the passing of the wonderful, Bob Murphy. He was a generous, kind hearted, inspiring and thrilling musician, one of Canada’s best. A fantastic “piano giant” who was deeply […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:56-08:00October 11, 2015|
“Speak softly love and hold me warm against your heart.” Sounds like a perfect way to start a Sunday to me. “Speak Softly Love” was written by Larry Kusic and Nick Rota and is best known as the theme from […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:56-08:00October 4, 2015|
Steve Kaldestad is one of Vancouver’s musical treasures! He is a fearless player with three fantastic albums of his own and is also featured with notable groups such as Jesse Cahill’s NightCrawlers and the Jodi Proznik Quartet. This week’s Sunday […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:57-08:00September 27, 2015|
This Sunday’s jam is coming from the soulful side of things. “Day Dreaming” is one of Aretha Franklin’s breakout hits off of her 1972 Grammy Award winning album, “Young, Gifted & Black”. This track coos from start to finish and […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:57-08:00September 20, 2015|
“Oh Lover Man, where can you be…..?” pours out of Chet Baker’s trumpet like sweet honey. His beautiful lyrical interpretation can’t help but keep the listener hooked to the emotional content of this song, making it a favourite of mine. […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:57-08:00September 13, 2015|
Louis Hayes’ musical career spans over four decades and has helped to shape the sound of jazz forever. His brand of drumming is driving, evocative and really swings. From a young age he has played with jazz greats such as […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:58-08:00September 6, 2015|
I have three words for you: Cécile. McLorin. Salvant.
Don’t let the glasses fool you. Cécile McLorin Savant is a fantastic, serious student of music. You can’t not hear that when you listen to her new album “For One To Love”. […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:58-08:00August 30, 2015|
Hiromi Uehara has been stunning audiences with her impeccable musicianship for years. She may look quiet and demure, however, she is as fierce as it gets. I believe that she is the best kind of musician; gifted with extreme heart, […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:58-08:00August 23, 2015|
There is something I find incredibly beautiful about the standard, “In Your Own Sweet Way”. I can’t decided if it’s the quirky and lovely melody or if it’s the crafty tonal shifts that happen throughout the piece or the dear […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:58-08:00August 9, 2015|
This summer I’ve had the privilege to tour across Canada and make music with some mighty fine people. There is something about being on the road that is fantastic and invigorating, especially during the summer. However, there is always a […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:59-08:00July 26, 2015|
I recently watched a documentary about Nina Simone called “What Happened Miss Simone?”. It highlighted Nina’s beautifully complicated, brilliant mind and fiery presence. Simone’s personality is as deep, multi-faceted and moving as her music. In a way it seems music […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:59-08:00July 12, 2015|
Today’s offering makes me think of raindrops, warm sunshine and rainbows reflected on walls. There is something special about this ballad “Blue in Green” that makes me feel warm and fuzzy. For me, hearing Kenny Werner play it takes it […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:59-08:00July 5, 2015|
Wow, we made it. The 2015 Vancouver International Jazz Festival is officially over and what an inspiring, creative and jam-packed time that was. I find myself savouring the shows that I was lucky enough to see and pining over the […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:29:59-08:00June 28, 2015|
Tower of Power is the funkiest and tightest band that you will ever have the pleasure of hearing. Known for their wall of sound, virtuosic solos, percolating bass lines and bubbling grooves they have perfected their brand of Oakland funk […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:00-08:00June 21, 2015|
Listening to the first 10 seconds of this track you may already notice that Eric Revis likes to colour outside the lines. This rendition of Jelly Roll Morton’s ‘Winin’ Boy Blues’ immediately evokes New Orleans with its swampy beat, big […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:00-08:00June 14, 2015|
It’s summer time in Vancouver which signals the beginning of The Vancouver International Jazz Festival! This year’s festival is stacked with some of music’s BEST! This week I’d like to feature a tune by the skilled composer, arranger, collaborator and […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:00-08:00June 7, 2015|
The Roots have been considered hip hop pioneers since the release of their breakthrough album “Things Fall Apart”. Fifteen years later, they are now easily recognized as The Tonight Show’s house band and have earned the right to be called […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:00-08:00May 31, 2015|
It was Miles Davis’ birthday this week, he would have been 89 years old. I often like to wonder what sorts of things he would have done if he were still alive. Who would he have collaborated with…Hendrix, Run DMC, […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:04-08:00May 24, 2015|
A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of connecting with Chance Hayden, a great musician and performer based in Oregon. He was somewhere in Europe on tour with Jarrod Lawson and we were swapping albums and sharing stories via […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:04-08:00May 17, 2015|
Real, deep, humble…are just a few of the words that can be used to describe the great B.B. King. It’s hard to believe that he has played his last lick, sung his last riff and that Lucille will never sounds […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:04-08:00May 10, 2015|
This week’s Sunday Slow(ish) Jam does push the bpm a little to qualify as a true SSJ, but it’s too good not to share. It’s an intelligent, hip arrangement of the classic r&b tune, “Weak” by SWV as performed by […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:04-08:00May 3, 2015|
This week’s Sunday Slow(ish) Jam although almost 40 years old still manages to speak to the political climate in our world, in North America, in Ferguson, in Baltimore…This song reminds me that we still need music to express the rage […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:04-08:00April 26, 2015|
When I was going to music school my friend and I would marvel and sigh as we listened to “Together Again” (the second album featuring duets by Bill Evans and Tony Bennett). We’d often wonder just how the album could […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:05-08:00April 19, 2015|
Technical wizard, virtuosic and masterful are just a few words to describe Stanley Clarke. Check him out on “Spanish Phases for Strings and Bass” and you will hear why he is one of the world’s best musicians. I love the […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:05-08:00April 12, 2015|
Today’s offering is a study, a beautiful and subtle demonstration of containment and focus of groove and dynamics. No one over played, space was just as much a member of this trio and everything percolated in a satisfying way. I […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:05-08:00April 5, 2015|
Jazz legend and great thinker Wayne Shorter once said, “You need resistance to take off.” He was comparing the struggle of making music, pushing boundaries of self and art to that of an airplane preparing to fly. He eloquently affirmed that […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:05-08:00March 29, 2015|
I fall in love with this melody every time I hear it, perhaps it’s how and rises, or it’s the way Stevie Wonder sings it…or both. It breaks my heart and soothes it all at the same time. This is […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:06-08:00March 22, 2015|
Happy spring! I am always surprised and relieved when spring is here and dark days and winter rain (or snow) are behind us. Hopefully you are can embrace the freshness of the season with lightheartedness and none of the angst […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:06-08:00March 15, 2015|
Ahmad Jamal is a master of contrast. He can pull you in with cool and easy licks and then hit you with technical ferocity and dynamic shifts all within the same musical phrase. I love the way he takes his […]
By Dawn Pemberton|2018-11-23T21:30:06-08:00March 8, 2015|
It’s official. Coastal Jazz has just announced that Snarky Puppy is coming back to Vancouver as part of the Jazz Fest’s Vogue Series this year! Whether you are a long time fan or new to the band’s music there is […]
