Brenda Gough
News Contributor
A jazz performer nominated in the 2014 Black Canadian Awards will be in Qualicum Beach March 14.
Maureen Washington is joining Ron Hadley on piano and Joey Smith on bass as The Old School House (TOSH) presents another Jazz Cabaret evening.
An always popular performer at a wide range of events and venues around the Island, including the 2011 Victoria International Jazz Fest, Washington was named Monday Magazine’s Jazz and Blues Artist of the Year, and was nominated for the Vancouver Island Music Awards Female Vocalist of the Year.
Currently she is in the running for a Black Canadian Award and is in fine company in the best jazz/soul category.
Her vocal diversity lent itself to performances of blues, swing jazz and funk with BOP, a band widely acclaimed as the best dance band in the Prince George region.
Now based in Victoria, Washington continues to create new musical avenues and is has a growing entourage of fans as she performs with duos, sextets, and solo artists.
Some will remember Washington from the 2012 TOSH birthday dinner on the field where she entertained on a warm summer evening, others will not forget her memorable performance under the stars at the 100th birthday party of the Qualicum Beach Memorial Golf Course.
Hadley, who was on piano for both of those events, said it has been a few years since Washington has performed at TOSH and he is excited to bring her back for the special event. The Jazz Cabaret has been going for a few years now at TOSH and Hadley said it is quite different from Music on Sunday.
“This isn’t like the lovely and intimate concerts we have on Sunday. For the Jazz Cabaret, we have tables and it turns into jazz night club,” he explained.
Tickets for the evening, which also includes a dessert buffet, are $20 each or you can buy a table of four for $70. The entertainment begins at 7 p.m. on March 14. Call TOSH at 250-752-6133 for tickets.
