The Beltone Jazz Series continues April 17 at The Little Red Church with another great evening of live jazz, as Rachel Fuller and Friends take to the stage.
This high skills local combo includes an eclectic mix of the Valley’s finest musicians featuring Rachel Fuller, Jay Havelaar, Charity Munro, Mike Eddy, Don MacKay and Neil Clark.
British musician Rachel Fuller moved to the Valley in 2010 with international career credentials as a sax/clarinet player.
Audiences are always mesmerized by her electronic wind instrument (EWI) with which she can jump through eight octaves in a split second, double up two notes at once, glide and bend notes and choose from an array of 50 preset sounds.
Audience members are usually baffled and full of questions after the show. For those clarinet fans attending, Fuller will feature exhilarating transcriptions from jazz immortals, demonstrating technical brilliance.
Jay Havelaar knows some seriously good licks on the trumpet! Havelaar’s attention to detail when reading charts is immaculate and he knows his chords back to front. Who would have thought he had time for all that practise when he is also a practising lawyer.
Lead vocalist of Time Well Wasted, Charity Munro, is not only a ‘rock-star’ but also an accomplished jazz, blues and soul vocalist. Munro has a unique purity to her voice that intrigues you to no end with her graceful approach, her perfect tuning and her wide vocal range.
For this performance, Munro will be featured in four songs: Gentle Rain, Good Bait, Nature Boy and Caravan.
Mike Eddy is a phenomenal jazz pianist who studied with George Robert and Bob Murphy.
Eddy’s well thought out solos are technically exceptional and full of life. Eddy twice received Alberta’s ‘Excellence in Teaching’ award, and in 1998 he was Alberta’s Band Director of the Year.
Bassist Don MacKay moved to the Valley after 30 years of playing, directing, writing and teaching music in Victoria. During his tenure in that city, MacKay played with nearly everyone in the jazz scene.
Since moving to the Comox Valley, MacKay has immersed himself in the music scene, playing and directing whenever and wherever he can.
Victoria-born drummer Neil Clark has spent many years collaborating with some of the best local and international musicians.
For much of the 1980s, Clark performed on cruise ships touring the world while backing many well known groups and entertainers. Clark plays as much as possible with local musicians and is a member of the Georgia Straight Jazz Society.
Opening act performances have become a popular part of the Beltone Jazz Series evenings.
This Thursday’s opener, is 64-years-young Walter Jordan, who is a perfect example of the old saying “its never too late” to pursue your passion.
Since taking his voice from the shower to the stage your years ago, Walter now studies with vocal coach Jackie Lambeth and is involved with four vocal groups.
The Beltone Jazz Series is a family-friendly venue, located at The Little Red Church hall in Comox.
The purchase of tea, coffee, soft drinks and goodies is currently by donation to the Comox Valley Therapeutic Riding Society.
Advance Tickets are $10 and available at Bop City in Courtenay and The Red Carpet Boutique in Comox . Doors open at 7:00 and performance begins at 7:30 p.m.
— Beltone Jazz Series
