The Vernon Jazz Club will be jumping as Mike Field takes the stage Saturday night.
This will be Field’s last Canadian stop before heading off on his globetrotting tour.
The band, which includes three Okanagan musicians, will be playing songs like Attic Jump, Rush Mode, and The Last of the Summer Days all from Field’s first three albums. They will also be performing tunes such as Bemsha Swing (Thelonious Monk) and Autumn Leaves (Kosma & Prévert).
The band is Field on trumpet, John Nicholson on saxophone, Justin Glibbery on piano, Michael Treadway on drums, and Stefan Bienz on bass.
Field kicked off this tour to promote his latest album, Attic Jump, at the beginning of November in Tofino. This tour will take him throughout Canada, the U.S., New Zealand, Australia, Korea, and Germany with more than 30 stops from now until May.
Born and raised in Canada, Field was first introduced to the trumpet by his father.
“When I was 10 years old, I asked my dad what that old suitcase was under the couch. He said it was a trumpet, the one he played at university,” said Field. “It sounded interesting, and so he gave me some pointers for a few months. That’s how it all began.”
Although Field studied privately and played in musicals, concert bands, and orchestras for years, he never intended to play professionally. It wasn’t until he moved to New York City where that all changed.
“I moved to New York City on Sept. 11, 2001 (yes, THAT Sept. 11) without the intention of playing trumpet,” he said. “I was just going to get a day job but with everything that happened that day the city was paralyzed and no one was hiring so I had nothing to do. I did, however, have my trumpet with me and since I had always wanted to study jazz, I figured this would be a good place to do it. So I practised my butt off for a few months, applied to schools, and entered the masters of jazz performance program at NYU.
“Now, it’s not really a choice. It’s just something I have to do. Everything in the universe tells me I should be doing this right now.”
Field’s latest album, Attic Jump, has been nominated for a Toronto Independent Music Award. His second album, Rush Mode, won five Aurora Awards, two Independent Music Video Awards, and was nominated for two Independent Music Awards.
Some of his most recent notable concerts are the Nelson Jazz Festival in New Zealand, the Grampians Jazz Festival in Australia, the Newmarket and Niagara-on-the-Lake Jazz Festivals in Canada, the Lighthouse Café in Los Angeles, SCAT Jazz Club in Madeira, and Gregory’s Jazz Club in Rome.
Nicholson earned his bachelor’s degree from the Capilano University jazz studies program where he studied with Bill Coon, Steve Kaldestad, and Brad Turner among other Canadian jazz luminaries. Along with being a performer he is also an educator who loves to teach.
Glibbery is a pianist, composer, and educator from Penticton. He is currently part of The Offramp Jazz Sextet and Random Act based out of Kelowna. He is the artistic director of the Naramata Community Choir and is the music director at Penticton Secondary School. He has recorded three albums and has worked with Juno-award winning guitarist Oscar Lopez on his most recent album Apasionado.
Treadway is also an alumni of the jazz studies program at Capilano. He plays a variety of styles including swing, rock, funk, folk, fusion, jazz, Afro-Cuban, and Brazilian.
Bienz has played with pianists Ben Waters and Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne, poet Shane Koyczan, guitarist Oscar Lopez, and singer -songwriters Sarah Wheeler, Kevin Kane, and Daryl Oneill. He is currently a member of Offramp, the Screen Doors, and the Tavis Weir trio.
Field’s music can be heard at mikefieldjazz.com.
Field and the band hit the stage at the Vernon Jazz Club (3000-31st St.) Saturday, Nov. 14 at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7:15 p.m. Tickets are $20 at the Bean Scene and at www.vernonjazz.ca with a $5 rebate at the door for members (cash only bar). This event is sponsored by Expressions of Time.
