The Concerts in the Park series continue at Kinnaird Park every Wednesday evening. The August 5 concert features the Laura Landsberg Quartet from Nelson, and on August 19 the Melody Diachun’s trio will be performing. Both Laura and Melody teach voice at Selkirk College in Nelson.
Laura Landsberg is no stranger to the local music scene, having just performed at the Kootenay and Kaslo Jazz Festivals. (Her Kootenay Festival concert was aborted due to an electrical storm.) In June she completed a tour in Kaslo, Silverton and Rossland, promoting her recent CD, “A Simple Twist of Fate.” For the concert at Kinnaird Park she will be performing songs from previous CDs as well as from the new one.
Laura Landsberg’s talent comes naturally, as she was born in London, England to the daughter of world-renowned trombonist Ian McDougall. She has been performing her unique blend of jazz, blues, gospel and country music throughout North America for over twenty years, while leading a busy life as a mother to six children and music instructor at Selkirk College. The new CD sees her branching out to other genres: Bob Dylan’s folk music, Van Morrison’s country, and CCR’s Rock and Roll.
You can listen to Laura’s unique, smooth voice backed by outstanding musicians on her web site: www.lauralandsberg.com.
Joining Laura for this special evening will be Tony Ferraro, Paul Landsberg, and Doug Stephenson, who are all equally talented and experienced musicians.
Tony Ferraro on drums is a long-time resident of Trail who studied at Humber College in Toronto where he was awarded Percussionist of the year. He has studied with some of the best drummers in the world.
Paul Landsberg, Laura’s husband, plays lead and rhythm guitar. He has been performing for 35 years throughout North America and Europe, playing with renowned musicians such as Shari Ulrich and Ben E. King. He has recorded three CDs and teaches music at Selkirk College.
Doug Stephenson on bass, originally from Calgary, relocated to Vancouver and now lives in Nelson. He has performed with many noted jazz musicians for over 30 years.
Doug and his wife, vocalist Melody Diachun, moved to Nelson after Melody got a job teaching voice at Selkirk College.
Melody Diachun also came from a musical family and was the first vocalist admitted to the McGill University’s jazz performance program where she earned a Bachelor of Music degree with distinction. Since then she has performed in many venues from Nova Scotia to Montreal to Vancouver, with stints in New York and Banff. In 2009 she was nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year at Canada’s National Jazz Awards. She has three CDs to her credit and has been a featured vocalist on five others. Melody has recently been promoted to Program Coordinator for the music facility at Selkirk College.
On her web site (www.melodydiachun.com), Melody writes, “One of the biggest compliments I get is when people tell me they don’t like jazz, but they really like what I do.”
Melody Diachun’s trio will be performing at Kinnaird Park on August 19. The trio includes Doug Stephenson on guitar, Tony Ferraro on drums, and Mark Spielman on bass. Mark has a long and fruitful career as a bass player, playing with such artists as Shari Ulrich and Ellen MacIlwaine. He also teaches music at Selkirk College.
Concerts in the Park begin at 7 p.m. each Wednesday evening —unless lightning threatens the stage.
