Mark Allan
Special to The Record
Following a trail blazed by Danish pianist-comedian Victor Borge, the Joe Trio delights audiences with inspired classical music and sly humour.
Sometimes simultaneously.
In the words of violinist Cameron Wilson, the trio wanted to “unstuff the stuffiness of classical music.”
After a two-year hiatus several years ago, the trio (including pianist Allen Stiles and cellist Charles Inkman) has toured sparsely.
After eight performances in 2014, four in 2015 and eight last year, six are already scheduled through March 25, including Feb. 5 at the Sid Williams Theatre.
“We’re just getting back in the swing of things,” Wilson says. “We’ve been playing a lot of the same stuff for awhile, so we wanted to develop a new program.”
Videos on their website showcase selections from previous performances, including the spooky Danse Macabre by Camille Saint-Saëns and Dizzy Gillespie’s wacky jazz number Salt Peanuts.
You have not lived until you’ve heard the Pink Panther theme as Beethoven might have arranged it. Or Deep Purple for that matter.
You won’t hear six Pink Panther variations at the Sid because Joe has a new program, although Wilson promises the trio will perform something similarly funny involving composers and classic TV show themes.
While past shows have featured about 60 per cent straight classical music and 40 per cent humour, Wilson says the current ratio is “pretty much” 50-50.
“We’re doing a movement of Haydn in the first half – Haydn trio – then we’re doing a Mendelssohn trio in the second half. Aside from that, we’re doing arrangements of pop things like Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Don’t be surprised to hear a Brian Wilson-Beach Boys’ medley of Good Vibrations and Surf’s Up and, if there’s an encore, a country classic at breakneck speed.
How difficult is it to meld classical with other genres?
“You have to love all the styles of what you’re doing,” Wilson says. “We all come from a deep appreciation of all styles of music.
“Sometimes it’s really easy and sometimes it’s not so easy. For me as an arranger, sometimes things just pop into my head … like the Brady Bunch theme combined with the Barber of Seville … they just go together.”
When the trio began its unorthodox musical cross-breeding in 1989, Wilson says “mashing styles together” was unusual rather than commonplace as it is today.
“In the past, we’ve always found that the funny stuff or the lighter stuff really enhances the classical music, and the classical music balances the parody and the pop and jazz arrangements, so they really complement each other.”
Joe, whose three members all have other projects, has a long and distinguished history, including its first CD, A Cup of Joe in 1997, the follow-up Set ‘em up, Joe in 2001 (nominated for Best Classical Performance at the West Coast Music Awards) and Cold Cuts in 2011.
The trio collaborated with Canadian broadcaster and writer Stuart McLean and made numerous appearances on The Vinyl Café.
Like many faithful Vinyl Café fans, Wilson was sad to hear that McLean had to suspend the popular CBC radio program while he battles melanoma.
“He’s great. He’s a voice that’s going to be missed for sure. I really hope he’s on the mend.”
The Joe Trio performs Feb. 5 at the Sid Williams Theatre in Courtenay.
The 2016–2017 Blue Circle Series is proudly presented by Odlum Brown Limited.
For concert details and tickets, visit www.sidwilliamstheatre.com, phone 250-338-2430 or visit 442 Cliffe Ave.
