Stir up those spring passions when captivating chanteuse Judy Rose and new band the Killer B’s perform an evening of timeless jazz classics at the Vernon Jazz Club Saturday.
Rose’s new Killer B’s include Jim Leonard on keyboards, Doug Sonju on sax and clarinet, Bernie Addington on bass, Martin Lord on drums, and special guest Tanya Lipscomb.
“I’m very, very happy to be back at the VJC with a new band,” said Rose.
Sultry vocalist Rose promises an evening of “straight-up classic jazz peppered with a few bluesy numbers to provide a flavourful and delightful evening.”
Fans are taken on an emotional ride, every song packed with passion and power.
“The sentiment, the emotion behind the song is compelling no matter what the genre,” said Rose. “It’s what I try hard to bring as the extra flavour –– if the sentiment is felt, then I’ve done my job”
The evening will include homages to Billie Holliday, Nina Simone, Edith Piaf, and Ella Fitzgerald, including favourites like Non, je ne regrette rien, Someone to Watch Over Me, and Lady Sings the Blues.
Guest vocalist Lipscomb will also contribute some Louis Armstrong tunes including What a Wonderful World.
Versatile Rose sings in a variety of genres, including folk, rock, jazz, and blues. She has produced theatrical shows in Fort Steele and Vernon, and acted in a variety of productions, including Cabaret and The Vagina Monologues. Rose recently performed at the 2010 Komasket Music Festival and Melina Moore’s Christmas concert.
Rose’s influences include not only the great R&B and jazz singers like Fitzgerald, Aretha Franklin, and Sarah Vaughan, but also song interpreters like Piaf, Mireille Mathieu, Barbra Streisand, Englebert Humperdinck, and Tom Jones.
Lipscomb is known for her exuberance and excitement on stage, and a rich, three-octave voice. She has won three awards from the Calgary Folk Festival song writing competition and has performed with Blues Riders, Russell Jackson, Lonnie Shields Band, Danielle French, and Carolyn Mark’s Band, among many others.
Originally from Barrie, Ont., Leonard moved to Vernon in 2009.
In Barrie, Leonard played piano with the Kings of Swing, The Fig Leaf Jazz Band, The Jumpin’ Dunk Blues Band, and the Canadian Tribute to Glen Miller Band in Toronto.
A jazz club favourite, Sonju has been the principal clarinettist with the Okanagan Symphony since the early ‘70s, also playing jazz and commercial rock before adding blues to his repertoire.
Sonju recently appeared at the VJC with The Salmon Armenians.
Another club favourite, bassist Addington returns to the VJC after his recent performance at the club’s fundraising gig A Night With the Divas.
A freelance jazz musician and recording artist, Addington has played with everyone from Michael Bublé to Harry Connick, Jr. to Rita Chiarelli. He is one of the driving forces behind Kelowna’s successful and celebrated Jazz Café series with Anna Jacyszyn.
A well-rounded jazz musician, drummer Lord has appeared frequently at the jazz club. He counts Roy Burns, Jack DeJohnette, and Antonio Sanchez among his influences.
Judy Rose with the Killer B’s take the stage at the Vernon Jazz Club (3000-31st St.) Saturday at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7:15 p.m. and tickets are $20 ($15 for jazz society members) at the Bean Scene and the Bean to Cup coffee houses.
