New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Since Friday May 1, Yardbird Suite, Edmonton's premiere jazz venue since 1957, has been presenting a series of online performances for the Yardbird Suite Virtual Series. Since it started the Series has accumulated over 30,000 views. Edmonton audiences have been watching local jazz musicians on Yardbird Suite's Facebook page at facebook.com/YardbirdSuite perform live, without an audience, from Yardbird Suite.
Curated by Edmonton vocalist Mallory Chipman and Edmonton pianist
Stephanie Urquhart, the lineup has featured a variety of solos, duets, the occasional trio, along with a variety of instruments. July will be no different. Showcasing a variety of local talent, Yardbird Suite will also be teaming up with New
Music Edmonton (NME) to present Canadian clarinetist François Houle on his Cross-Canada Isolation Tour 2020, this Friday July 10, at 7:00 p.m. This performance is live-to-tape from Yardbird Suite.
"After a year in Switzerland, I was forced to come back to Canada because of the coronavirus pandemic, and self-isolate to be in close proximity to my brother Yvon, who got diagnosed with Glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer," says François. "Now that he's recovering, I wanted to do something special, to show him that his courage and determination can inspire anyone to do more and better. So, I'm heading back to BC towards the end of June to be reunited with family and friends, and I'm doing it in style! I'll be driving in my red convertible Mini
Cooper from Montreal to Vancouver, making stops in major cities along the way to play backyard concerts to raise funds for four distinct causes that are intimately connected to our realities in these days of Pandemic."
The Yardbird Suite Virtual Series July Line Up
François Houle
Friday, July 10 | 7:00 - 8:00 pm
Clarinet
Live-to-Tape from Yardbird Suite Clarinetist François Houle has established himself as one of today's most inventive musicians, in all of the diverse musical spheres he embraces. Inspired by collaborations with the world's top musical innovators, François has developed a unique improvisational language, virtuosic and rich with sonic embellishment and technical extensions. Part of his Cross-Canada Isolation Tour 2020.
Erik Mortimer
Tuesday July 14 | 7:00 - 8:00 pm
Piano
Live from Yardbird Suite Erik is a musician, composer and music director based in Edmonton Alberta Canada. His love of jazz music, harmony and focus on theatrical storytelling have allowed his compositions a unique voice in both the musical theatre and jazz idioms. Erik's musical voice is influenced by the sound of film composers, the rhythms and grooves of New Orleans music and the improvisations of jazz greats.
Joel Jeschke
Friday July 17 | 7:00 - 8:00 pm
Drums
Live from Yardbird Suite
with
Stephanie Urquhart on Piano Joel Jeschke is a professional drummer/composer based out of Edmonton, Alberta. Since graduating from MacEwan University he has become a sought after player across genres, best known for his work with alt-rock group Whale and the Wolf, The Citadel Theatre's production of 'Hadestown' as well as jazz artists
Stephanie Urquhart and Kate Blechinger. As a bandleader he has performed at the Yardbird Suite, Kaleido Arts Festival, the 2018 TD Edmonton International Jazz festival and was scheduled to perform at the 2020 TD Edmonton International Jazz Festival. Joel's music is highly rhythmic and syncopated, blending intricate composed material with improvisation influenced strongly by the young Scandinavian jazz scene.
Gus Butcher
Tuesday July 21 | 7:00 - 8:00 pm
Guitar
Live from Yardbird Suite Gus Butcher is an Edmonton based guitarists, composer and teacher. He is a graduate of MacEwan University's Bachelor of
Music Program majoring in Performance. He has studied with guitarists Jim Head, Jamie Philp, Mo Lefever, and
George Koufogiannakis. Gus's compositions and arrangements range from traditional and modern Jazz to arrangements of R&B and hip-hop of today.
Audrey Ochoa Duo
Friday, July 24 | 7:00 - 8:00 pm
Trombone
Live from Yardbird Suite Audrey Ochoa - Trombone
Brennan Cameron- Piano
The transformation of nostalgia is both innovative and intricate, a delicate balance of appealing to the old while tiptoeing at the forefront of the entirely cutting edge. Unbound by any predisposed ideals around genre or delivery, trombonist Audrey Ochoa has achieved the ideal: presenting meticulously influential compositions with a playful and liberated approach. Classically trained but with a voracious appetite for honing her craft in any genre, Ochoa has shared stages with Hilario Duran, PJ Perry, and Tommy Banks; and with international greats Lew Tebackin, Marcus Miller, Chris Potter and the UNT One O'Clock Lab Band. A rising star in her own right and a fixture of the Canadian music scene, she is decidedly captivating and original, and her compositional skill and talent on her instrument is spectacular.
