An 11-woman jazz band will be coming to Nanaimo, bringing a blend of classic and modern jazz.
“We play everything from the kind of classic music of the big band era, which is around the 1950s, to brand-new modern compositions,” said Casey Thomas-Burns, director and trombonist with the Vancouver-based Leading Ladies Little Big Band.
She teased that the Nanaimo show will feature a local guest performer, and some of the instruments the audience can expect to hear are trombone, three saxophones, two trumpets, piano, bass and drums.
“I think jazz as a genre is popular among all age groups and because we do play music from across the history of the big band genre I would say people of any age can come to the show and find something for them.”
This will be the band’s second province wide tour since forming five years ago almost to the day.
“The band came together through a single concert series … what we noticed when rehearsing for that first show, just being in the room together we felt extremely comfortable,” Thomas-Burns said. “We felt we could take risks with our playing, that we could make mistakes and learn from them and that would be OK.”
The performance, part of the Nanaimo International Jazz Festival’s Women in Jazz series, takes place on Friday, April 26, at 7:30 p.m. in the Shaw Auditorium. The scheduled 80-minute set will be followed by a question-and-answer session.
As the director of an 11-woman band, Thomas-Burns said gender equality in music is an important cause.
In Vancouver, the band organizes a community outreach program, a ladies’ night jam series meant to create a comfortable environment for women and non-binary musicians.
“It’s been known for a long time there are very few women in jazz, and most who are in the field, particularly at a professional level, face a lot of discrimination,” she said. “It’s a big part of our mission that we support young women and girls who are passionate about music. We always try to include that in our performances and I hope people see just how capable young women are.”
Tickets to the April 26 show cost $25-$37.50 and are available through the Port Theatre box office at www.porttheatre.com.