August 2010
Welcome to the Georgia Straight Jazz Society Newsletter, keeping you up to date on the local and Vancouver Island jazz scene and informed about your Society.
AT THE JAZZ CLUB
2010 Fall Season Fast Approaching
We're all gearing up for the new season of Jazz at the Elks, beginning Thursday September 9. The line up of great bands is almost ready to go - watch the GSJS web site events page. We'll have details in the September Newsletter.
The Sunday Concert Series returns as well, kicking off on Sunday, September 19 with the marvellous Amanda Tosoff Quartet.
Tosoff’s group has been the recipient of several awards, including the CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award for best emerging artist in 2007. In the summer of 2009, the quartet was chosen out of ten nominees as the winner of the General Motors Grand Prix de Jazz at the Montréal Jazz Festival. They also were awarded full scholarship to attend the Banff Centre Winter Workshop in 2010.
"Her quartet swings with a genuine spirit, and she interprets clearly with a crisp motion. .. she brings the piano into full view through her calm demeanor and complete confidence."
Jim Santella (Cadence Magazine)
SOCIETY NEWS
Volunteers
The GSJS is totally volunteer-driven. If you would like to have fun helping at the Thursday evening Jazz Club, at the Sunday concerts, or in any of the behind-the-scene roles that keep the Society working (membership, publicity, photography, newsletter, concert reviewer . . .) please let us know at volunteers@georgiastraightjazz.com, or fill out the on-line volunteer form.
JAZZ NEWS
Here's Beer In Your Ear
Okay, it's not really jazz news, but it is interesting and confirms what a lot of folk have suspected. Research done by the University College London Hospitals in the U.K. has confirmed that the more alcohol you drink, the worse your hearing gets. Quoting from their article in PubMed:
Over 90% of subjects had raised auditory thresholds in three or more frequencies; this was more marked in the lower frequencies. CONCLUSION: Alcohol specifically blunts lower frequencies affecting the mostly [sic] 1000 Hz, which is the most crucial frequency for speech discrimination. In conclusion alcohol does appear to affect auditory thresholds with some frequencies being more affected than others.
Now we all know jazz musicians and their incredibly attentive audiences do not over-indulge in liquid spirit. But the next time you find yourself needing to yell to be heard over the band, consider that perhaps your friend, the sound man, the band, or, well, everybody, might not have drunk themselves deaf.
[I can imagine one response to this - "Man, the karaoke is so loud it hurts. I need to protect my hearing. Give me another shot."]
For the Miles Davis Fan
This has got to be the ultimate CD collection: 43 CDs (including 8 Grammy winners), a replica of Davis' favourite trumpet mouthpiece, and a t-shirt, all packaged in a real trumpet case. Yours for $1,199.99. Christmas, anyone?
