Griffith Hiltz Trio
The Georgia Straight Jazz Society is proud to host the
Griffith Hiltz Trio
Sunday January 30, 2011, 7:30 pm
Elks Home, 6th Street, Coutenay
Listen to samples from the Trio's CD Now & Then
Sporty Portia
Seven Storey Mountain
When All The Men Wore Hats
(with Don Thompson on piano)
The Show begins at 7:30 and the seating is limited in this intimate comfortable setting.
Tickets:
$12 GSJS members
$16 non-members
available at:
Bop City, Courtenay;
Play It Again, Comox;
Thursday Jazz Club at the Elks; and at the door
The Georgia Straight Jazz Society is getting a reputation. Take two sold-out Sunday concerts in the fall 2010 season, add record crowds for Thursday Jazz at the Elks, and it is not surprising that rising stars on the Canadian jazz scene want to add a Courtenay date to their touring schedule.
On Sunday, January 30th, the Toronto-based Griffith Hiltz Trio will take to the stage at the Upper Elk’s Hall. Featuring Johnny Griffith on saxophones and bass clarinet, Nathan Hiltz on guitar and bass pedals, and Sly Juhas on drums, the trio produces a melodic jazz sound that is at once familiar and exotic.
The bass pedals that form the core of the band’s sound had been gathering dust in Johnny’s basement until a lucky conversation brought them to Nathan’s attention. He had been working with a lot of organ players and was curious about the effect of using the vintage technology of the pedals to replicate the organ’s place in a trio. It quickly became apparent that they were on to a great new sound.
“They’re Killer! Their music fits in perfectly with what’s happening in the world today.” Bill King, eJazz radio and Director of The Beaches Jazz Fest
Hiltz is the most promising Canadian guitarist of this generation, and he soft-shoes his way across the array of bass pedals with the deftness of Gene Kelly. The spirit of Rashaann Roland Kirk is channeled through the daring multi-reed explorer Johnny Griffith. Ever tasteful and precise, the supportive Sly Juhas seems incapable of playing anything that isn’t "right on the money!"
Their 2009 debut recording “Now and Then” gives a nod to jazz legends Horace Silver, Lee Morgan, and Herbie Hancock, and also incorporates Celtic, Norse, and Eastern motifs. It was named the #1 Jazz Album of 2009 by Jazz FM.
"Johnny Griffith and Nathan Hiltz have uncommon telepathy. They write memorable themes, rooted in the blues and bop, and they rock freely on them, playing off one another with total confidence." Jack Chambers, author of Milestones: The Music and Times of Miles Davis
This is the first in the 2011 Sunday Concert series for the Georgia Straight Jazz Society. Tickets are $12 for society members and $16 for non-members, and will soon be available at Bop City Records in Courtenay, Play It Again Music Recycle in Comox, and weekly at the Thursday Jazz Club At The Elks.
