Triology’s concert sponsored by BIAC at the Art Gallery on Saturday, July 5, was superb and worthy of the packed-house reception.
Its members are three highly respected jazz figures, all now based in Vancouver but widely known nationally and internationally. Each has played in many different groups and styles, each has an extensive discography, and all three are respected teachers on their instrument. The audience was also pleased to learn that these musicians also have (less often heard) skills on other instruments!
The two quiet personalities of Miles Black (piano) and Bill Coon (guitar) are delightfully complemented by the outgoing friendliness of bassist Jodi Proznick, who acts as MC for the group. Saturday’s concert was presented in two sets: the first introducing the audience to the group’s recently released album also called Triology, all tunes arranged by members of the group, featuring in addition their compositions on six of the 10 tracks. For this set, the musicians used sheet music as a guide although we noted that many more notes were played than were printed. The music stands were set aside for the second set in which the trio truly excelled, with delicate, purely improvised presentations of a number of more or less well known tunes in which one solo would blend smoothly with the next, the other members providing a gentle accompaniment. Their version of Robison’s tune “Old Folks” was a sheer delight, and this set came to a peaceful conclusion with a quiet rendition of “The Nearness of You.”
If you missed this concert, Triology’s album is available on iTunes – but for the magical second set, you’ll have to come to their next concert!
Would you like to develop your jazz skills as a vocalist and instrumentalist? Consider the VSO School of Music Summer Jazz Workshop – all three Triology musicians are on the faculty list for this week-long workshop from July 21-25 for which details can be found on the VSO School of Music website.
