Reviews of the
2024 - 2025 Season
The Dime Notes: British jazz band conjures New Orleans cool By Michaela Bray -- On a cool Monday evening in September, I stepped into the Evangel Church Auditorium in Kelowna and was met with a different kind of reverence. While this wasn’t the first time the Kelowna Community Concert Association was presenting The Dime Notes — they were part of the 2019/2020 season as well — it was the band’s first time at this venue, and they took to the stage to swiftly deliver a time-travelling performance. Listening to them play, I felt like I was sipping a Sazerac while listening to a jazz band in a dance hall, nestled somewhere along the Bayou. As the evening unfolded it was clear that this was not just another jazz band. In the KCCA’s first concert of the 2024-25 season, the Dime Notes, a UK-based quartet delivering 1920s-era New Orleans-style jazz, gave us two hours of classic ragtime tunes from the likes of Jelly Roll Morton, James P. Johnson, and WC Handy, among others. Band members David Horniblow (clarinet), Sam Watts (piano), Dave Kelbie (guitar), and Louis Thomas (double bass) brought forth a lively and buoyant sound, offering give-and-take between each musician, and allowing each to have his spotlight throughout the show. The dynamics of the full band together was just that — dynamic. It was very cohesive in the way they exercised control, giving space when a song needed it, and delivering tight rhythmic bursts that kept me excited. It was evident that this band knew what they were doing, and then some. While the performance itself was excellent, The Dime Notes offered more than just music. The parts of the concert I equally loved were the vignettes of history between songs, delivered in a classic dry British humour, courtesy of clarinetist David Horniblow. His stories behind the music brought context to songs that were written 100 years ago, and while they were both informative and funny (I really felt for Jelly Roll Morton’s poor wife), it was an opportunity for this instrumental quartet to interact with the crowd. Beyond their musical expertise, The Dime Notes brought an air of authenticity to their performance. I’ve been to New Orleans only once, but it felt as though the band was plucked from the bustling vibrancy of the French Quarter to an intimate house concert with 800 of your closest friends. The instruments were not plugged into any amplifiers, and the sound was run simply through microphones for a more pared-down sound. This added to the authenticity of the 1920s sound they were emulating, and the audience was rapt with every note. That being said, at times I strained to hear the guitar in all its glory. Dave Kelbie, a fantastic rhythm guitar player, kept the guitar warm as he played up and down the neck, and while the percussive style of his playing came through enough to keep the band train on its tracks, I would have loved to hear all the intricacies. The Dime Notes are another great example of UK artists drawing inspiration from sounds of the South. Kelbie and Horniblow are truly immersed in the rich history of the New Orleans sound, also having toured with Don Vappie, a revered Jazz Creole banjo player presented here during the KCCA’s 2022-23 season. It’s clear that New Orleans jazz is in their blood, and while it was a performance, it was also a cultural journey that highlighted the timelessness of New Orleans jazz. The Dime Notes got their name from a $10 bill, but the experience alone was worth so much more. Michaela Bray is a Kelowna-based singer-songwriter
A note of thanks to the KCCA audience from Dave Kelbie, guitarist for The Dime Notes: Morning everyone, from a train heading North in the UK .… Kelowna once again was the highlight of the season. (never in doubt!) Really great to play to your superb audience that again proved to be knowledgeable, curious and very secure with their program. Feels like playing to a room full of old friends. I’ve always said a passionate audience in the arts doesn’t materialise out of thin air, rather from an even balance of committed curation and attention to detail. The work you put in, the enthusiasm you share, and the fact that you are growing at a time when the arts world is shrinking, is testament to your steerage of the association. Well done everyone, have a great series, thanks so much from the four of us, and very much looking forward to seeing you soon. Dave
Belgian group spins musical magic to make the old new again By Neville Bowman -- Kelowna was the first Canadian city — and hopefully the first of many — to host a unique musical group out of Belgium. Presented this week by the Kelowna Community Concert Association, WÖR (pronounced “were" — sort of) featured an eclectic collection of instruments that sounds more like the setup for a joke: an accordion, bagpipes, a baritone sax, a fiddle and a guitar. The music they produced, however, was no joke at all. While there was no obviously designated leader of this five-piece group, much of the music introduction and audience interaction was handled by Pieterjan Van Kerckhoven, who doubled on the Belgian bagpipes and soprano saxophone. Considering that English is probably his third or fourth language, and that it was about 6 in the morning for them back home, Van Kerckhoven and the others managed very well to communicate the essence of the music, and even got in some good humour. WÖR’s unique musical approach is to play contemporary arrangements of melodies from ancient works of music. Indeed, the newest piece in the concert was written in 1780! Right from start, the group created a full sound, somehow filling the hall more than five instruments would be expected to do. The melodies, which the group makes sure to accurately maintain, have the familiar sound of that age, with many parallels to our own East Coast sound. I kept thinking that much of their music wouldn't be out of place in Cape Breton or Newfoundland, and a cultural exchange would make for one heck of a party! I found the opening of the second half particularly beautiful. Beginning with Jonas Scheys on guitar, we were drawn in as the pipes played a melody. The Belgian pipes have a lighter, more versatile, sound than the more traditional Scottish bagpipes we know here. Van Kerckhoven’s playing was excellent and balanced, resulting in a lighter sound, a nice contrast to the full energy of so many of the other pieces. If I have any critique of the evening, I would like to have heard a greater variety of tunes, as a lot of the music began to sound the same. All of the musicianship was topnotch, with Bert Ruymbeek (accordion), Jeroen Goegebuer (violin), Jonas Scheys (guitar), and Bill Runge (baritone/soprano sax) each having moments to shine. Often they had the audience clapping along, the almost Celtic sound and energy proving irresistible. I was impressed when, for the duration of one song, they managed to get people clapping a pattern consistently at the end of a bar, not always easy for most audiences. Well done! WÖR is a fun band whose music is well crafted, very welcome to the Canadian listener. I am glad that KCCA and its programming director, Sharon Attree, were able to make this group detour over to our side of the country! Their busy schedule even required a drive back to the Pacific coast after the concert, so let's hope they had a safe trip, so that they can return soon. Thanks to the sound technicians at Evangel Church Auditorium for helping create a great sound out of such a variety of instruments. It made for a terrific final KCCA concert for the 2024 calendar year, but the season continues in February with three more events. l suggest you look online (kelownacommunityconcerts.org) for the interesting-looking mix of concerts coming up in 2025. And check out the Christmas ticket deal for what is right now indisputably the best concert series available for the money. Neville Bowman is a Kelowna singer, songwriter, actor and musician
Ontario’s Quartetto Gelato doles out tasty scoops of talent By Neville Bowman After a three-month hiatus, the Kelowna Community Concert Association resumed its outstanding 2024-25 concert series on Monday with the return of a group that has been absent from this region for far too long. With a calibre of musicianship and presentation worthy of any stage in the world, Quartetto Gelato offered a masterclass in combining technical precision, entertainment, and a healthy scoop of humour. As the name suggests, there are four members of this Hamilton, ON-based group — Colin Maier (oboe, vocals and musical saw); Kirk Starkey (cello); Matti Pulkki (accordion); and Tino Popović (violin, vocals). Besides being remarkably capable on their own instruments, each has an impressive diversity of talents, contributing to the eclectic nature of the music selected. From traditional to jazz and from romantic to classical, it was all presented at the highest standard, leaving the audience wanting more. The group started off with a high-energy traditional piece, Romamolda Hora, and from the outset it was apparent that this quartet was on another level. KCCA audiences are experienced listeners, and I could tell by their response that they recognized the talent before them. Quartetto Gelato possesses that "something else" that elevates an accomplished group into an exceptional one. Even though members have changed since their beginnings in 2007, the unity in their music is undeniable. From the first note, every dynamic movement, phrase and tempo change, and every detail, felt deliberate, played with mutual respect, and all without a sheet of music anywhere to be seen. There were some truly magical moments throughout the concert. Maier, who did most of the speaking, is a remarkable oboe player (amongst many other instruments), playing a very difficult instrument with seeming ease and finding tonalities that ranged from the beauty of an oboe, to almost clarinet and soprano sax timbres, then on to bagpipes! The Pipes was played with an impressive display of circular breathing, a technique I have personally never before seen on oboe. Pulkki, on accordion, was exceptional, with a highlight for me (as a former pipe organist) being a rendition of Bach's Toccata in D Minor. Earlier in the evening Pulkki teamed up with Popović for exquisite renditions of Under Paris Skies and La Vie en Rose, arguably the most beautiful version of that song I have ever heard. Popović delivered amazing performances all evening, although I did find that his violin was too quiet in the mix and got buried often. This was apparently the final performance for cellist Starkey, who's been with the group since 2018. Replacing him will be a difficult feat, as his unique style (using a harness to stand while playing, for example) and exceptional talent on the instrument are a truly rare combination. The entire evening offered a wonderfully varied presentation. The quartet’s version of the Brubeck classic, Blue Rondo à la Turk (with a hint of Mozart at the end) was brilliantly arranged. Mozart reappeared later in Overture to the Magic Flute, and was played as a pure classical piece, to the joy of the crowd. Maier even broke out the musical saw (a large handsaw stroked with a bow), which sounded hauntingly beautiful in an Astor Piazzolla piece. The only piece that did not work as well for me was a fun arrangement of Country Roads by John Denver. I felt that some of the transitions within the arrangement were a bit clunky, but I'm being really picky to find any critique. Having never seen Quartetto Gelato before, I did not know what to expect. This concert demonstrated that they have earned every bit of praise, and I hope they return much sooner next time. As musicians they are among the best, period. As entertainers they are fun, energetic and engaging. We should be very proud to claim them as Canadians! Neville Bowman is a Kelowna singer, songwriter, actor and musician
MG3 and CGT -- Catch them on Monday, March 24, 2025 at 7:30 p.m.!
Rastrelli Cello Quartet -- Coming Saturday, April 5, 2025 at 2 p.m.