4th Street Jazz Project to play Benoit’s Wine Bar tonight
Jazz fans can catch the 4th Street Jazz Project at Benoit’s Wine Bar tonight, August 21 from 8:30 until 10:30, and at Grizzly Plaza on August 31. The band’s members had played in other musical combinations for a number of years, but after a stint in the pit orchestra for the musical Chicago, they felt ready to take the next step. Having rehearsed three tunes, they test drove the concept at a local open mic night. It was quite a novelty for the audience to see a small combo that was dominated by trumpet, trombone, and saxophone, not by voice or guitar. Inspired by what they deemed a success, the band went on to establish a book of tunes and added bass and percussion. The musicians in the band are all multi-instrumentalists, in addition to their position in the jazz combo; Cathy Cameron Suchy on trumpet and flugelhorn, Carl Laurence on valve and slide trombone, Sylvain Hebert on saxophones and flutes, Mike Liggins on bass, John Baker on guitar, and Bartolo Armenteros on percussion. Their collective experience has seen the members play for Prime Ministers, Premiers, British Royalty and Heads of Stat. They have playing experience with bands in the United States, and Canada as well as Europe. The general philosophy of the band is to make jazz listenable and enjoyable for the audience. Too many think of jazz as a series of long manic solos with very little melody. The members of the band seek to dispell that notion. Their set lists consist of jazz standards from all eras and show a particular love for Latin melodies and rhythms. They also work to maintain their philosophy in the original music, written and performed by the group. Photo courtesy of The 4th Street Jazz Project
