50YEARSOFTHE YARDBIRD SUITE • • Issue 2, March 2007 YARDBIRD Edmonton Jazz Society’s Board of Directors SUITE 2006•2007 11 TOMMY BANKS WAY Jasiek Poznanski • President (CORNER OF 102 ST & 86 AVE) Adrian Albert • Vice-President Shelley Chebry • Secretary EDMONTON, ALBERTA Barry Hull • Treasurer T6E 2M2 CANADA Board Members Dave Babcock • Chris Brown Phone • (780) 432-0428 Norma Davis • Pam Josey FAx • (780) 433-3773 Craig Magill Yardbird Suite PROGRAMMING • Adrian Albert, Craig Magill, Jasiek Poznanski PRODUCTION • Jasiek Poznanski, THEyardbIRDCREW Alan Spence JAM SESSIONS • Don Berner, Raymond Baril Our Volunteer House Managers LITTLEBIRDS DIRECTOR • Joel Gray COORDINATOR • Pam Josey FINANCE • Suzanne Morter PRESS RELEASES • Paul Wilde Tracy Kolenchuk • Rhonda Netterfield TRANSPORTATION • Alan Spence Mary Richards • Suzanne Slade HOUSE MANAGER & VOLUNTEER Collette Slevinsky • Gail Wozny COORDINATOR • Pam Josey Rosalynn Ruptash • Karina Wrobel The 50th Anniversary Committee Yardbird Suite Craig Magill • Chairperson Newsletter Wendy Magill • Secretary The Yardbird Newsletter is published five Committee Members times per year by the Edmonton Dave Babcock • Monique Bielech Jazz Society. Glen Buick • Jean Greenough EDITOR • Jasiek Poznanski Bill Harper • Leslie Shragge Phil Shragge ADVERTISING • Shelley Chebry GRAPHIC DESIGN • Vikki Wiercinski THE EJS BOARD6 Standing • Adrian Albert, Shelley DISTRIBUTION • Monique Bielech, Chebry, Chris Brown, Dave Babcock, Jasiek Poznanski, Craig Shelley Chebry, Bill Harper Magill, Barry Hull. Sitting • Pam Josey, Norma Davis MESSAGEFROMTHE GOVERNOR 6GENERAL I am delighted to send greetings to all those celebrating the 50th an- niversary of the Yardbird Suite. An inspired beat, the resonance of a particular instrument, the new twist on an old favourite, a piece of music that echoes in your soul, a willing- ness to share, a gift of self, an unquenchable thirst for the undiscovered—that’s jazz! Edmonton has been home to some of the world’s best jazz musicians, with many of them choosing the Yardbird Suite to share their music with their delighted fans. My husband Jean-Daniel Lafond and I were privileged to spend an evening there last year and feel the atmosphere of the crowd. It was a stimulating and exciting way to begin our first visit to Edmonton. With an opportunity to sample some of the best of Edmonton’s lo- cal talent in an informal setting, it is no wonder that Yardbird Suite is now celebrating 50 years of bringing fresh and innovative jazz to the community. I wish everyone a wonderful anniversary celebration. MICHAËLLEJEAN March 2007 THEHOUSETHATBOPBUILT A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE YaRDBIRD SUITE BY EJS Board Member Craig Magill Here we were privileged to hear alto saxophonist Dale Hillary, who had returned from playing with IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE that the Edmonton Jazz “Philly Joe” Jones. That group included fellow Philly Society has owned our own not-for-profit jazz club, the Joe sideman trumpeter Mike Downes, Ken Chaney Yardbird Suite, since 1984, which makes us unique on on piano, Terry Hawkeye on drums and the unfor- the North American jazz front, if not the world. Let’s gettable Lennie Breau, not on guitar, but on the first take a short trip through our illustrious past so that we electric bass I had heard in a jazz context. The band can celebrate not only our present location, but also played live to air on CKUA with CBC announcer the flourishing jazz scene that has existed in Edmon- Glenn Buick emceeing: two air shots still exist from ton since the first Yardbird Suite. these performances! “At 11.00 P.M. on the night of March 23, 1957, the There were a number of fine evenings of music at this proverbial door swung open (the club will swing for- venue. Elmer Gill, a vibes player from Seattle, per- ever) on definitely the most seraphic happening that formed here as well as a great bass player also from has occurred to jazz in this area.” - quoted from the Seattle, Freddie Schreiber. By that time Judy Singh, September, 1957 issue of the Edmonton Jazz Society’s beautiful in both stature and voice, was singing pro- newsletter. (The society was then in its sixth year). fessionally and knocking everybody out. P J. Perry was making regular appearances with drummer Jerry It was referring of course to the opening of the Yard- Fuller, who had taken up residence in town and was bird Suite in the basement rear at 10444 - 82 Avenue. living up to the good things we had heard about him The Suite was the inspiration of drummer Terry earlier when he too played as a member of the Paul Hawkeye, and opened with the help of the new wave Perry orchestra. He was in town playing Tommy of young Edmonton musicians: saxophonists Ray and and Phil’s night club, The Embers. Jerry went on to Zen Magus, bassist Garry Nelson, bassist Ron Repka become one of Canada’s most sought-after drummers and jazz enthusiast Neil Gunn. This was a dream when he moved to Toronto. come true - a place to play jazz the way you wanted after coming off the bandstand of a commercial gig. Heaven! Musicians like Tommy Banks, Bobby Cairns, Phil Shragge, Ken Chaney, and Dale Hillary were responsible for many wonderful evenings of jazz. The Sunday night concerts were always a sell-out. Tommy was as now, a human dynamo of energy and creativity. He had a large ensemble that included a frontline of five trumpet players, a jazz trio of piano, bass and gui- tar, a small Latin group and a group of singers called The Bank Notes. I first heard trumpeter Don Cherry with the Dave Quarran Quintet at the Suite. Don went on to promi- nence with the now famous Ornette Coleman Quartet. 5 George Grant on bass at the first Yardbird Suite location One of the most memorable musicians to play the Suite was bassist extraordinaire George Grant, who de- In 1965, Leo Schotte and Bud Damur opened the cided to put down roots in the city. He was to Edmon- next version of the Yardbird Suite in an old Volk- ton and the bass what Clarence “Big” Miller became to swagen garage on the corner of 102nd Street and Edmonton and jazz vocals. It was around this time too 81st Avenue, across the tracks from the Southside that this writer started hearing about a young prodigy train station. The building also housed Leo’s print- (he still is to me) named P.J. Perry, who played alto ing business. This performance space provided the sax in his father Paul’s orchestra at the Sylvan Lake opportunity for jazz musicians, poets and actors Varsity Dance Hall. to apply their talents. Notables such as Zoot Sims and Phil Woods played there. As well we enjoyed The Yardbird Suite briefly moved to The Club Anton evenings with Leonard Cohen and Wilfred Watson. It on 106th Ave. and 101st St. and then moved back to was here that Dale Hillary’s “The Vincent Van Gogh the original premises, before moving to 9810 Jasper Suite” was first performed and subsequently recorded Avenue (the old Steak Loft) at the beginning of the six- at the CKUA studios - Dale on alto, Bill Somers on ties, thanks to Tommy and Phil. The space continued trombone, Bernie Senensky on piano, Bill Fawcett on to be operated by musicians and their lady friends. bass, and Terry Hawkeye on drums. 4 YARDBIRDSUITE50THANNIVERSARY • THEHOUSETHATBOPBUILT • YARDBIRDSUITE50THANNIVERSARY 3The doors closed on this version of the Suite in We have survived poor attendance. This writer the spring of 1967, and ushered in the longest period remembers one opening night with Red Holloway Edmonton was to be without a Yardbird Suite. when there was just himself and the reviewer in the audience. On another minus 40 evening there were As luck would have it, in the late 60’s a young 15 people in attendance for Lew Tabackin, and 20 trumpet player, Marc Vasey, arrived from the west people for Pierre Jorge and the New Jungle Orches- coast. His passion for the music was unrivalled and tra (a top band from Europe)! fortunately for us, this passion was accompanied by vision. In 1973 Marc approached a few of us to Then there was the decision to hire staff, in particular invest $500.00 each to start The Edmonton Jazz a house manager. At one point we had a salary bud- Society (1973). For our very first concert we booked get of almost $60,000 a year. This proved disastrous, the Charles Tolliver Quartet into the Captain’s Cabin. as resentment from the volunteer contingent created I had never heard jazz played with such incred- much dissension. This, coupled with decreasing grant ible intensity, swinging at even the most ferocious monies, necessitated a complete reorganization of tempos. Other gigs followed. At the Captain’s Cabin the E.J.S. in 1992, back to an all-volunteer organiza- we heard Phil Woods, Julian Priester, Pepper Adams, tion. The reorganization was successful thanks to Hadley Caliman, John Hicks and Steve Lacy. At the the efforts of Paul Wilde, Fraser Gibson, Monique Museum Theatre we were entertained by the Wynton Bielech (Monique’s influence turns up throughout Marsalis Quintet and the John Scofield Trio. We the history of the Suite, right down to the décor), and remember The Hovel with groups led by Sonny Stitt, Craig Magill. Gary Bartz, and Roland Kirk; Room at the Top on campus with Sam Rivers, Barry Altschul and Dave We continue to be amazed that we have survived Holland; the Palms Café where the E.J.S. presented the ups, downs, twists and turns of operating a jazz groups that included the likes of Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, concert space and proud that we continue to provide Shelley Manne, Johnny Griffin, Betty Carter, Woody top quality jazz to the citizens of Edmonton.