B.C. jazz legend performing with Ensemble Vivant group by Mary Cocivera Ensemble Vivant, a group of five musicians, will take the stage at the Kelowna Community Theatre Thursday to weave some musical magic, ranging from Bach to Piazzolla. Known for its wide-ranging genre diversity, the Toronto-based ensemble will feature music with a distinctly Latin flavour. Jazz musician Don Thompson returns to his native British Columbia for this Kelowna gig. Born and raised in Powell River, he started his 50 year musical career with piano lessons, but started jamming with jazz musicians in his teens and moved to Vancouver in the early 1960s to play bass in Lloyd Arntzen's Dixieland quartet. When the neck broke off his borrowed bass, he bought his own bass and became one of the go-to bassists for countless studio sessions in Vancouver. He taught himself to play vibraphone and was the only vibes player in all of Vancouver at the time. Thompson moved to California in the late 1960s, to play and tour with saxophonist John Handy. As a pianist, bassist, percussionist, composer, arranger and producer, he is described as a musician who can move flawlessly from vibes to bass to piano and sound virtuosic on each instrument. Thompson played in Jim Hall's trio, George Shearing's band and has collaborated with Moe Koffman, Ed Bickert, Rob McConnell, Lenny Breau, Sarah Vaughan, Kenny Wheeler, Art Farmer, Phil Dwyer and many others. He has performed in Europe, Japan, Great Britain, South America and at every major jazz festival in North America. Joining Thompson in Kelowna with Ensemble Vivant are four other genre-bending musicians. Founder and group leader, Catherine Wilson, is a "beautifully gifted pianist and musician," according to Thompson. Corey Gemmell (violin), Norman Hathaway (viola), and Sybil Shanahan (cello) round out the slate of musicians. They all have careers in symphony, musical theatre and opera orchestras, cham· ber groups, and as soloists. The concert is part of the Kelowna Community Concert Association series. .