Jazz By The Bog by Susan Smythe Well, January 2026 was anything but ‘Blah’, with record low temperatures and record snowfall amounts. As our date for the January Jazz By The Bog concert drew near, we wondered if we might have to provide snowshoes and dogsleds to get our audience to the show. However, although it was a crisp night, the parking lot had been plowed, and our faithful patrons braved the cold and showed that nothing would keep them from enjoying a warm, inviting evening of great Jazz music with perhaps a glass of wine to feel cozy. All we were missing was a crackling fireplace. On January 30 at 8:00 pm, we welcomed Rachelle Courtney, a jazz vocalist whose style evokes images of Doris Day and Ella Fitzgerald, and Nevin Campbell, a skilled jazz pianist inspired by legends like Oscar Peterson and Dave Brubeck. Joining them were Nevin’s brother, Don Campbell, on guitar, Larry Ernwein on bass, and Ian MacKay on drums.
next with an instrumental from Miles Davis called All Blues , again featuring all players on solo sections. Rachelle closed out this set with really fine renditions of What a Wonderful World that also included an interesting bass solo by Larry Ernwein, and Gershwin’s But Not For Me in the style of Chet Baker’s up-tempo recording. Again, Rachelle easily created a tuneful scat* section in the middle of the song. (*Definition of vocal scat singing: A vocal jazz style that consists of improvised nonsense syllables sung to an improvised melody, usually over an in- strumental accompaniment.) We had a very happy crowd exiting our venue with complements to the artists – Rachelle – very easy to listen to. Don’s guitar playing was exquisite. Larry creates such tuneful bass lines. Ian keeps a steady and sensitive beat, creating solo drumming that makes sense and Nevin is a very intuitive player. We Agree!!! Don’t miss our next concert – Take 3 & Company – Remembering Burt Bacharach on Friday, April 24, 2026 8:00 pm. Tickets available at www.staidans.ca/pages/jazz-by-the-bog. TAKE 3 & COMPANY St Aidan’s Church Presents Jazz by the Bog TAKE 3 & COMPANY St Aidan’s Church Presents Jazz by the Bog Remembering Burt Bacharach TAKE 3 & COMPANY St Aidan’s Church Presents Jazz by the Bog Remembering Burt Bacharach Remembering Burt Bacharach
This concert was a great mix of Pop songs from the ‘20s to the ‘60s but with a Jazz feel. The group opened with an Oscar Peterson swing tune (with a blues edge) called Backyard Blues, which introduced their band with great solo turns from each musician. Rachelle’s smooth delivery of You Make Me Feel So Young was followed up by Red Top , an older tune which required a little audience participation! In Young At Heart , there is a lyric reference to the age ‘105’ and when Rachelle coyly asked if any of our audience members met that criteria, we found a close second in one of our faithful regular attenders – she is a very vibrant 98 years old and received a hearty round of applause! Next was a Latin beat in Antonio Carlos Jobim’s No More Blues , then an instrumental arrangement of an old folksong made famous in the sixties by the British rock group, The Animals. House of the Rising Sun was a fine display of the talented instrumentalists. Two more tunes sung by Rachelle rounded out the first set. To start the second set, the popular Dave Brubeck standard, Take 5, always gets the toes tapping in that odd but catchy 5/4 rhythm. Rachelle was up with the next four numbers, starting with Come Fly With Me in an easy swing, It Could Happen to You , incorporating a great *scat* section, From the Start by an Icelandic composer who used a Latin beat, and then an up- tempo swing rendition of The More I See You . The band was
APRIL 24, 2026 APRIL 24, 2026 Tickets ($30) Long & McQuade (Fanshawe Park Rd W) Tuckey Home Hardware (Wortley Village) Church Office (519-471-1430) At the Door Proceeds to benefit the work of St. Aidan’s Church Tickets ($30) Long & McQuade (Fanshawe Park Rd W) Tuckey Home Hardware (Wortley Village) Church Office (519-471-1430) At the Door Proceeds to benefit the work of St. Aidan’s Church Tickets ($30) Long & McQuade (Fanshawe Park Rd W) Tuckey Home Hardware (Wortley Village) Church Office (519-471-1430) At the Door Proceeds to benefit the work of St. Aidan’s Church
St Aidan’s Church Narthex Lounge open at 7:00pm (cash bar) Narthex Lounge open at 7:00pm (cash bar) 8PM 8PM St Aidan’s Church St Aidan’s Church Narthex Lounge open at 7:00pm (cash bar)
Page 14 Hyde Park – Oakridge Villager • April 2026
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