!earshot Top 200 of 2021

The October Trio: Respecting the past and aiming for the future.

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JD: We should plug your website which is located at www.theoctobertrio.com. If people want to take a listen before they go to the show, there's three songs in their entirety and some parts of others.

The October TrioJosh: There's three tracks that we recorded back in November from a demo that we did. Kind of a studio demo and then there are just covers of other tunes. Actually these tunes will be pretty much regulars in our live sets. There are also two short samples of tunes off the record that haven't been mastered yet, so excuse the crudity of the recordings. We're pretty happy with it, though and it's going to be a great live show. We've been so warmly received in every venue that we have been to. I just got to say this about our saxophone player Evan Arntzen. He's just an amazing young talent. I think that you know that he won the CBC JAM award (Jazz Achievement Medal). He's just an amazing sax player and he's going to be on the international scene soon. I mean, he's just 20 years old and he sounds like he's been playing for 20 years. Just check the guy out. Me and Dan get to play with him and it is just a privilege. So it's a really fun band and I guarantee if you go to the show you will not be disappointed.

JD: I don't think people will. I've listened to the three tracks and I'm totally impressed. You guys make a wonderful rhythm section for a good sax player. That's definitely true.

Now, what's happening in the Lower Mainland in jazz. You mentioned the Rime. Is there anything else going on these days?

Josh: Obviously, there's the Jazz Cellar, which is the biggest most important jazz club in Vancouver. We've played there a couple of times in the past and I've got a gig there after we come back from the tour. So, if anybody's listening, go to the show. The Cellar's just been great in supporting jazz. They've really opened their doors to a lot of young musicians. Us, we're all under 30 and Cory Weeds at the Cellar has just been great. You mentioned Terra Grimmard, the Kamloops connection, has played there a couple of times, too. It's just been great. Places like the Cellar, and then there's O'douls where we get to see our faculty play. People like Ihor Kukurudza, Kate Hammett-Vaughan, and Mike Allen just sound amazing there. And then, there's the big thing, The Vancouver International Jazz Festival, which we are privileged to play a part in this year. We're doing a gig on July 3 rd , as part of the festival. The Vancouver jazz scene is just great. I think, before Rime was around�Rime actually just opened on New Year's�with the departure of the Sugar Refinery, the whole new improvised music scene took a hit and now that Rime's open it's alive and well. Vancouver has a very eclectic jazz scene; the whole jazz scene covers from traditional to the modern and the free to whatever and everything --to the funky. We are really proud to be a part of it.

JD: I'm thinking about you guys and them I'm thinking about musicians on the other end, like Bob Murphy on piano�

Josh: Oh for sure.

JD: In between you have Francois Houle, Peggy Lee, Dylan Van Der Schyff , you have Brad Turner � fantastic � you could go on and on. It's just a wonderful place for music.

Josh: It really is.

JD: Luckily, the society that runs the Vancouver International Jazz Festival (Coastal Jazz and Blues Society) showcases Vancouve talent. I get down there almost every year and I just love it.

Josh: Ya, it is great.

JD: Well, I guess it's time to ask you some tough personal questions. If I were to look in your CD players now, what would I find?

Josh: (laughs) Actually, I just drove here to do this interview and in my car I was listening to a Kurt Rosenwinkel CD called Deep Song. That's with Kurt on guitar, Brad Mehldau on piano, Joshua Redman on sax, Jeff Ballard and Ali Jackson on drums and my hero of all heros, Larry Grenadier on bouble bass. Now that's a good record. Kurt Rosenwinkel writes some great tunes. Also in my car right now, there's a Radiohead CD and a Buick CD and some Dave Douglas stuff. I'm looking at some Joe Henderson stuff right now. He blows me away. He can play some serious saxophone.

JD: He had a birthday last week. He was 68.

Josh: Ya, ya. And he's still sounding amazing. There's a guy who is still � and Wayne's (Shorter) still alive; and Herbie (Hancock) and Dave Holland and guys like that � and Chick. It's nice to hear those guys get so amazing with age. They are like wine, those guys. Just get better with age!

JD: It's good to hear that you guys appreciate them. You have your own style and you still appreciate the old masters. That's great.

Josh: Oh, I just have to say this about my record collection. There's 23 Miles Davis CDs in there and that's more than I can say about any other artist, so for good reason � these guys are masters, because now, even in their later years, they are still making music that makes us young guys drop our jaws and we will be forever dropping our jaws at the sounds that they make.

JD: You told me that there's nice weather in Vancouver now. What do you like to do on these nice days that doesn't include music?

Josh: Well we have beautiful weather. Vancouver is just about �beautiful everything.� For me, I'm a big fan of running and trying to get exercise. I think the hard thing about being a jazz musician is just practicing so much and having no time to keep in shape, so exercising is it. Dan (Gauthier) our drummer is a real big fan of hiking. So he lies to hike up the mountain in his short, shorts and beard (laughs). He's a funny guy. Evan (Arntzen) is a big bicycle fan and he actually has a part-time job as a bike messenger. He rides his bike all around Vancouver. All of us are pretty hardcore about the whole physical activity thing and staying in shape. I think that's what we have to do on tour, too; or, we're all going to develop some nasty beer guts (laughs).

JD: (laughs) I don't want to talk about that much. I know what you mean.

JD: Well it was really nice speaking with you. So we'll remind our listeners that The October Trio is going on tour soon and people can check out your website www.theoctobertrio.com for dates and times and I guess they should bring some extra cash because you will have the new CD for sale.

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