NEWSLETTER OF THE

EJS11 TOMMY BANKS WAY(Corner of 102 St & 86 Ave)EDMONTON AB T6E 2M2

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At the Suite

Dave Stryker/Steve Slagle

PJ Perry Quartet Edmonton International Film Festival Yardbird Suite Blues: D.C. Bellamy DOUBLE BILL NIGHT:

Lane Arndt Trio and Zebradonk ICP Orchestra Joe LaBarbera Quartet with

Hadley Caliman Steve Slagle/Dave Stryker Band Peter Appleyard with Tommy Banks Trio Kirk MacDonald Quintet

Peter Appleyardwith TommyBanks Trio

ICP Orchestra

Joe LaBarberaQuartet withHadley Caliman

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Bringing the best in live jazz to Edmonton since 1973

membershipYour Edmonton Jazz Society Membership supports a variety ofactivities and ensures that the best of live jazz will continue to have ahome in our city.

Membership Options (check one): Gold Card $200 tax receipt & free admission for one year ..................$387.25 Silver Card free admission for one year ..............................................$187.25 Regular .................................................................................................$32.00 Student or Senior ..................................................................................$22.00

Make cheques payable and mail to:Edmonton Jazz Society, 11 Tommy Banks Way, Edmonton AB T6E 2M2

Canadian Publication MailProduct Sales Agreement

# 1516698

Yardbird Suite11 Tommy Banks Way (corner of 102 Street & 86 Avenue)Edmonton, Alberta T6E 2M2Phone: (780) 432-0428 Fax: (780) 433-3773

Programming: Adrian Albert, Craig Magill,Frank Peterson, Jasiek Poznanski, Bruce StovelProduction: Jasiek PoznanskiHouse Managers Co-ordinator: Danielle BurnsOffice: Fred ElgertTransportation: Dwayne Hrynkiw Press Releases: Paul WildeJam Sessions: Blake Kinley, Marcus Taylor

Yardbird Suite Newsletter is published five timesper year by the Edmonton Jazz Society (1973)

Newsletter Editor: Jasiek PoznanskiContributing Writers: Adrian Albert,Julie King, Craig Magill,Advertising: Shelley ChebryGraphic Design: Kim Deley, Critical PathMarketing CommunicationsDistribution: Monique Bielech,Shelley Chebry, Bill HarperPrinted by: Nisku Printers (1980) Ltd.

Yardbird Suite on the Net:

www.yardbirdsuite.com

Edmonton Jazz Society (1973)11 Tommy Banks Way (corner of 102 Street & 86 Avenue)Edmonton, Alberta T6E 2M2Phone: (780) 432-0428 Fax: (780) 433-3773

Board of Directors for 2002-2003:President: Tara Benoit Vice-President: Adrian Albert Treasurer: Murray WalfordSecretary: Leah WilsonShelley Chebry, Norma Davis,Dwayne Hrynkiw, Craig Magill,Jasiek Poznanski, Kent Sangster,David Trump, Doug ZimmermanMemberships: Ken KnightLittlebirds Directors:Craig Brenan, Mike Yuzwenko

Yardbird Suite Jazz is a registeredtrademark of the Edmonton Jazz Society (1973).

Yardbird SuiteJAM SESSIONS

Every Tuesday! Members & Guests $3 Doors: 8pm Show: 9pm

March 4Blues:

Dave Babcock

March 11Lane Arndt

March 18Rick Garn

March 25Bob Tildesley

April 1 Blues: Tara Benoit & The Blues Imposters

April 8Dean Pierno

April 15Blake Kinley

April 22Torben Holm-Pederson

April 29Doug Zimmerman

MARCH/APRIL 2003 Page 3

PJ PerryQuartet

P.J. Perry, Edmontons premieralto saxophonist, has a Juno awardto his credit. He has also beenhonored by Jazz Report MagazineCritics Choice, as the bestsaxophonist in Canada. This awardwas awarded to P.J. for several yearsrunning. This January, P.J. washonoured as the Saxophonist of theYear at the National Jazz Awards inToronto.

P.J. has shared the stage withsuch jazz greats as Dizzy Gillespie,Woody Shaw, Kenny Wheeler andmany others. For this show, he willhave three musicians assisting him:guitarist Bobby Cairns, bassist MikeLent and Vancouver based drummerBlaine Wikjord. All of thesemusicians are considered some ofthe best that Canada has to offer.

P.J. was asked what wordswould describe his concert and hereplied the place will be a-rocking.This will no doubt be one exciting,energetic and entertaining concert,so be sure you catch it!

FRI & SAT4MARCH 7&8 MEMBERS $12/GUESTS $16

P.J.Perry saxBobby Cairns guitarMike Lent bassBlaine Wikjord drums

'Strange Fruit', 2002 USA, 57 min. Directed by Joel Katz. Includes performance and/or interviews with: Billie Holiday, Abbey

Lincoln, Pete Seeger, Don Byron, Cassandra Wilson, and others.

Please join us after the moviefor live music of Billie Holiday andoriginal songs performed byMelody Diachun Quartet.

Melody is a vibrant andcompelling vocalist. A Montrealnative, she grew up in AnnapolisRoyal, Nova Scotia where shelearned to play electric bass, pianoand French horn, and took herpremier professional singing gig atage fifteen. Later she was the firstvocalist admitted to McGillUniversity's Jazz PerformanceProgram where she earned hermusic degree. In the mid-90s shemoved to New York City where sheworked on composition, studiedwith Sheila Jordan, and soaked upthe music of the local scene.

Melodys singing career hastaken her from Montreal and NewYork to a three year house gig atthe Banff Springs Hotel, and mostrecently to Vancouver, where shehas quickly established herself asone of the areas most in-demandperformers. Last year she releasedher first CD "Lullaby of the Leaves."

She has worked with many ofCanadas top jazz artists includingOliver Gannon, Michel Donato,Bob Murphy, P.J. Perry, DaveRestivo and many others. She hasperformed on CBC Radio andstarred in her own episode of thetelevision series JAZZMAN. Theshow features her compositionsand airs regularly on BRAVO! TVand the BET Network.

Melody Diachun vocalsDoug Stephenson bass, guitarWayne Feschuk - pianoSandro Dominelli - drums

This captivating documentarytraces the journey of the songStrange Fruit, written by a Bronxschoolteacher, popularized by BillieHolliday, and immortalized by thecivil rights struggle.

Strange Fruit is the firstdocumentary exploring the historyand legacy of the Billie Holidayclassic. This history of the song'sevolution tells a dramatic story ofAmerica's racial past using one ofthe most influential protest songsever written. While many peopleassume Strange Fruit was written byBillie Holiday herself, it actuallybegan as a poem by a Jewishschoolteacher and union activistfrom the Bronx, who later set it tomusic. It was first performed at aNew York teachers' union rally andwas brought to the attention of themanager of Cafe Society, a popularGreenwich Village nightclub, whointroduced Billy Holiday to the writer.

Holiday's record label refused torecord the song. Holiday persisted andrecorded it on a specialty label instead.The haunting lyric and melody made itimpossible for white Americans andpoliticians to ignore any more theSouthern campaign of racist terror.

The documentary includes amoving recitation of the lyric by AbbeyLincoln and a powerful musicalperformance by Cassandra Wilson. Butit's the footage of Lady Day herselfperforming her bitter and heart-wrenching signature song that standsat the center of the film. Holiday sangit until her death in 1959.

The schoolteacher who pennedStrange Fruit under the pseudonymLewis Allen was named AbelMeeropol, the same Abe Meeropolwho adopted the two sons of atombomb spies Julius and Ethel Rosenbergafter their 1953 execution. The boys,now middle-aged, help relate the tale,illuminating the fevered world of artand politics in which they grew up.

Folk singer Pete Seeger,playwright and critic Amiri Baraka,veteran civil rights activist Rev. Dr.C.T. Vivian, and Milt Gabler ofCommodore Records, which firstrecorded Strange Fruit with BillieHoliday in 1939, add their voices tothe story.

What theyre saying..."It still amazes me howtwelve lines can change theworld"

Joel Katz, the director of Strange Fruit.

"This film is an invaluableillumination of how a singerand a song helped topermanently awakenAmericans to a horrifying partof our past that still affectsthe present. I knew BillieHoliday and how deeplyStrange Fruit affected her --as this film vividly shows."

Nat Hentoff,Village Voice

SUNDAY4 MARCH 9MOVIE 8PM 4 LIVE MUSIC FOLLOWS 4 MEMBERS $11/GUESTS $15

Yardbird Suite co-presentation with the Edmonton International Film Festival

MARCH/APRIL 2003Page 4

Since its inception in 1998, Toronto-based Zebradonk has performedlocally, toured nation-wide, and throughout Europe. Their music is deeplyrooted in the jazz tradition, however these roots are often obscured byexplorations into other worldly forms of music. This musical stew proves tobe very adventurous, allowing the band to continually re-invent itself.

Improvisation plays a key role in the performances of Zebradonk; thiscreates an environmentof mystery andencourages theaudience to feelinvolved in the creativeprocess.

Zebradonk isscheduled to stop inEdmonton as part oftheir upcoming tour insupport of their thirdrelease a limitededition vinyl EPhighlighting recentco