FFWD Weekly
Copyright © 2000. All Rights Reserved
Music
by John ReidP.J. Perry with the Tommy Banks Trio
Jazz Festival Calgary
June 30 and July 1
Palliser HotelP.J. Perry is a saxophonist of international calibre who happens to live in Edmonton. Although Perry won the Juno Award for best jazz recording in 1992, that recognition did not seem to result in major international exposure – it is, after all, a Canadian award.
His most recent CD release, P.J. Perry and the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, should do the trick, though. Inspired by the 1951 Charlie Parker with Strings recording, the disc features arrangements by Toronto saxophonist Rick Wilkins (who was in town in 1988 arranging and conducting for the Olympic Games opening and closing ceremonies recordings). Perry has been performing this material live with symphony orchestras in Canada under the title Joy of Sax to considerable success and sold-out houses.
Jim West of Justin Time Records in Montreal has stated that Perry could make it big in the States if he were to move to New York. I asked Perry about that in a recent phone interview.
"It’s a compromise," he says. "I’m a married man with two young children. I feel that my responsibilities are to my health, to my peace of mind, to my wife, and to my family. (But) to ask me if I regret whether I’m not playing with some of those shit-hot, wonderful musicians in New York, I’d be a liar if I said I didn’t sometimes regret not being there."
Even though Perry does not live in a major centre, he keeps his level of musicianship high and is consistent in his playing so as to not rest on his laurels. And when he talks about his music, he talks about it involving many different factors.
"Music is about communicating to the people that are in the room. It’s about how you are feeling that day. It’s about who you are playing with. It’s about the energy level. The wonderful thing about jazz music is its honesty. That’s what makes jazz music so special.
"I have always been of the opinion that when a person gets up in a jazz music situation and picks up their horn, you’re hearing the real thing, you’re hearing someone who is totally exposed, someone who has let their walls down, who is trying to play honestly and communicate honestly. That’s why jazz music is so special is because it is spontaneous and it’s honest. It’s always different, it’s always changing. Nowhere to hide."
Perry is attempting to book his symphony show internationally, but while he is working on that, he is certainly not stuck in Edmonton.
"I am getting out of town often enough, too, that I am not getting cabin fever being in Edmonton all the time. I’m playing with (Grammy Award-winning Toronto big band leader, composer and trombonist) Rob McConnell’s 10-piece band now and we tour. We play a week a couple of times a year at the Senator in Toronto. It’s a fantastic band. We just did a recording about a month ago. I’m just back from playing the Winnipeg Jazz Festival and I did a tour of B.C. with Rob’s band in the spring. So things are pretty darn good for me at the moment."
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