>>PREVIEW
C-JAZZ CARNIVALE!
Prime Time Big Band
Saturday, September 9
Gateway Lounge (SAIT)
Now, you wouldn’t necessarily think that just over a decade ago, Calgary would be a big band jazz hot spot. After all, the heyday of the big bands in North America occurred around the Second World War. After that, many of the bands ran into financial difficulties. Travelling with large groups of musicians from city to city proved to be expensive. Prime Time was born in ’94 when one man thought it was time for a big band revival.
Founder and conductor Dave Jones, ex of Calgary’s renowned PPCLI military band was sure of it then and he’s even more sure of it now.
"I started it originally as a venue for top players in the city, to play professional big band music at a professional level and at that time there wasn’t (a venue for that)," Jones says. "I only wanted to deal with the very best quality of player and music from the ’40s, ’50s, ’60s and ’70s."
From there, as they say, the rest is history and fan interest set the tone for the next few years.
"It was a really super positive (public response)," Jones remembers. "To the point where we just sort of mushroomed into more and more gigs every year."
Today, after three years playing regular Saturday afternoon gigs at the Ironwood Grill in Inglewood, Prime Time’s crowds are growing and it’s moving to new digs – the Amsterdam Rhino downtown on 11th Avenue S.W. The band is also poised to release its first CD. The move is based on the simple need to have more space to meet the growing interest in Prime Time.
Prime Time’s first CD also reflects public response and though the CDs’ been a long time coming, everything just recently fell into place. Jones laughs as he remembers a chance meeting at the Ironwood.
"About a year and a half ago, a fellow came up to me in the club on a Saturday afternoon and he said, ‘Hey, have you got a CD?’ and I said, ‘Hey, have you got a lot of money?’ He said let’s get together, so I showed up at a meeting and there were four gentlemen in suits and I thought right away these guys are serious. So I put a proposal together and I said I needed to look at a studio, etc., etc. We ended up recording the CD last June in Banff."
Prime Time’s reputation will certainly be secured with this CD. More importantly it continues a Prime Time tradition – big name guest artists. The CD will feature two performances by PJ Perry, just one of the many artists who’ve guested with the band over the years. That same tradition continues with this year’s C-JAZZ Festival featuring Ian McDougall. |
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