James Danderfer

Hello, good morning, and welcome to the Saturday Morning News Post!… The Rapture Edition!!

Readers, jazz is funny, or at least lots of fun can be made of it, a fact which was evidenced several weeks ago when I was featured on Guy MacPherson’s 102.7fm radio show “What’s So Funny?”.

I know, I know, I perhaps should have told you all about this before the radio show aired (BAD self-promoting jazz clarinetist, BAD) but the good news is that this show is also a podcast which you can find right here. You can also more…

Hello, good morning, and welcome to the Saturday Morning News Post!

Readers, I know, this is no longer Saturday or morning and it would seem I’m getting a little slack with the SMNPs,… I’ll try to plan ahead more, or, perhaps I should say I’ll try planning ahead. I never really do that,… part of my stagnant career charm I suppose.

In the news this past week, I had three fun nights playing at O’Douls in Vancouver with my trio consisting of Miles Black and Joe Poole. Playing three consecutive nights in one place is very rare indeed and it was a great opportunity for the trio to get reacquainted with my tunes which we will be recording next Monday. If all goes well, the record will turn out great, SONY and Universal records will fight to add me on their artist roster, the album goes platinum,… I retire. Barring that, I will more…

Hello, good morning, and welcome to the Saturday Morning News Post!

Finally the moment all 2 of my YouTube subscribers have been waiting for,… more Danderfer! That’s right, I’ve just posted a video of my Vancouver trio (w/ Joe Poole and Miles Black) on YouTube. Shot by Andrew Lavigne and recorded by Chris Gestrin, this video (actually from last Summer) features the 1st tune of my “Jelly Roll Suite” (commissioned by CBC radio in 2010) called “As Luck Would Have It”.

Eventually, I’m going to have all videos available on my website, but until then, click here to watch it. … One or two more videos more…

Hello, good morning, and welcome to the Saturday Morning News Post!

Readers, it’s been a terribly exciting week for me as I had the opportunity to play with stellar jazz musicians Campbell Ryga, Seamus Blake, Hugh Fraser, Jodi Proznik, and Craig Scott as part of Musicfest Canada (a highschool music festival) in Port Alberni where we were all adjucating for 3 days. With the exception of Jodi (who’s my age), I’ve been listening to these guys play since I was a kid, so having the chance to perform with them after all this time was truly nerve-wracking an honour.

But you know what else is exciting,… MY SHOW NEXT WEEKEND AT THE CELLAR. The poster says it all, comedy AND jazz together again. more…

Hello, good morning afternoon, and welcome to the Saturday Morning News Post!

Readers, it’s been such a crazy couple of weeks that I wasn’t able to write the SMNP. Let’s see, I finished the big band charts, recorded them (haven’t been able to listen to it yet), drove down to New York City for 4 days, and enjoyed concerts by the Phil Woods Quintet, Darcy James Argue’s “Secret Society” big band, and up and coming trumpeter Ambrose Akinmusire. Had a great time, caught up with a few friends, with many more to catch up with next time.

Then,… went back to Montreal to pack up everything and move back to Vancouver. That’s right, more…

Hello, good morning, and welcome to the Saturday Morning News Post!

Couldn’t get the SMNP out on time because this week has been so crazy. Among other things, I directed the final McGill Jazz Orchestra III concert last Wednesday, worked on my own arrangements for a recording with McGill Jazz Orchestra I which seemed to require hundreds of emails to coordinate. Meanwhile, I’ve been trying to organize a recording with my trio back in Vancouver, which will be performing at The Cellar jazz club on May 6/7,… more information on this next week. more…

Hello, good morning, and welcome to the Saturday Morning News Post!

Readers, I am still deep in big band land with my Jazz Orchestra III final concert coming up this Wednesday (7:30pm, Tanna Hall, McGill) and my big band arrangement of the 5 part “Jelly Roll Suite” scheduled to be rehearsed this week and recorded a week from today.

Ah big band. If there’s some stigma attached to this ensemble within University music programs it may be because it is so strongly associated with a style. If you say “large jazz ensemble” it could be anything, but you say “big band” and inevitably Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and more…

Hello, good morning, and welcome to the Saturday Morning News Post!

Readers, it’s World Theatre Day this weekend, and you’re either really excited to go support this art form or,… you had no idea there was such a thing as World Theatre Day. If you’re in Vancouver you can find out what’s playing here (As usual, the SMNP has the inside track on what’s hot, and my money’s on the dark comedy Evelyn Strange by Stewart Lemoine , on now until April 2nd!). Since I’m in Montreal, I’ll be finding a show somewhere here.

As SMNP readers are aware, we’re living in the Information Age more…

Hello, good morning, and welcome to the Saturday Morning News Post!

Readers, I’m ALL big band ALL the time these days! Not only am I directing McGill’s Jazz Orchestra III, but I am also writing a big band arrangement of my CBC commissioned “Jelly Roll Suite” and really, really trying to finish it soon. The charts are to be played by a McGill big band and will fulfill a degree requirement.

As many of you know, arranging for big band is new for me. It’s fun and exhausting creative work. Not creative in the same way as more…

Hello, good morning, and welcome to the Saturday Morning News Post!

Readers, thank you all for the comments on last weeks post! As we’ve read, some people (ie Cory Weeds) have chosen to take on the challenge to make things happen in Vancouver while others have chosen to move elsewhere in search of greener, or at least dryer, pastures. I support both; artists gotta do whatever the hell they gotta do.

My goal over the last few weeks has been to examine, and possibly debunk, Vancouver’s “No-Fun Town” reputation. (For starters, such a broad slogan is not going to get people on board; of course you can have fun in Vancouver,… or any city really! If the message is supposed to convey “Unsupportive-of-the-arts Town” then call it that.)

And why examine/debunk it? you ask. Indeed, why not more…