chris wong in sync

Jon Bentley has heard it in jazz saxophonists ranging from American great Joe Lovano to local stalwart Jack Stafford. I've noticed it with sax players like Wayne Shorter and ex-Vancouverite Michael Blake. It's a solid traditional core to their sound. Those who have the core show it regardless of whether they're playing straight ahead or freely, in acoustic or electric contexts. Bentley, a young and promising saxophonist who mainly plays tenor, knows it's worth going a long way to learn about that core.

In mid-May he'll leave for London, England, where Bentley will study with tenor saxophonist Stan Robinson. He's not exactly a household name in jazz, but Robinson was a prominent member of big bands led by Dizzy Gillespie and Maynard Ferguson, and now plays in major venues like Ronnie Scott's in London. Campbell Ryga and Ross Taggart, two other saxophonists in the Vancouver scene, studied with Robinson and recommended him. "Hopefully I can learn more about whatever that entity is, that core sound," says Bentley about his upcoming lessons with Mr. Robinson.

Bentley already has a strong foundation beneath his playing. That was apparent the other week at the Cellar, when he played harmonically substantive solos on challenging tunes by pianist Sharon Minemoto. (Bentley filled in for Taggart, who normally plays with Minemoto.) The members of Metalwood (who will perform April 20 at Capilano College Performing Arts Theatre) have also taken note of Bentley's substance. Last month Metalwood's Mike Murley, another saxophonist with that core sound, wasn't available for shows featuring the quartet in Brandon, Manitoba. Bentley received the call to sub for Murley.

So Bentley is leaving at a time when his stock is rising among the many fine saxophonists here. But the 27-year-old is excited about going to London on a Canada Council grant that will support him for eight months. Before his departure there will be at least two opportunities to hear Bentley. One show will feature the electric trio he leads, Diversions, which will perform April 19 at the Cellar as part of Coastal Jazz & Blues Society's ongoing series of shows at the restaurant.

Diversions includes Bentley on saxophones that he often processes through electronic effects, Chris Gestrin on keyboards and drummer Bernie Arai. On the group's American Prophecy CD, Diversions sounds both imaginatively clamorous and unexpectedly gentle. In a live setting the band, which played frequently at the Sugar Refinery, gets especially adventurous with its improvisation and use of electronics.

The Diversions gig will show one side to Bentley's wide-ranging musicality. A tribute to drummer Art Blakey he's organizing for May 11-12 at the Cellar will show a completely different side. Like the other tributes he put on at the Cellar and Mojo Room - to icons such as Larry Young, Ornette Coleman, Joe Henderson and Miles Davis - the Blakey nights will reflect Bentley's deep appreciation for jazz history.

Bentley and others, including Arai, painstakingly transcribed 14 songs from Blakey's classic Blue Note recordings in the early 1960s. So the tribute will offer a rare chance to hear the original arrangements of intense hard bop tunes like "Mosaic", "Free For All" and "The Core". It's also unusual these days to hear a sextet with a three-horn front line, which Bentley and Arai assembled for the tribute. The band includes Bentley, Arai, Brad Turner on trumpet, Ross Taggart on piano, trombonist Rod Murray and bassist André Lachance.

If all of this inspires you to check out more of Bentley's inspired playing, don't worry, he'll take a break from his London studies and play in Vancouver's jazz festival. His festival performances with Diversions, Millennium Project, Jeremy Hepner and Jeff Mahoney should indicate how close he's getting to that essential core.
To make reservations for the Cellar shows, call 738-1959

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I'm still marvelling about the stunning performance that Paco de Lucia gave April 4. The concert left me wanting to hear more quality flamenco, which is where dancer Rosario Ancer and guitarist Victor Kolstee come in. These leading artists in Vancouver's flamenco scene will present Noche Flamenca! April 19-21 at the Vancouver East Cultural Centre. They'll perform with dancer Raul Salcedo, Ancer's Flamenco Rosario dance company, singer Antonio de Jerez, bassist Laurence Mollerup and saxophonist/flautist Graham Ord.

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A year ago I wrote about the fusion of world music with contemporary electronic sounds. It's not just a fleeting phenomenon. World fusion, as I called it, is as vital as ever. With that in mind, here comes Sutra Sonic - a night of "future global grooves", April 26 at Sonar. The evening will feature three DJs who are passionate about music from various cultures that gets people on the dancefloor:
·        Meta4, a.k.a., Ian Menzies, is a co-founder of Mo Funk Records and also worked for world music label Wicklow. Menzies just signed a deal with Nutone Records, an imprint of Nettwerk Productions, to compile a series of CDs representing the global groove scene.
·        Marc Fournier is the DJ behind Afrodisia nights at the Anza Club and plays global tracks on Radio-Canada.
·        Antoine Bonaparte co-hosts Afrobeat World on 96.1 FM.
Hector Navarro will also provide live percussion.