chris wong in sync

As someone who covers Vancouver's jazz and world music scene, I receive a significant number of CDs by local artists. Given the space constraints that go with producing a column every two weeks, I only write about very few of these artists. What happens to the discs I don't get to? They end up collecting dust on my office floor.

After receiving an advance copy of a CD by Colin Lazzerini, a local jazz singer/songwriter I had never heard of, I thought the album was destined for the dustpile. It seems like Vancouver is home to a lot of people who call themselves jazz singers, but are really nothing of the kind. So I didn't have high hopes for Positively, Lazzerini's debut release. I was wrong. It has stayed well clear of the CD Siberia on my floor for compelling reasons.

The first thing that got my attention was the press material that came with the CD. The mini-biography of Lazzerini said he once performed a strip tease in the middle of a gig, his "unpredictable audacity and impertinence" got him shot and stabbed on separate occasions, and the 55-year-old born in London, England has worked as everything from a miner to a United Nations consultant. What intrigued me the most was the line that said he was the "founder-manager, logistical genius and career mastermind" behind Loose Tubes, a legendary London ensemble.

Loose Tubes was an unorthodox big band that performed in Europe and elsewhere during the '80s. Unorthodox because it had 21 members, functioned as a cooperative with no conductor, and played wildly imaginative tunes incorporating jazz, African music and other genres. I caught a riveting Loose Tubes concert in Scotland in 1987. In the liner notes to the band's Delightful Precipice album that I picked up at the show, Lazzerini receives credit for "instigation and conspiracy".

Shifting back to the present, Lazzerini's singing was ultimately what attracted me to Positively. On songs he co-wrote, such as the bluesy "Clean Up Your Room" and soulful "Things Turn Out That Way", Lazzerini sings with an assured style that reflects his jazz instincts. On "'Round Midnight", the album's only standard other than "God Bless The Child", the vocalist shows he's up to the challenge of creatively adapting the classic. Lazzerini doesn't have perfect pitch or a huge range, but he knows how to project life experience with a Mose Allison-like directness.

Lazzerini also has excellent taste in backing musicians. Guitarist Pat Coleman, who co-wrote some of the tunes and produced the album, Bob Murphy on piano and Hammond B-3 organ, Ross Taggart on tenor saxophone, trumpeter Kim Garland and other players make strong contributions to Positively. Lazzerini will perform at the Havana Aug. 9-11 with Coleman, Taggart and two other musicians who played on the CD: bassist Ken Lister and drummer Buff Allen.

Last week I met Lazzerini at the Havana, where he filled in some details of his colourful life. It turns out he lived in Vancouver during the '70s, when the Classical Joint was going strong in Gastown. Lazzerini sang at the Joint, including one memorable night when he stripped to the melody of "Hazel's Hips". In fact he's creating a musical with Dick Smith called "A Classical Joint".

After that first stint in Vancouver, Lazzerini went on to various adventures, including seven years managing Loose Tubes. But he didn't perform much until recently. "Positively" affirms that Lazzerini has found his voice as a true jazz vocalist and songwriter.

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As far as trombonists go, Brian Harding is one of Vancouver's most versatile and imaginative players. In the fall Harding will begin music studies at Purchase College, which is near New York City. To help offset the high tuition, he's putting on a tuition benefit concert Aug. 12 at the WISE Hall. A few of the many groups Harding has performed with, including Grupo Jazz Tumbao, Rumba Calzada, the Jazzmanian Devils and the Swing Machine, will perform at the benefit. Scotty Hard, Harding's Brooklyn-based brother who's a well-regarded producer/engineer, will also contribute his DJ skills.

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Sisters Ingrid and Christine Jensen, who were born and raised in B.C., are both distinctive jazz musicians. Christine, a fine Montreal-based alto saxophonist, will perform Aug. 10-11 at the Cellar. Ingrid, an engaging trumpeter in the New York scene, will play at O'Doul's Aug. 16-17.

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A funny thing happened at the WOMAD festival in Redmond, Washington last weekend. The festival featured premier world music artists from around the globe, but the group that made the most profound impression didn't come from Buenos Aires, Dakar or Calcutta. It was from, of all places, Victoria. I'm talking about Lappelectro featuring Daniel Lapp.

In part I was impressed with Lapp's ability to capably switch between trumpet, violin, keyboards and tenor saxophone. He even sang-a truly unique rendition of "My Funny Valentine". (Lapp also performed at WOMAD with the Puentes Brothers, who played a lively set.) But I was mainly struck by how the quartet effectively combined electronica with more organic elements, like Lapp's violin playing, to create a textured sound. Based on Lappelectro's powerfully intense performance, which completely won over the crowd, I predict the group will go a long way.

Other festival highlights included performances by singers: Savina Yannatou from Greece, Iarla Ó Lionáird (of Afro-Celt Sound System) from Ireland, and the Blind Boys of Alabama (who performed with David Lindley).