The Letkemann Theatre will be swinging to the stylings of high school jazz on Nov. 14, when seven bands from four different school divisions perform to wrap up the annual NorMan Jazz Festival.
The festival, which was held in Flin Flon last year and The Pas in 2008, is an intense two-day affair which sees the bands work with professional musicians to hone their skills before the final concert.
"The kids will get here at 8 a.m., bright and early on Saturday morning, and they're going to work one hour with each clinician," explains R.D. Parker Collegiate band teacher Kevin Lewis. "There will be some improvisation clinics and some workshops like that. Sunday morning they'll be here at 8, working until noon, and then we perform in the afternoon."
"It's open to the public," says Lewis of the concert, which will be held at 2 p.m. with a $5 admission. "It's going to feature all seven bands that will be here, as well as some of the clinicians."
There are eight clinicians in total, all coming up from Winnipeg and Brandon. Among the most notable names are Greg Gatien, a professor at Brandon University, and Michael Cain, a former professor at the New England Conservatory of Music whom Lewis describes as a "renowned jazz pianist." The other clinicians are members of the Winnipeg-based East Side Jazz Band.
Two bands from R.D. Parker will be taking part in the event - the junior jazz band, which is an auditioned band consisting of students between Grade 7 and Grade 11, and the senior jazz band, which is made up of students between Grade 10 and Grade 12. Lewis says that both bands are currently running at around 20 performers apiece. In addition to the two R.D. Parker bands, there will be three groups from Flin Flon, one from The Pas, and one from Swan Valley.
"We treat it as a teaching festival because it's early in the year," Lewis explains. "The bands work on some material, then they work on it with clinicians and they select a couple pieces to play at the concert."
Gatien, who Lewis calls "a phenomenal saxophone player," has spent time with R.D. Parker's jazz band in the recent past. After working with the students at last year's NorMan Jazz Festival, Gatien visited Thompson in February for further workshops and instruction.
