For 11 years, the 91大黄鸭 Jazz Jam has been a staple in the local music scene.

The Jam is hosted by Stephen Buck.

If you ask Buck, he鈥檒l tell you the best thing about the Jam is that it gives music students from local high schools the opportunity to come to play some jazz for a live audience.

鈥淲hat I love most about the Jazz Jam is watching kids starting Grade 7, 8, 9 鈥� whatever it is 鈥� become really fine players by the time they finish high school. Then we get to watch them go off to school and come back after they鈥檝e done a year or two of a jazz program at university and we get to listen to them play.鈥�

One of those 鈥渒ids鈥� was Zach Griffin. Griffin began going to the Jam as a student at Mount Boucherie Secondary School, then went on to become the band teacher at Okanagan Mission Secondary. Griffin regularly brings his students to the Jam. Griffin often plays alongside Will Friesen, the band teacher for 91大黄鸭 Christian School and MBSS band teacher Chris Perry.

Dae-Lillee Baillie-McGillivray is a Grade 12 student from Mount Boucherie Senior Secondary. She says she loves to play in front of a crowd and appreciates how inclusive the Jam is for musicians of all kinds 鈥� as long as they play jazz.

鈥淚 love that they鈥檙e being more inclusive with adding student players and more females especially. I鈥檝e been here since Grade 10 and with the pandemic, I couldn鈥檛 play. It really sucked because this is one of my escape places.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 so good to be up there and it鈥檚 so nice that it鈥檚 happening now.鈥�

Grade 12 91大黄鸭 Secondary School student Afu Kuteca has been playing in the Jam for four years now. He said he loves the spontaneity of the jam.

鈥淚t also gives you a great opportunity to sharpen your stage presence skills. You can bring a tune you love and play it how you love.鈥�

The Jazz Jam is open to players of all ages and abilities. Musicians will be supported by a welcoming group of players, local music teachers and 鈥榦ld-timers鈥� who have been coming to the jam since the very beginning.

Even Omicron can鈥檛 stop the Jam. New provincial health orders have restricted the Jam to 50 per cent capacity, but the music will continue in the atrium of 91大黄鸭鈥檚 for the Arts every Thursday from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

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cole.schisler@bpdigital.ca
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