On Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 7:30 p.m. ET, watch New York City-based saxophonist Sam Newsome play with a variety of McGill ensembles live from Pollack Hall in Montreal. Over the course of the evening, Newsome will display his musical versatility by playing solo soprano saxophone pieces, improvising in duo with pianist Jean-Michel Pilc, playing with an octet made up of McGill faculty and students and acting as a featured soloist with McGill Jazz Orchestra I. Scroll down for a complete list of performers.
Newsome comes to the school through his connection with Pilc, whom he met in the 1990's through French vocalist Elisabeth Kontomanou. After playing together in a variety of situations (including Pilc's Cardinal Points quartet with drummer Ari Hoenig), they began to experiment regularly with playing duo. In a recent interview, Newsome was quick to express the advantages of this collaboration with Pilc. "[It's] probably the most musically liberating setting I’ve ever played in. I can play any note or any sound and he can play something to complement it. It’s pretty amazing! Few people in the world can do what he does."
Performers:
Octet:
Kevin Dean, trumpet
Rémi Bolduc, alto sax
Evan Shay, tenor sax
Jean-Nicolas Trottier, trombone
Jean-Michel Pilc / David Osei-Afrifa, piano
Mike De Masi, bass
Andre White, drums
McGill Jazz Orchestra I, under the direction of Joe Sullivan:
Saxophones:
Chris Edmondson, alto
Élizabeth Provencher, alto
Chris Maskell, tenor
Evan Shay, tenor
Thomas Daudlin, baritone
Trumpets:
Kaz Takasugi
Brent Proseus
Victoria Hebbard
John Drinkwater
Harry Skinner
Trombones:
Modibo Keita
Eric Bourgeois
Alex Desjardins
Stefan Thompson
Rhythm section:
Roman Munoz, guitar
Daniel Witkowski, piano
Jonathan Chapman, bass
Eric Maillet, drums
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