The Canmore Dixieland Jazz Band will be performing in the Civic Centre courtyard on Saturday, September 9th!
ABOUT YOUR PERFORMERS
The Canmore Dixieland Jazz Band is a delightful local jazz ensemble comprised of nine talented musicians.
Informally established around 2015, the band originated when several musicians from Canmore gathered in Stan Horner’s garage, with Stan being the drummer, and began playing Dixieland tunes. Drawing inspiration from the early 20th-century style of jazz that emerged in New Orleans and the American South, known as Dixieland or Traditional Jazz, their music blends influences from ragtime, blues, brass band music, and other traditional African American musical forms.
The band’s vibrant sound comes alive with energizing vocals and a front-line of instruments, including trumpet, trombone, clarinet, and saxophone, accompanied by a rhythm section of banjo, piano, tuba and drums.
The band members, each contributing their unique talents, are Bob Bean on clarinet, Doon Wilkins as the vocalist, Heather Reese on banjo, Lee Post on clarinet, Robert Hudson playing the tuba, Russ Peardon on trombone, Thomas Krause handling the trumpet, Wayne Schneider on saxophone, and Yun-Chu Wu on piano.
Despite their success, the band remains a “not-for-profit” group, driven by the pure joy of making music and spreading happiness. All earnings from their performances go back to the community through a “scholarship fund” for young musicians, and their love for performing shines through in their appearances at various events and venues across the Bow Valley, including Canada Day, Good Earth Café, Canmore Hotel, The Legion, The Origin, The Bow Valley Senior Center, Banff Gazebo, Cochrane Culture Day, and various fundraisers.