Renown saxophonist Vern Dorge has been taking some much deserved time off to tie up loose ends with doctor’s appointments, taxes and home renovations. Now that is taken care of, he is excited to make a long awaited return to Lethbridge to spend Easter with his parents and play Plum with James Oldenburg, Brad Brouwer and bassist Kurt Ciesla for Good Friday, March 25.
His storied career includes sharing stages with Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald and Blood , Sweat and Tears.
“I’m coming to Lethbridge for Easter to visit my folks. So I called James and he placed a couple of calls,” said Dorge, who was last in Lethbridge to play the Lethbridge Jazz Festival three years ago.
“During the jazz festival, I made a point of visiting all of the bars and clubs that had jazz music playing for dinner. I found Plum and met the owners and they were really nice,” he said, promising a nice relaxing evening of jazz music.
“It will be relaxing but lively. It won’t be weird jazz music, though I like weird jazz music. We may play a few ballads, though often people drift off and start talking during them, but there might be a couple of them. It will be jazz standards,” he said.
“I’m looking forward to coming back and catching up with old friends like Don Robb and Ed Wasiak who are organizing the jazz festival and finding out what they have planned,” he said, adding his nine day visit will only include the one show.
He has enjoyed his time off from the stage.
His busy year last year included a couple of high profile shows at Massey Hall.
“Last year I played with Diana Krall at Massey Hall with a big orchestra so that was amazing. I also played with Emilie-Claire Barlow, who played the jazz orchestra, also at Massey Hall,” he said.
Another highlight was filling in for the saxophonist for Classic Albums Live, who perform popular classic albums from bands like Led Zeppelin, CCR and Pink Floyd from start to finish.
“ I got to play some of my favourite saxophone solos from Pink Floyd. I love the solo from “Money.” The guitar solo kicks in right after it and i got to stand right next to the guitar player while he played it,” he said.
While they run several tours all over the world, Dorge isn’t joining them.
“I was just filling in for their regular saxophonist who was in California overseeing a tour there,” he said.
There is limited seating, so admission is $20 at the door. Call Travis at 403-394-1200 for reservations.
