I was unable to get to most of the Jazz festival shows this past week, but caught a preview of some of the headlining acts during Jazz on the Square.
I arrived at the end of a horn powered blowout by the HeavyWeights Brass band, who played the Slice the night before.
They brought the spirit of New Orleans jazz to the streets, winding down their set with a revamped version of Michael Jackson’s ’80s hit “Beat It.”
In between acts, the j.a.m.a.n.i percussion duo played sweet melodies on steel drums, xylophone and a variety of other percussion instruments.
Lethbridge jazz/ pop/ R and B group featuring singer Mwansa Mwansa, bassist Paul Holden, drummer Brad Brouwer, guitarist James Oldenburg and Aaron Collier on keyboards had a solid hour long set of a variety of R and B/ pop hits from today and yesterday, which showcased Mwansa Mwansa’s big beautiful voice.
The mix was a little bass heavy, so it drowned out a lot of the intricacies of the music. One of many highlights of the set was their version of Jamiroquai’s 1996 hit “Virtual Insanity.”
After that it was time for a preview of the night’s entertainment. The Calgary Jazz Orchestra played plenty of big band jazz crooner music which they were to play at the Yates on Saturday night.
There was plenty of horns and a lot of energy that took the audience back to the heyday of Jazz crooners like Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack.
Just as it started to rain, Calgary horn band Bluesland showed their love for New Orleans jazz and blues and almost blew the clouds away.
They began with a hot version of Bon Ton Roulet and added an injection of adrenaline and horns to blues classic St. James Infirmary. They were excellent, with a lot of energy and a lot of fun.