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Paul Cummings

Trombone

Jazzin' It Up

He's not here by accident.

For Paul Cummings, the decision to return to Powell River was the result of careful thought and deliberation. It's a pattern he established early in life: weighing the alternatives, reflecting on his past, projecting to the future, then selecting the best option.

As a youth, Cummings dreamed of a career as a jazz musician. He began studying the trombone in grade-six, in the Grief Point Elementary School band. Travis McDonough was one of his original band teachers.

"Those were the big years of bands, the '60s, '70s, and early '80s. It was a dynasty here: talk about a well-oiled machine."

The highlights, he says, were playing with all the bands and jazz bands throughout junior high and high school. He also toured with the Powell River Youth Choir, travelling to Montréal in 1981 and Mexico City in 1982.

Private music lessons, music camp in summer: step by step, he was following his dreams toward a career in music, with the full support of his family.

"My parents were the epitome of supportive: always there when I needed them, especially in music. They still come to everything I do."

Upon graduation from Max Cameron, Cummings was one of several students who chose a career in music. "There was a group of about eight to 10 of us from my graduating class who have either gone on to study music or perform," he says. His own choice was UBC, where he began a Bachelor of Music. "I took classes in the ABCs of all different instruments, from piccolo to oboe. Most of it was on-the-job training."

That was by day. By night, he was a performing musician. "I played in everything from army bands to brass quintet; I played the horn in rock-and-roll bands, German oompahpah bands, and African calypso bands. It was an assortment of world music."

Between his third and fourth year, during Expo '86, he decided to take a year off and just play. As one of the musicians hired to perform at Expo '86, he played in an assortment of ensembles, "from small ensembles entertaining the people in line-ups to big show bands."

It was a year in which he learned some hard lessons about life.

"It was a very valuable transition year. I went from 'I definitely want to be a player,' to 'Hm, teaching looks very good.'"

"It scared me," he says frankly. "I saw guys 10 years older than I was: world-class musicians: who were just living from gig to gig."

He also realized that he wanted to spend more time travelling. As a performing musician, he realized, he would be tied to a particular city. "If you leave Vancouver for six months, you stand to lose gigs."

So great was his love of travel that, before he began his Bachelor of Education at UBC, he spent a whole year in Europe. That year just confirmed his decision to teach.

After his time at UBC: which he describes as a "nose to the grindstone kind of year": he accepted a position at Hatzic Secondary School in Mission. As he predicted, he was able to fulfill his dreams of travelling.

"As a teacher, I took several groups to Europe. We're talking backpack and Europasses: and always crossing paths with the Powell River Youth Choir."

Throughout those years, he stayed in close touch with Don James. "He's the one who really gave me a leg-up to the famous Europe Cantat, one of the largest choir festivals on earth." To qualify for the Cantat, the Mission student choir had to meet stringent international standards: sending tapes, bios, references, and lists of songs. James proved a valuable reference.

Another old friend from Powell River also helped out.

"I used to go to the BC and Jazz Festival as a student, when Peter Taylor was running it in North Vancouver." During Cummings's last three years in Mission, Taylor handed the festival over to him. "Running that festival I found myself surrounded by excellence: the finest people Mission had to offer. They were all over-achievers."

After 10 years at Hatzic, Cummings decided to take a leave of absence, to pursue a Master's in Music at the University of Western Washington. It proved to be another turning point.

"Over the course of the year, I knew it was time for the move from Mission. I agonized over the next step in my career and personal life. But during the last four months of my degree, I realized all the arrows were pointing back to Powell River. I made some phone calls, asking people to let me know if anything came up."

It only took a couple of months. In September of this year, he was hired to teach choir, band, music, composition, and vocal jazz at Brooks Secondary School. Today, he and his students are concentrating on building a strong program. In the coming weeks, his 12-member student music council will accompany him on a goal-setting retreat.

In addition to working at Brooks, Cummings also teaches general music to kindergarten-to-grade five students at James Thomson Elementary. It was there he made another surprising discovery. Although he had worked with small children before, it had always been with a teacher in the room to manage the class. Now he was on his own.

"I thought, 'This is a first.' But I loved it. The kids at James Thomson are wonderful."

Today, he teaches 13 different classes, including the Youth Choir at the Powell River Academy of Music. But, as he says casually, "I enjoy being busy. I take on as much as I can handle."

One of the other advantages of living in Powell River is the chance to perform. "As a musician, I was completely starved of any sort of outlet to perform in Mission. Here I'm able to stretch myself." Today, Cummings sings in Peter Taylor's vocal jazz group SoundTrax, as well as singing and playing trombone in the Walter Martella Quintet.

Amazingly, he also finds time to relax, by immersing himself in Powell River's natural beauty. "It's such a recreational playground: kayaking, finding someplace to go for a swim, a hike."

Friends and family are another bonus. "I didn't even realize how many friends I had until I moved home. They're wonderful people.

Is he planning to stay? "Forever and ever," he says, admitting it's a pretty bold statement. But then, Paul Cummings has never shied away from bold moves.

Ted Durnin

Saxophone

Ted Durnin studied clarinet and saxophone in school. He went on to study sax at the University of Western Ontario. For a few years, it sat in the closet. Since moving to Powell River, Ted has dusted off the horn.

He has played in the Powell River Community Band and Stage Band, given a classical recital at the Powell River Academy of Music, joined Anything Grows, and now he also plays in ZOOT SUIT RIOT.

Ted is classically trained, but he can also handle swing, reggae, rock, blues, and even polka if need be.

Ted is also an accomplished vocalist. He sings in the Powell River Chamber Choir, and he has sung with most of our local choirs at one time or another. In university, Ted was in a jazz choir for two years. He also had a regular church gig in Montreal for awhile. He sings high tenor.

The latest thing for Ted is the keyboard. The Royal Conservatory of Music demanded that he attain Grade 8 piano to get his Grade 10 Voice. Now that he has it, he is putting those skills to use in his new band.

Ted teaches saxophone, voice, and drama at the Powell River Academy of Music.

My e-mail address is: tdurnin@aisl.bc.ca

Clarinet, Baritone Sax, Alto Sax

Trained in music at the local high school in the sixties, now retired from a career in high tech project management, Dave played in bands in Ottawa before returning to Powell river in 1993.
Telephone 604-487-0356
Fax 604-487-0356
My e-mail address is: fpm@prcn.org
Bands: Powell River Stompers, Jazz Unlimited

Clint Jahrig

Alto and Tenor Saxophone, Clarinet, Violin

Makin' Music Memories

For Clint Jahrig and Jack Christian, the best way to spend an afternoon is playing what they lovingly call 'the old standards': the music of the 1920s, '30s, '40s, and '50s.

'They're beautiful songs, with beautiful lyrics,' explains Christian. "There's a kind of tender sentiment that is a reflection of the period."

The two regularly volunteer at the Olive Devaud Residence, the Hospital Auxiliary, and Evergreen Extended Care, where they play for the residents. As Christian says, "Our peers and those who are older know this music, these songs. They tap their feet and nod their heads." And always, he says, they show appreciation for the time Christian and Jahrig spend with them.

Now retired, the two meet most afternoons to practise.

"I heard Clinton at the jams and realized he could play anything, including the music I liked: the old standards,' says Christian. 'He's a very talented musician.

A former mill worker, Jahrig used to have a group called Clint's Quartet, which played Dwight Hall and other venues, including halls on Vancouver Island. "But as times go by, things change," he says wistfully.

'In the days before disk jockeys, there were bands all over the place," adds Christian. "People danced more.' A former elementary-school teacher, he remembers dances at Lund, Lang Bay, and Stillwater all through the 1950s. "That was your entertainment. Television is one factor that changed it. The whole dance thing has ended."

To Christian, the world seems harsher today, and the change is reflected in the music. The older music, in contrast, is 'sweeter. It's also more challenging to play. The chord progression is more complex.'

Christian sings and plays guitar, using sheet music. "I use the music, but Clinton doesn't need it. He can do it all by ear."

In his quartet days, Jahrig used to play alto and tenor saxophone, as well as clarinet, but 'violin was my main instrument: still is.'

When they can, they invite a third musician to join in. "

A piano makes a big difference," says Jahrig.

"We like to have a piano, but it's hard to find a pianist,' adds Christian. 'Many of the pianists who could play the old standards have died."

Wryly, he says, 'I didn't realize how old I was until I was up at extended care and a woman in her 40s said she had never heard any of these songs before. I bought my guitar in 1956 and now it's a collector's item."

As he speaks, he flips through a book containing the music of that period. "There are 1,000 songs in here and it only goes up to 1948." He and Jahrig regularly receive requests for songs like "Blue Moon," "Sentimental Journey," "Ain't Misbehavin'," and "Sunny Side of the Street." At seniors' residences, 'they say it's nice to hear those songs again.'

In addition to playing for seniors, Jahrig and Christian also perform at the Open Air Market, where they often play country music. "I like all kinds of music: classical too,' says Jahrig.

His musical talent has been passed down to the third generation, where it has won renown. Jahrig is the grandfather of The Moffatt Brothers, a Canadian group currently riding high on the success of its first album, Chapter 1: A New Beginning, as well as the hit singles "I Miss You Like Crazy" and "Girl of My Dreams."

Styles may change, but the love of music goes on and on.

Al "Snuffy" Ladret

Trumpet

Walter Martella
Trumpet, Cornet, Piano, Accordian

A grad of UVic in Music, Walter teaches Jazz trumpet, choir and piano at the Powell River Academy of Music. He leads the academy swing choir, stage band and community concert band and is the musical director of other ensembles including those of Jazz Unlimited.
Band: Jazz Unlimited

Jason Stromquist
Tuba, Trombone, Guitar

Jason attends Brooks High School in between developing his many musical interests in jazz, classical and rock music.
Band: Jazz Unlimited

Jon Stromquist
Trombone, String Bass

Jon is the bandmaster for the Brooks high school concert and stage bands. He completed his MA in Music in Oregon where he played in jazz groups and taught band music before coming to Powell River in the early '80s.
Band: Jazz Unlimited