Spirit '20

Biography

SPIRIT '20 was launched at Festival of the Sound (Parry Sound, ON) on July 28th, 2010. Taking its name from the commissioned work by Canadian composer Allan Gilliland, SPIRIT '20 captures the essence of the roaring 20s: separating the old and making life new, a marriage between classical and jazz.

During the 1920s, the instrumentation of classical works was often copied from jazz ensembles. Publicity was guaranteed for any work that combined classical means with modern themes. The musical voices of SPIRIT '20 reflect this connecting of tradition with new popular forms. The ensemble's program includes Martinu's work depicting jazz-dancing kitchen utensils, La Revue de Cuisine; Mark Fewer's arrangement of Ellington's Jungle Music; James Campbell's transcription of Gary Kulesha's arrangement of Milhaud's Scaramouche Suite; John Novacek's Three Rags and Ravel's Sonata for violin and cello. Completing the evening is Gilliand's Spirit 20, a 10 minute work commissioned by Festival of the Sound, with references to Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet, Duke Ellington's early period, and George Gershwin.

The ensemble's repertoire highlights the unique talents of the individuals that make up SPIRIT '20. John Novacek, Mark Fewer and James Campbell for their classical and jazz experience, in particular improvisations; Guy Few's ability on trumpet (jazz and classical) piano and voice; Chloe Dominguez' contemporary music experience and James McKay's virtuoso technique on bassoon.

Press Highlights

Campbell appeared with five colleagues, old and new, in a warmly received program titled Spirit 20: The Jazz Age, in which authentic period pieces by the likes of Milhaud, Martinu and Ravel were juxtaposed with recent compositions in a similar style by John Novacek, a brilliant ragtime/classical pianist from New York, and Alan Gilliland, a Canadian composer whose Spirit 20 (receiving its world premiere) turned out to be a terrific evocation of classic rags. This is the program, by the way, scheduled to tour through Ontario and British Columbia during the coming season.

– William Littler, Music Columnist,Toronto Star

To sum it up, this is a tight group that really 'cooks' and all I can say is WOW! Well done.
Daily Courier, Kelowna, BC