The Bob Liley Jazz Quintet brought their classic bebop sounds to St. Andrew's United Church in North Vancouver to participate in their Jazz Vespers service on July 27, 2025.
With Mark Bender on bass, Norm Quinn on trumpet and flugelhorn, Shannon Thue on piano, Aaron Hardie on alto sax and flute, and Bob Liley on drums, we put smiles on faces and set feet to tapping. The band was very much appreciated and a good time was had by all. And remember, It’s Jazz, for the fun of it!
Things have gotten somewhat quiet post-pandemic and post-Trump, but we opened the summer concert season with another outdoor concert at the Trout Lake Community Centre in Vancouver on July 9. Despite encountering unexpected cool, blustery weather, we entertained about 200 people for two hours. They loved the band! What's not to love? Fine musicians and a very listenable library keeps interest in the band high. Come out and see/hear us some time and remember, It's Jazz for the fun of it!
The Bob Liley Jazz Quintet was featured once again at Frankie's Jazz Club in the Coast Hotel on Beatty Street in Vancouver on Thursday, March 21st from 8:00 to 10:30 pm. The large audience was very appreciative of our performance.
The band features some of the finest Jazz musicians in Vancouver, with Norm Quinn on trumpet and flugelhorn, Aaron Hardie on alto sax, Shannon Thue on piano, and Mark Bender on bass. As leader, I hold down the drum chair. We entertained our sophisticated audience once again playing tunes once performed by some of the leading jazz lights of the day.
In addition to the music, Frankie's features excellent cuisine. Come down and give us a listen when we're there next. After all, It's Jazz for the fun of it!
The Sanctuary AllStars,
a 17-piece jazz band under the direction of drummer Bob Liley, featuring some
highly regarded soloists and an amazing collective playing swinging tunes from
the libraries of Count Basie, Thad Jones, and Maynard Ferguson, among others, once again performed during Jazz Vespers at St. Andrews-Wesley Church,
Burrard and Nelson Streets in
Once again, the Bob Liley Jazz Quintet (BLJQ) performed at Mission's Fraser Valley Heritage Park on Wednesday, August 16th, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm. The pandemic took a toll on many performers and performances, and we are only just beginning to recover from this. Our last performance at the Park was in July, 2017, and it was very well attended and much appreciated. This concert attracted at least 200 attendees who were very appreciative. The restaurant and cafe at the park also seemed to be very busy.
BLJQ featured Norm Quinn on trumpet/flugelhorn, Aaron Hardie on alto sax, Roy Sluyter on keyboard, Mark Bender on bass, and Bob Liley on drums. The music we play reflects classic bebop jazz as performed by the leading musicians of the era. The park has long been one of our favourite venues. We have played this venue several times before and our performances have always been enthusiastically received by the audience and rewarding for us. As we like to tell people, It’s Jazz for the fun of it!
The Bob Liley Jazz Quintet was featured at Frankie's Jazz Club in the Coast Hotel on Beatty Street in Vancouver on Thursday, August 3rd from 8:00 to 10:30 pm. We were very much looking forward to this gig, having performed several times at both The Cellar and at The Blue Martini jazz clubs, as well as having performed on a CBC 'Hot Air' radio show.
We weren't disappointed! We had a large and enthusiastic audience who very much appreciated our performance. A good time was had by all! With any luck, a repeat engagement won't be too far into the future. A positive note addressed to Frankue's Jazz Club might help to make that happen.
Once again, after a long lay-off due to Covid-19, Bob Liley's 17-piece jazz band, the Sanctuary AllStars, played the Trout Lake Community Centre on Victoria Street in east Vancouver on Wednesday, July 12 from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. This was an outdoor concert and, although a little breezy, the weather was great. Several hundred people seemed to enjoy the show, probably the largest crowd we had there, with many families enjoying the festivities. This is one of the best settings in Vancouver for an outdoor concert. They even have a snack bar. Parking was easy and they have great facilities for the kids. I'd like to thank everyone who came to the show. And remember, It's Jazz for the fun of it! Best of all, it was free!
On Saturday, June 10, the Bob Liley Jazz Quintet performed at lunch for the residents of Coventry House, Vancouver. The attendees had probably not had a great deal of exposure to jazz during their formative years, so the quintet decided to provide some through their bebop performance. This was very well received by both the attendees and the staff, and we are pleased to have delivered some new perspective through our music. Good on ya, folks, and hang in there! Life does get better even though there are challenges along the way. If you want to make a donation to Coventry House to help change some young person's life, go to their web site.
After three years, many lockdowns, and many, many people who have suffered much more than we have due to COVID-19, the Bob Liley Jazz Quintet is back at Jazz Vespers on Sunday, June 5, from 4:00 - 5:00 pm. Our founding pianist, Roy Sluyter, has suffered some health problems, so we have been lucky enough to have Wayne Stewart, our former long-time pianist with the Sanctuary AllStars, join us for this performance. The rest of the band are the regulars; AAron Hardie, Norm Quinn, Mark Bender, and myself. Please come down and see/hear us at St, Andrews-Wesley Church, Burrard and Nelson Streets in Vancouver, on June 5, and listen to some classic jazz. When you're there, please come up and say hello. We love to connect with our audiences; they are the reason we continue to perform. Admission is by donation, and parking under the church is free. And remember, it's Jazz for the fun of it!
