SAS Summer Concerts

Friday, July 8, 2016

SAS Summer Concerts

Bob Liley’s Sanctuary AllStars 17-piece jazz ensemble has just completed its current series of outdoor summer concerts. Based on our observations and the feedback we received, a great time was had by all!

The first took place at Mission’s Fraser River Heritage Park on Wednesday, June 29^th. This is an outstanding, very pastoral setting, and the performance was part of Envision Financial’s Twilight Concert Series. The band returned to this venue after a two-year absence. Over five hundred people came out to hear us this last time, so the band seems to be very popular in this venue. It was great to see so many of you again.

The second concert took place at the Kitsilano Showboat and celebrated Canada Day on Friday, July 1^st in Vancouver. This concert continued a relationship we have enjoyed with the Showboat for the past several years. Once again, this is a beautiful setting overlooking the shores of English Bay, and a few hundred folks came down to share their Canada Day with us. This is something we look forward to every year.

Our third concert took place Wednesday, July 6^th at the Trout Lake Community Centre in East Vancouver. This concert represented a return for the band after a one-year absence and we are very pleased to have been invited back. It is a lovely outdoor setting in a great park and a few hundred folks including many children came out to hear the band and soak up the sunshine.

This is toe-tapping music that puts a smile on your face. Check out our sampler below. Most importantly, these concerts were free. As we tell everyone, It’s Jazz, for the fun of it!

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BLJQ Origins

Following a successful and rewarding association in the Sanctuary AllStars big band, the Bob Liley Jazz Quintet was formed in the spring of 2008 with the principal purpose of playing some of the many regional jazz festivals that take place across BC every year. Since its formation, the Quintet has been featured at various events around the Lower Mainland, including several appearances at Jazz Vespers at St. Andrews-Wesley church, as well as a segment on CBC's 'Hot Air' jazz program. We have also performed before over 600 people at Mission's Fraser Valley Heritage Park. In addition, we were featured for several years at Davie Day, an outdoor street festival in Vancouver's lively West End, played the Olympic Torch relay in 2010, and were featured several times at The Cellar, then Vancouver's premier jazz club. That was followed by several performances at the Blue Martini nightclub, including opening the Vancouver International Jazz Festival there one year. A six-month stint at the Cottage Bistro didn't hurt, either. We have also performed at a number of corporate events and private parties which are not included in our event listings.

The group plays contemporary jazz, with influences such as Max Roach/Clifford Brown, Freddie Hubbard, the Cannonball Adderley quintet, and Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. We utilize strong harmonies and interaction among the horns, with solid and driving rhythms from the rhythm section.

BLJQ features Aaron Hardie on alto sax, Norm Quinn on trumpet and flugelhorn, Shannon Thue on piano, Mark Bender on bass, and Bob Liley on drums. The music the group plays reflects classic bebop music as performed by some of the leading musicians of the time. It is listenable, stimulating and groovy music that showcases the individual talents of the members of the Quintet while building on the inherent synergies across the group. Our obvious camaraderie, energy and enthusiasm are infectious, and help us to engage our audiences in the overall performance experience.

The Bob Liley Jazz Quintet - BLJQ

Friday, July 8, 2016