CDs at DC

 

Next time you're flipping through compact discs at the music
store, you might like to keep your eyes open for projects involving
Douglas College faculty and students.

Last issue, the INside looked at a new
CBC release called Globe Trotters which
features music instructor Julia Nolan on
saxophone. As well, you can soon expect
to see a new recording called Time For a
Change by the Douglas College Jazz
Band under the direction of Blair Fisher.
A followup to 1992’s successful Hot
Stuff, the new album has already been
recorded and is slated for release in the
coming months.

In the meantime, here’s a look at two
more recordings which are already

available.

The Swan - Vivian Xia. Although
Vivian Xia comes to Douglas College as a
piano student, she has already gained
popularity in China and Canada as an
accomplished dulcimer player.

Xia learned the instrument in China,
performing as a soloist with groups such
as the Shanghai Opera and Dance
Theatre. Since moving to Canada, she is
frequently invited to perform by various
cultural organizations.

The technique and talent which makes
Xia an in-demand
performer is evident on

 

 

 

the Swan, recorded last
February at Vancouver’s
Mushroom Studio. The
CD features some well-
known classics such as
The Swan from Saint-
Saens’ Carnival of the
Animals and the always-
flashy Flight of the
Bumble-Bee. Xia also
displays some dazzling
speed on The Lark from
Rumania.

However, it’s the
texture of the traditional
Chinese music written
specifically for dulcimer
which stand out on this
disc. Tracks such as
Springtime at Qing
Jiang River and Dance
of the Yi People are
more contemplative, and
emote a strong sense of
place and time. You can
close your eyes and
almost see the river flow
past.

Suburban Groove -
Robin Shier Quintet.
Jetting back to
Vancouver after an

 

 

Vivian Xia studies the piano at Douglas College but
is already one of the country’s most accomplished

and in-demand dulcimer players.

 

energizing tour of the Maritime
provinces, Douglas College instructor
Robin Shier began planning a recording
which would capture the excitement of
the tour.

Seven tracks were recorded “live” to
tape in the order they had been performed
on the concert stage on this 1993 set. The
group cruises effortlessly through six cool
and accessible compositions by Shier
himself, and takes a slow, sweet journey
through Skylark by Johnny Mercer and
Hoagy Carmichael.

Actually, given the quintet’s stacked
deck of musicians, the success of the
recording is no surprise at all. Bassist
Rick Kilburn has laid down notes for the
likes of Dave Brubeck, Gerry Mulligan
and Paul Scofield; drummer John Nolan

_ has performed with Mose Allison, Joe

Pass and others; Patric Caird, tenor
saxaphone, has worked with Joe
Henderson, Bob Berg and Dave Liebman;
and pianist Miles Black accompanied
Paul Horn on his 1988 tour of the Soviet
Union and also performs with Skywalk.

Fronting on trumpet is Shier, who
formed the band when he moved to
Vancouver in 1986. The group has
performed widely across Canada, has
been heard on CBC broadcast recordings
and is a mainstay in the Vancouver Jazz
Festival.

 

 

Quote of the Month:

You’ ve got to meet
success half-way. I
wanted it to come all the

way, SO we never shook
hands.

- Emily Carr