By: Anna Borowiecki, St. Albert Gazette

Tommy Banks, 80, could easily be one of the hardest-working men in jazz. At an age when his contemporaries are lounging in a rocking chair reading a book, the legendary pianist/conductor/arranger/recording artist and jazz icon is doing some rockin’ of his own with jazz vocalist Mallory Chipman.

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Chipman, a recent graduate of MacEwan University, is Banks’ granddaughter and the two are special guests at River City Big Band’s fifth Jazz at the Oasis on Saturday, Feb. 11.

“Ever since Tommy retired from the Canadian Senate, everyone wants to play with him. He still plays great and everyone wants to collaborate with him. He’s been doing various projects with people and now we’re thrilled to have him,” said St. Albert trumpeter John Dymianiw.

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“And bringing his granddaughter is an extra bonus. She has such a mature voice and sounds great. I’m sure you’ll hear a lot of her in future years. On Saturday, you will hear a musical legacy in the making.”

The golden era of jazz big bands ended a lifetime ago, but the music rolls on.

By: Roger Levesque, Edmonton Journal

There are now only a handful of regular working big bands, mostly “ghost-bands,” so-called for the legacy of leader-composers who  laid the foundations back in the mid-20th century.

Here in Edmonton, we’re lucky enough to claim the River City Big Band — 18 professionals and semi-pros — volunteers who have been blowing their horns for 20 years now. Yes, it’s good fun, but it also takes a certain devotion to attend rehearsals every Wednesday night (in season) for so long. Along the way they have put out two albums of music, originally under the direction of Neil Corlett and since for 17 years with conductor Larry Schrum.

This weekend, the RCBB marks that milestone with the first of several special shows dubbed Jazz at the Oasis, and they’re importing Wycliffe Gordon, a larger-than-life talent, to help them celebrate.