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| David Dick says jazz is an important cultural aspect in Saskatchewan. Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy |
By Lisa Goudy
Moose Jaw native David Dick sees jazz improvisation as a musical outlet for all ages.
“(Improvisation is) another form of expression in music that’s really unique to jazz, that you get to compose on the spot.
Most of the time I’m performing music that someone else invented and wrote and the artistry is more like an actor. I’m not
creating the lines. I’m not writing the screenplay. I’m delivering the performance of it,” said Dick.
“But with jazz, you can actually be doing both
at the same time,” he continued. “It’s like being an improv actor
instead,
where you know generally where the scene is supposed to go, but
you don’t know exactly what the lines are going to be to get
you there.”
Dick is mostly involved in classical music
now, but he can’t wait to get back into jazz. Jazz music was his reason
for getting
involved in music growing up in Moose Jaw because of its high
energy. Currently he plays principal trombone for the Regina
Symphony Orchestra, gives private lessons and plays a little
piano. He also plays lead trombone in the newly founded Regina
Jazz Orchestra.
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| Jazz is an important part of Saskatchewan culture, but there are less opportunities in the province because of size. Times-Herald photo by Lisa Goudy |
Jazz is an important art form for people in
Saskatchewan, Dick said. Because jazz has so many different styles
within the
genre, from swing to fusion, he explained pretty much everyone can
find some sort of jazz they enjoy. However, jazz doesn’t
have many followers and is underappreciated, but he said most of
that is because of lack of exposure to all jazz styles.
He added many types of jazz education and involvements are available at universities in the province, such as jazz bands and
theory.
“To have it in a university is sort of an affirmation that jazz is important enough that it’s being offered at the university
in several ways,” said Dick, who is a sessional lecturer of a jazz appreciation entry-level music class at the University
of Regina.
He went on to say that in his jazz
appreciation class, there is usually a mix of students. Some are music
majors who see the
class as an opportunity to learn more or gain exposure to jazz.
But about half of the students are not music majors or musically
involved, but see the class as a fun or easy elective.
“It’s happened lots that students come out of it — having never listened to jazz before — but started buying jazz albums for
themselves and listening to jazz regularly and they will become patrons of that art form afterwards,” said Dick.
Lecturer and jazz enthusiast Brent Ghiglione,
also from Moose Jaw, said that in recent years, he has seen more young
people
become involved in jazz. He added younger groups are forming in
the province, starting in elementary schools. In his experience,
he has found that young people tend to find jazz easier to absorb.
“I think it talks to them. It gives them a form of expression or it gives them an opportunity to speak to this. It gives them
a voice. A musical voice,” said Ghiglione.
For more information, see the May 26th edition of the Times-Herald.
