Moose Jaw Times-Herald: Weekend extra - Jazz an important art form for Saskatchewan youth

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.

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.