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‘Jazz and Strings’ concert in Surrey a first for pianist Miles Black at Bell theatre

Surrey City Orchestra strings to perform with jazz trio at concert later this spring
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Surrey-based pianist Miles Black in a photo posted to Facebook.com/Miles-Black-Music.

A night of “Jazz and Strings” will feature many Surrey-based musicians at Bell Performing Arts Centre later this spring.

Surrey City Orchestra will perform at the May 11 concert alongside a jazz trio featuring Miles Black on piano, Jodi Proznick on bass and Jesse Cahill on drums.

Under the direction of Stuart Martin, the strings of the SCO will perform with the trio and guest singer Julia Copeman-Haynes.

“We’re really excited about this one,” said concert organizer Ellen Farrugia, a founder of the fledgling Surrey City Orchestra.

The concert will include “an evening of jazz standards, movie music and original works” arranged by local cellist and composer, Harold Birston.

For Black, a long-established musician in the Metro Vancouver area and beyond, the concert will mark a first for him on the Bell theatre stage, in the Sullivan area.

“I’ve never played there, and I’ve been a Surrey resident since 1991,” Black told the Now-Leader. “There are a lot of Surrey events I’ve missed out on, for whatever reason. I’m definitely looking forward to playing at the Bell.”

Tickets for the concert on May 11 are $45, or $35 for seniors and students. For details, visit the Bell theatre’s website, bellperformingartscentre.com, or call 604-507-6355. The venue is located at 6250 144th St., Surrey.

Exactly what will be performed that night is yet to be determined, Black added.

“We’ll get a rehearsal just prior to the concert, with the band, so that’ll be worked out. Some arrangements with the jazz trio will be featured, with solos on piano, bass and drums.”

Black, Proznick and Cahill are all faculty members at the VSO School of Music, and have connections to other A-level musicians in the region, including members of Surrey City Orchestra.

“Jodi and I have Triology, a band with Bill Coon on guitar, and we tour and record,” Black explained. “And Jodi has her own band with Jesse on drums. We’ve cross-polinated many times.”

In addition to Trilogy, Black said his other two “focus groups” these days are with drummer Ben Brubeck’s trio (“he’s the son of Dave,” Black noted, “and it’s really challenging music”) and also sax player Mike Allen’s quartet. “I’ve also got a recording studio, and we record jazz music with different artists, so I’m doing a lot of that, too,” added Black, whose concert calendar is posted at milesblack.com.

During his career in music, Black has recorded on more than 400 albums, and has performed around the world with artists including Sweets Edison, Max Roach, Dee Daniels, Houston Person, Wynton Marsalis, Mark Murphy, Sheila Jordan and Lew Tabackin, to name a few.

Surrey City Orchestra, for those who haven’t heard, is a new professional orchestra that features professional musicians who call Surrey home.



tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com

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Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news stories for the Surrey Now-Leader, where I've worked for more than half of my 30-plus years in the newspaper business.
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