There will be some sweet sounds at the Pender Harbour School of Music on Oct. 22.Jeff Shucard and his brand of hot syncopated vocal jazz and blues from the 20s and 30s have taken Pender Harbour by storm before, and they will do it again this year. His group includes Rick van Krugal on mandolin, Jack Stafford on clarinet and saxophone (who was just in Pender Harbour with the WOW Jazz orchestra at the Pender Harbour Jazz Festival), Kris Bowerman on trombone and the amazing Dan Smith on slide guitar.A unique ensemble dedicated to bringing a contemporary vitality to classic vocal jazz and blues tunes, Sweet Papa Lowdown combines the raw intensity of country blues with the sophisticated horns of New Orleans Style jazz. When Shucard first came up with the idea of a group like this six years ago, he said "I wanted a jazz sound led by a finger-picking guitarist" and that didn't exist. So he assembled some of the best players he knew, and Sweet Papa Lowdown was born. The group has been playing various venues on the Vancouver jazz scene and jazz and blues fests all over the province ever since. They were featured artists in a recent tribute to Louis Armstrong and teamed with legendary British trombonist Chris Barber at Vancouver's Hot Jazz Club.Shucard also wanted to give new life to some of the old vintage jazz tunes. One of his pet projects is reviving the early works of Jimmy Durante, who was a ragtime pianist, composer and band leader before he went on to become one of America's best loved comedians.On their recent CD, 'Til Times Get Better, they feature Jimmy Durante's "I'm on My Way to New Orleans," Bo Carter's suggestive "Banana in Your Fruit Basket," Blind Blake's "Gamblin' Blues" and much more.ÊCome hear Sweet Papa Lowdown on Saturday, Oct. 22, at 8 p.m. at the Pender Harbour School of Music next to the Madeira Park government dock. Tickets are $20, available at John Henry's in Garden Bay, Harbour Insurance in Madeira Park, Talewind Books in Sechelt and Coast Books in Gibsons. For more information, call 604-883-2403.
