It’s been three years since Michael Perkins first held rehearsals to form the Sea T Sky Big Band, but he said the group hasn’t changed much since its inception.
“We’ve still got the same members, and we still love playing a wide variety of music,” said the band’s director.
“If anything, we’ve matured as a group. When we first started out, we played easier tunes, but now we are playing some pretty complicated songs. People have worked pretty hard and we’ve improved musically.”
The band was formed in 2011 after Perkins moved to Squamish from Kelowna. A musician and former music teacher, Perkins immediately began looking for a big band group to join in the community, but found none existed.
However, he found the Squamish area was full of talented musicians who were interested in the idea. Soon, Perkins had an 18-member lineup ranging in age from 18 to 80. But, he said it’s never been a problem organizing such a large group of musicians.
“If I had to wrangle people this would all be over really fast,” he said. “But everyone makes rehearsals, and everyone looks forward to it. They are all very passionate about the band and the music, so it is really not that hard.
“There are no miracles… just hard work. The other day, I told them how proud I was of the band’s repertoire.”
You can catch that repertoire on Saturday (April 26) at 8 p.m. as the Sea T Sky Big Band performs at the Brackendale Art Gallery (BAG).
“We always try to make each show different,” Perkins said. “For the show at the Brackendale Art Gallery, we are bringing in a tenor saxophonist and vocalist from Vancouver named Kirsten Nash. She’s toured with Long John Baldry, and is a regular with the R&B All-Stars. She has a new CD out called The View from Here — which will also be on sale at the show — and in addition to playing our songs, she’ll be doing a couple songs from her album.”
He said the big band would be playing a wide variety of jazz, swing and big band favourites, ranging from the Glenn Miller classic In The Mood to more modern tunes from the likes of Herbie Hancock.
“We’ll also be doing songs like Respect (Aretha Franklin), Knock on Wood and something from the band Blood, Sweat and Tears,” Perkins said.
The ensemble has even started branching out from playing just in Squamish and performed this year in Whistler, as well as at select gigs in Vancouver. However, the upcoming BAG show may mark the finale of the group’s performance season, according to Perkins.
“Because of everyone’s different schedules, this may be our end-of-year gig,” he said.
Catch the Sea T Sky Big Band while you still can at the BAG on April 26 at 8 p.m.
Tickets are $20 and available at Xocolatl and the BAG.
