There are some weeks when it's exciting to learn about the upcoming Thursday Night Jazz Concert at the High Tide Pub on Fifth Street. This is one of those, when sax player Gord Clements leads his quartet.

Clements recently told me, "This special event is unquestionably a singular opportunity to hear music that made history! Hence, we've called it "Tribute to Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker", which celebrates the instrumental recordings produced by Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker in 1952 and 1953. The chemistry between these two legendary musicians became iconic of the evolution of jazz from Bebop to the Birth of Cool."

Clements' tunes will include "Bark for Barksdale", "Swing House", "Walking Shoes" and "Turnstile" and "Moonlight in Vermont". "Mulligan's arrangements will be exactly reproduced, but the improvisations are created fresh and in the moment by the musicians themselves. The music swings with elegant harmonies and arrangements that are both complex and evocative with a wide range of sensual textures produced by combining the baritone saxophone and trumpet with infectious grooves on upright bass and drum set."

The musicians are well known to jazz audiences in Victoria. Gord Clements is regularly heard at the Fathom Lounge in the Hotel Grand Pacific and he is the Victoria Symphony's jazz saxophone soloist. Tom Williamson recently relocated to Victoria from San Francisco and is enthusiastically remembered for his trumpet work and leadership of the 1980's popular jazz group "Elmo Whigget". Both Louis Rudner on upright bass and Dave Emery on drums are often heard at Hermann's Jazz Club and are highly respected for their inspiring rhythmic teamwork.

Downbeat for this wonderful performance is 7:00 pm, and you are encouraged to arrive at least an hour before the show, due to the great popularity of the pub setting. Food from the pub menu will be served until 8:00 pm, and drinks will be served for the duration of the two-hour performance.

Admission is $15 for members, $20 for non-members. 2024 memberships will be for sale at the door. Please select the Calendar tab to see the upcoming diverse range of jazz concerts between now and May 2024. Alternatively, see us on Instagram or follow us on Facebook.

You should know that, as a non-profit society, we strive to minimize our admission charges to encourage our supporters to experience wonderful live music, whilst reimbursing the musicians with almost all our income, except for fixed costs, minimal overheads, and a regular deposit into our annual bursary for post secondary music students.

This is your opportunity to discover why it is that the Comox Valley has such an enviable jazz scene, and a nationwide reputation. Our primary goal is to keep live jazz alive in the Comox Valley. We feature local, regional, national, and international acts every Thursday at the High Tide Pub in Courtenay.

GSJS showcases jazz live in the Comox Valley, giving music lovers an opportunity to enjoys local, regional and internationally-known jazz musicians.