Candice McMahon
Special to The Morning Star
Vancouver-based artist Andrea Superstein brings us jazz redefined with a blend of pop, soul, blues, and electro at the Vernon Jazz Club Oct. 6.
Her numerous dazzling reviews claim that she breaks the rules of jazz by bringing in these various music genres and creating an outstanding tapestry of music. More precisely, Superstein is simply pushing the boundaries of jazz to create a more diverse jazz fusion than we are yet accustomed to, from styles of music that have influenced and shaped her. The listening jazz patrons are the benefactors, as she weaves musical tones and colours that carry us along an intense emotional spectrum.
Superstein’s 2018 album Worlds Apart showcases her powerful vocals. An authentic songwriter, her performances bring a special kind of intimacy where you feel that she is singing solely to you. Her Worlds Apart album release is set for Saturday night at the Vernon Jazz Club, and we couldn’t be more excited to be the chosen venue for its debut.
Superstein’s first appearance at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival in 2010, earned her a nomination for a Galaxie Rising Star, which is Stingray’s program that discovers, encourages, promotes, and champions new up-and-coming Canadian artists.
The nomination served to launched her into the limelight, and she has become an in-demand performer across the country, appearing at a variety of festivals, events, and venues. During one of her most recent tours, she was featured at the Calgary All-Canadian Jazz Festival and the Yardbird Festival in Edmonton.
Accompanying Superstein will be Mary Ancheta on keyboard, Mark Nelson on drums, and Rémi-Jean LeBlanc on bass.
Ancheta was well-received last year at the Vernon Jazz Club, when she accompanied local talent Alex Flock. Since obtaining her bachelor’s of arts in music degree from McMaster University in 1997, Ancheta has been composing for and performing in countless band, film and television productions. She has played to many large audiences across Canada and the United States, sharing the stage with the likes of Nickelback, John Mayer, Hawksley Workman, Default and Emm Gryner.
Nelson was born in Calgary, but went all the way to New Zealand to attain his bachelor’s of music in jazz performance from Massey University. Twice he received the Ted Frickleton Most Outstanding Drummer award at the Manawatu Jazz Festival.
Carrying on with his study of music, he received a master’s in music performance (jazz) from McGill University in 2015. That year, he released his first recording as a bandleader, Mark Nelson’s Sympathetic Frequencies. Based out of Montréal, Nelson has had the opportunity to tour with various ensembles across Canada, extensively in Québec, Europe, and even in Brazil.
LeBlanc, known as a bass prodigy, graduated from the University of Montreal in 2005. He appears almost disconcertingly relaxed onstage, as his fingers fly across the fretboard with mind-boggling skill, and he is rightly considered one of the most talented jazzmen of his generation. His style of jazz does not exclude pop punctures, making a perfect mesh with Superstein’s music.
If you haven’t experienced neo-jazz as yet, come on out and be introduced to this new wave of jazz performance.
Superstein will be onstage at the Vernon Jazz Club (3000-31 Street) on Saturday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7:15 p.m. Cash only bar on site. Tickets $20 online at vernonjazz.com and at Expressions of Time (2901-30 Ave), with a $5 rebate at the gig for VJS members. We are a volunteer-run organization. Please consider joining us.
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