Date: 14 January, 2004
Interviewers: John Jane & Ed Farolan
One of Vancouver’s most versatile musicians, saxophonist Tom Colclough launched his first solo project last Summer. His debut CD, "Heading Home," has 14 self-penned jazz tunes and features himself playing saxophone, clarinet, flute, guitar, keyboards and castanets.
This is a contemporary jazz CD that you can put in at night and just "Chill-out" or play for a romantic evening or for a small dinner party. Right from the first track you will be put in the mood for a relaxing time.
Instrumentalists typically have a hard time incorporating their individualism on solo recordings and on the first listen, this CD is hardly the exception. However, after a few plays, Tom’s virtuosity comes through and about half the tracks emanate. In particular, the up-tempo tune “A Photograph” and the anecdotal “Father and Son”, the only song on the CD with lyrics, are outstanding.
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Saxophonist Tom Colclough |
We met up with Tom at Starbucks at Davie and Thurlow last January 14th. The busy musician was happy to talk about his recent gigs and future aspirations.
Born in Winnipeg and raised in North Vancouver, Tom first picked up the clarinet as his instrument of choice when his parents enrolled him in the North Shore Youth Band.
Since then, he has come a long way and has played alongside such luminaries as Gladys Knight, Rob McConnell and the Canadian Brass and Natalie Cole. Tom was in Ms Cole’s band at the infamous Whistler open-air concert at the peak of Blackcomb in the Summer of 1992, when many concert-goers were stranded on the chair-lift in sub-zero temperatures on the way back down the mountain.
More recently, Tom could have been heard (though not seen) playing his sax and occasionally the piccolo in the orchestra for the Vancouver Centre’s presentation of ‘42nd Street’.
Tom attributes his own musical style to his parent’s eclectic taste in music; “Mom was a huge fan of the late Italian tenor, Mario Lanza, while Dad enjoyed listening to jazz and the classics”.
The saxophone player regards himself primarily as a performance artist, but doesn’t turn down session work when it gives him the opportunity to work with other fine jazz musicians.
Watch out for Tom
this Summer, when he will be performing in a new line-up at the Vancouver
Jazz Festival. Then in the Fall, when he will likely play the part of
Artie Shaw in an Arts Club Theatre production of the legendary jazz clarinettist’s
biography.
© 2003, reviewVancouver