Improviser-In-Residence 2011 – Jane Bunnett
For the inaugural Improviser-In-Residency, Jane Bunnett was invited to Guelph to conduct a variety of music-based community activities.
A Toronto-based soprano saxophonist, flutist, and bandleader, Bunnett is a multiple Juno Award winner who has been honoured with an appointment to the Order of Canada. She has captivated critics and fans alike with her bands, showcasing some of the finest Canadian, American, and Cuban musicians in jazz today. Her live performance projects and groundbreaking records express the universal appeal of her music: creative explorations of Afro-Cuban melodies that embrace the rhythms and culture of Cuba, inspired advancements to avant-garde jazz and modern compositions, and an interest in traditional spirituals and gospels. Bunnett is well known and liked in Guelph for her innovative and exciting performances at the Guelph Jazz Festival.
Commenting on having Bunnett as the first Improviser-in-Residence, Ajay Heble, Artistic Director of the Guelph Jazz Festival and Project Director for ICASP, said that “an innovative and creative practitioner of the calibre of Bunnett strengthens ICASP’s commitment to diversity and collaboration, and furthers the project’s continued promotion of improvisation and dynamic exchange across cultural, communal, and musical lines. It is truly an honour to have Jane Bunnett join the ICASP team.”
“Musagetes sees this as an excellent opportunity to continue enriching the arts in Guelph,” remarked Shawn Van Sluys, Executive Director of Musagetes. “All of us—Musagetes, ICASP, and Jane Bunnett—recognize how important it is to create art with diverse communities and in a public and participatory way.”
Performances included music interventions held on February 11, 2011 at the University of Guelph Library, Red Brick Café, Bookshelf, and Downtown Guelph Public Library. These were unannounced and spontaneous jam sessions. Other performances with partner organizations where held at the Boathouse, the Guelph Jazz Festival, and a final year-end celebration of Bunnett’s residency took place on December 8th, 2011 at Van Gogh’s Ear.
Bunnett was involved in ICASP and the larger Guelph community through a series of public talks and performances, office hours, and innovative workshops for a variety of organizations: Guelph Youth Jazz Ensemble, Contemporary Music Ensemble, Homewood Health Centre, KidsAbility Centre for Child Development, Guelph-area high schools, Give Yourself Credit, and St. Joseph’s Health Centre.
Her endeavours in community outreach and musical partnership were showcased in a performance with KidsAbility at the Guelph Jazz Festival on September 10th, 2011.
An interview between Bunnett and ICASP Director Ajay Heble was published as a chapter in the book Improvisation and Music Education.
You can read more about Bunnett’s residency through this article.
Through supplemental funding, ICASP hired Video Producer Dawn Matheson to create a series of 5 edited videos highlighting the Jane Bunnett’s participation in the Improviser-in-Residence program. You can watch one of the videos below:
During her residency, Jane Bunnett performed with Vertical Squirrels on March 10th, 2011 at the University of Guelph, Mackinnon room 107, as part of the Creative Music Festival. You can watch an excerpt of the performance below:
