OTTAWA'S APEX JAZZ BAND
Thirty years! That's how long Ottawa's APEX Jazz Band has been playing an excellent mix of New Orleans tailgate Dixieland and its British offshoot called Traditional Jazz or simply 'Trad'.
The APEX Jazz Band was formed in 1974 by four ex-Brits and two local lads, a diverse bunch of hobby musicians who shared a common interest in playing the best this musical genre has to offer. The group's repertoire grew quickly, with some numbers faithfully replicating the distinctive sounds of pioneers such as Kenny Ball and Louis Armstrong, others incorporating a unique APEX flavour.
During their first ten years together the guys 'paid their dues' by playing almost every Friday night at the smoky Black Bottom bar below La Gondola Restaurant on Bank Street. They have since played in countless venues around town and up and down the Ottawa Valley.
During the '80s collaborations with several radio personalities led to many live and taped broadcasts on CFMO and CBC from venues such as the Sparks Street Mall, the Black Bottom, the Tulip Festival's canal flotilla and the annual Great Canadian Birthday Party (Canada Day) festivities.
As well as performing at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival every year since its inception, the band has played at festivals and clubs in Toronto, Montreal, Victoria, Kingston and Nuuk, Greenland.
The band has produced three vinyl records and cassettes from its extensive repertoire of over 200 tunes; these recordings have since been reissued on CD. The success of the band can be attributed in large measure to the continuity of its personnel. With the return in 2004 of its original trumpeter Mick Collins, the band again comprises four of its original six founding members, a rarity for small musical groups.
Apex at The Oak
Continuing an enduring 14-year engagement, the APEX Jazz Band currently plays alternate Sunday afternoons at the Royal Oak Pub in Kanata to a faithful crowd of enthusiastic fans and admiring musicians (no cover charge).
If you want to hear some really good New Orleans jazz played with feeling and enthusiasm, the APEX Jazz Band is for you (and your friends).
Roger Cramphorn, Leader, APEX Jazz Band.
Phone/Fax: 592-0305
Email: cramphorns
sympatico.ca
November 2004
See the Ottawa Blues, Jazz & Swing Guide for listings
