Bryan Stovell has directed the 18-piece Nanaimo Musicians Assocation Big Band for almost five decades, mentoring band members that included such jazz luminaries as Diana Krall, Ingrid and Christine Jensen and Phil Dwyer. That’s jazz with a capital J.
And Stovell brings his current roster back to the stage at the Crofton Hotel Pub on Sunday, April 24. They were a huge hit when they played Crofton last April and again in November.
The band is made up of local professional musicians, Vancouver Island University music students and alumni and VIU professors who play a wide range of music including standards from the Buddy Rich and Count Basie bands all the way to modern compositions by alumna Christine Jensen, whose Montreal big band won a Juno Award in 2011.
The concert is part of the weekly Jazz at Crofton series, which runs every Sunday from 2 to 5 p.m. at the pub, at 1534 Joan Ave. in Crofton.
Musicians are invited to join in a jam session in the final hour of the afternoon.
Admission is $10.