Two totally different acts liven the soundscape of Crofton’s Osborne Bay Pub this weekend.
First up, on June 9, are the country talents of Sunfest favourite Me and Mae.
This hot young country band has made quite the name for themselves as exceptional live entertainers, winning the Country Music Ray McAuley Horizon Award in 2014.
Me and Mae has been part of the Canadian Country Music Festival scene for the last several years with performances at a variety of events.
With solid four-part vocal harmonies, Me and Mae is a great choice for everyone who loves the likes of Zac Brown, Little Big Town and the Eagles. In other words, tunes served piping hot with plenty of sauce.
Then, on Sunday, June 10, there’s sultry jazz on the menu.
Fresh from a triumphant, sold-out CD release party at the iconic Hermann’s Jazz Club, Victoria jazz vocalist Susannah Adams brings her Island tour to Pat’s House of Jazz at Crofton’s Osborne Bay Pub on Sunday, June 10.
Celebrating the release of her debut album, As the Morning Light, Adams has already developed a loyal fan base in the Cowichan Valley. With her daring scats, vivacious stage presence and inspired improvisations, she is ready to soar.
“I have watched Susannah grow as a jazz vocalist at an astonishing pace,” says Pat’s House of Jazz publicist Gloria Collins, who remembers seeing Diana Krall and Holly Cole early in their careers. “Like they were then, I think she is on the verge of a great career.”
With this debut CD, Adams brings her signature spontaneous live sound into the studio.
As the Morning Light is a stunning portrayal of this fiery young performer.
Named after one of her own compositions, this remarkable CD establishes Adams as an original lyricist, composer and arranger as well as an interpreter of jazz standards.
This live session was recorded over just three days at Joby Baker’s state-of-the-art studio in Victoria. The result is a fully vibrant world-class album in which one can practically taste the inspiration.
The five musicians Adams chose to accompany her on the album are superb. But at this performance in Crofton, keyboardist Karel Roessingh (also a crowd favourite at the pub) will lead a quartet that also includes trumpeter Olivier Clements, bassist Rick Kilburn and drummer Kelbry MacNayr.
Adams will demonstrate her trademark versatility by slipping seamlessly from daring be-bop scat solos ‘Calypso Be’ into smooth bossa beats ‘You’d Be So Nice’ and lush ballads ‘Save Your Love for Me’.
All this, topped with a gentle dose of humour. This is hip. This is cool. This is vocal jazz at its best.
The show is one of a Sunday afternoon jazz series presented by Chemainus Valley Cultural Arts Society. It runs every Sunday from 2 p.m. in the Osborne Bay Pub, 1534 Joan Ave. in Crofton, a stone’s throw from the Salt Spring Island ferry terminal. Admission is $15.
Reservations are recommended. Tables will be held until 1:30 p.m. Phone 250-324-2245 or visit osbornebaypub.com.