ON STAGE
What: Birdsong in the Parkade
Where, when: Church of the Advent, Colwood (Jazz Vespers): Nov. 19, 7 p.m.
St. Paul鈥檚 Church, Sidney: Dec. 8, 7 p.m.; First Unitarian Church. W. Saanich Rd., Feb. 11, 7 p.m.
Also, house concerts (by reservation) in听James Bay, Ten Mile Point, Sidney, View听Royal
Admission: Church concerts by donation; house concerts: $20
Reservations, info: roessong.com
听
Karel Roessingh has performed in听concert halls, cathedrals, jazz clubs and luxury hotels, but nothing compares to making music in the View Street parkade.
That鈥檚 where the Highlands-based councillor (and former mayor) and musician spent a long August night recording Birdsong in the Parkade, his new solo album of piano music based on听bird-song themes.
鈥淚t was just an idea that popped into my head when I was parked there late one night,鈥� said the composer and pianist. It was January and he had just wrapped a gig at Hermann鈥檚. 鈥淚 whistled a couple of notes, and it occurred to me that having a piano session down there would be really cool.鈥�
His new album concept was inspired in a fashion no less organic. It began during a cross-sa国际传媒 camping trip Roessingh took with his wife, Brenda, in their VW camper van in the spring of 2016.
鈥淥n our first morning in Salmon Arm, I heard these bird calls, and I thought: 鈥業鈥檒l just write them down,鈥� 鈥� he said.
While writing music that matches the sounds of birds singing might sound daunting, Roessingh said it鈥檚 not as challenging as some might think.
鈥淵ou get to learn the relationship between different notes. When you hear a melody or bird songs, you get used to writing them down,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a language.鈥�
Roessingh was equally undaunted by the prospect of recording in a parkade, where echoes, reverberation and other aural distractions would seem inevitable. 鈥淭here were few disruptions, actually,鈥� said Roessingh. 鈥淥ccasionally, you could hear a 鈥榳hoosh鈥� from the wind, and in the distance, a flock of seagulls was screaming.鈥�
If you listen closely, you can even hear seagulls in the background at one point in the album of lovely, mellow piano music, a blend of original melodies and improvisation that conjures up images of nature.
It helped that Roessingh is accustomed to making audio adjustments to compensate for his听surroundings in different venues. Take Alix Goolden Hall,听for instance.
鈥淚f you don鈥檛 make adjustments, it can make it difficult to play fast jazz,鈥� he said. 鈥淚f you play fast notes, they kind of run together if there鈥檚 a lot of echo.鈥�
His experience includes playing piano at University Centre years ago when Oscar Peterson was booked to play there, so the sound crew could make adjustments to meet the late jazz icon鈥檚 needs.
Roessingh said he can understand how the idea of recording an album in a parkade might arouse skepticism.
鈥淚 remember saying to Simon [Phillips] at Tom Lee Music: 鈥業 know this is a crazy idea and sounds idiotic,鈥� but he took it seriously,鈥� said Roessingh, who was grateful for the Steinway grand piano the company provided.
Roessingh also praised the City of Victoria for the warm reception he got from Ismo Husu, its parking services manager, when he floated the parkade-music idea.
鈥淚smo said: 鈥極h, yeah, we like to do artistic things in the parkade,鈥� 鈥� said Roessingh, who later learned that Husu mentioned his parkade session at a national parking conference.
After James Movers rolled the Steinway into the parkade, Greg Davidson came in to tune the piano and director of photography David Malysheff shot the six-hour recording session for online music videos.
Roessingh鈥檚 springtime-flavoured experience was the opposite of another memorable recording session 20 years ago,听one he said he will never forget.
It was at Legacy Sound on Hillside Avenue where Roessingh and Ken Williams, his composing partner on the score for Neal LaBute鈥檚 In the Company of Men, were working on the film鈥檚 final sound mix.
LaBute had flown in Dec. 29, the day before the Blizzard of 鈥�96 brought Victoria to a standstill, forcing Labute, Roessingh, Williams and sound engineers Tony and George Moskal to sleep on couches at the studio.
The pressure, exacerbated by the massive snowfall, was intense, since LaBute had just learned the film had been accepted at Sundance, moving his post-production deadlines up.
鈥淲e couldn鈥檛 drive anywhere. I听had a Toyota van and all you could see were the top inches of the aerial,鈥� said Roessingh, recalling that shelves at the former 7-Eleven at Hillside and Douglas were stripped bare.
鈥淭here was no food left, so I听trudged over to Boston Pizza, where their staff had been sleeping overnight and we lived on pizzas for four days,鈥� he said with听a laugh.
鈥淜en and I wrote music furiously all weekend and it just got mastered as he was going to the airport. It was just that close.鈥�
For details, go to roessong.com.
