JAZZ CLUB NEWS ARCHIVE
Askew’s Gift Card Fall Fundraiser Event
September 23 2025
The Jazz Club is starting another fundraiser using the gift card program that Askew’s offers for non-profit groups like ours. This is an effective way to support our concerts, and it costs you nothing in the long run. A huge thank you goes out to Doug Sonju who offered to coordinate this for us again this fall!
HOW IT WORKS — You place pre-paid orders with Doug Sonju (contact information below) for whatever amount you want to purchase. Please use this order form if you can. Cheques should be made out to "JAZZ SALMON ARM" and can be POST-DATED to October 18. You can also pay using our E-transfer (see below).
Doug will collect all the orders and consolidate them into one large order, and then purchase those cards from Askew’s at a discount (usually 7%, depending on the size of the order). The cards are used like a debit card, with each purchase deducted from the balance until the money is used up. You can then spend the face value of the cards in groceries at Askew's, so it ends up costing you nothing. The club gets the difference between the face value and the discounted cost.
SCHEDULE — Orders will be collected at our Jazz Club concert on September 25 and October 9 (at the Nexus), and Doug will distribute the cards at the October 23 concert (again, at the Nexus).
If ordering at our concert doesn’t work for you, there are a couple of other options:
You can mail your order no later than October 10 to:
Doug Sonju
1406 Otter Lake Rd
Spallumcheen BC V4Y 0W2You can e-transfer the funds directly to the Jazz Club account. The address is: jazzclubdonation@telus.net. Just be sure to indicate that it is for Askew cards, and how many of each denomination you want. Also include your name, phone number, and email so we can reach you if necessary.
If you have any questions, please call Doug at 250-546-6082, or e-mail at: dougsonju@telus.net. Thank you very much for your continued support.
Summer 2025 Options for Shuswap Jazz Fans
August 5 2025
Good news, adventurous music listeners! As you await the fall jazz club season, plenty of good jazz and jazz-adjacent live music is scheduled throughout the summer to keep you inspired and joyful. Some options to consider are listed below, and be sure to keep your eye on all these venues for other surprise gigs as they pop up.
Every third Tuesday of the month – Jazz at the Manor, featuring Sandy Cameron & Friends continues. The monthly jazz offering features saxophone colossus, Sandy Cameron, and a variety of his musical friends at Lakeside Manor in Salmon Arm, starting at 6:30 pm. Public welcome, with admission by donation.
Saturday, August 9 – Marina Funky Time debuts at Shuswap Marina in Blind Bay (12 noon - 4 pm). The Shuswap Marina hosts another summer social and, featuring the debut of drummer (and Shuswap Marina co-owner) Gareth Seys latest project, Marina Funky Time (Megan Abel on vocals, Jacob Verburg on guitar, Jordan Dick on guitar, Jake McIntyre-Paul on bass, and Gareth Seys on drums). Admission is free, but there will be door prizes by donation, a 50/50 and a silent auction fundraiser for Shuswap Paws Rescue Society, as well as hot dogs by donation to the Sorrento Lions.
Saturday, August 9 – Sorrento Centre's Dine & Dance Under the Stars with the Legendary Lake Monsters - the horn-driven 10-piece band headline a summer garden party gala and dance at the Sorrento Retreat and Conference Centre, featuring the culinary artistry of Timber Shuswap's Chef Chris Whittaker and handcrafted wine pairings from Sunnybrae Vineyards & Winery. Reserve tickets at sorrentocentre.ca.
Thursday, August 21 – The Jordan Dick Quartet & The Jazz Implication play a double bill at the Evening by the Bay series in Centennial Park, Blind Bay, 5:30 - 8:30 pm. It's an evening showcase of the incredible expanding local creative jazz music scene taking place before our eyes and ears right here in the Shuswap. Come on out, bring your lawn chair, and cheer them on! Check out shuswaparts.com/by-the-bay for more details.
Friday, August 22 – The Dark Switch Quartet featuring Megan Abel, 8 pm until late at the Night Cafe in Salmon Arm. The noted Shuswap vocalist reveals her hidden super power for memorable interpretations of jazz standards with Blair Shier on guitar, Alex Ward on bass, and Jared Wilman on drums.
Saturday, August 23 - Gabriel Vizcaino Trio, 10 am to 12:30 pm at the Saturday Market in Salmon Arm. Gabriel Vizcaino (guitar), Jake McIntyre-Paul (bass), and Issac Chatterton (drums) bring their trio featuring tight, fresh interpretations of jazz standards to the Ross Street Plaza.
Thursday, August 28 – Burgers & Jazz in the Village with the Jake McIntyre-Paul Quartet. Join Salmon Arm’s own Jake McIntyre-Paul on bass with a quartet of the region’s finest musicians for a swinging evening of jazz standards and originals at R.J. Haney Village in Salmon Arm, hosted in partnership with the Salmon Arm Jazz Club. Reserve tickets at R.J. Haney Village or by calling 250-832-5243.
Each Summer Night in the Shuswap there's a live band playing somewhere in the Shuswap (often more than one) with many jazz adjacent funk, Latin, and fusion offerings on the menu. Check out Music in the Park Monday's in Sicamous' Finlayson Park, Music on the Lake Tuesdays in Chase Memorial Park, Wednesday on the Wharf in Salmon Arm, Evening by the Bay Thursdays in Blind Bay, and Friday Night Live in Scotch Creek. And be sure to check out the restaurants, cafes, pubs, and wineries like Canooligans, Marionette, and The Night Cafe who all curate regular live music, including support for the creative jazz music scene.
And finally, be sure to check out our good friends at the Vernon Jazz Club as they prepare for their fall season starting in September. We've had a sneak peak and it is looking very exciting!
Thank you everyone for your incredible support of live creative music through the Salmon Arm Jazz Club this past year. What a season we've had! Have a safe, inspired, and creativity filled summer and we'll see you at the shows. Keep it live; keep it real!
Dance Lessons Now Available!
March 23 2025
Interested in sharpening your dance skills to prepare for the upcoming April 17 ShuHorns Swing Dance? Take advantage of the Monday Dance Sampler Series at the Little Mountain Field House (Salmon Arm) with City Dance's inimitable Jens Groener.
These classes offer coaching in dance moves, ranging from Latin to Ballroom to Jive. The event will be held over six evenings, between April 7 & May 12, with the Beginner Dance Sampler at 5:30 - 6:30 pm, and Level 2 Dance Sampler at 6:30 - 7:30 pm. Take one or both! Expect the first two Mondays to focus on Swing steps to prepare you for the ShuHorn Dance. Great for beginners, as a refresher, or to practice. Register here (you will need to create a login account) or call Salmon Arm Recreation at 250-832-4044.
Sandy Cameron's ShuHorns Swing Dance - TICKETS NOW ON SALE
March 3 2025
Sandy Cameron and his ShuHorns are coming back to Song Sparrow Hall in Salmon Arm for another hot night of live big band swing dance music! The event, hosted by the Salmon Arm Jazz Club, takes place Thursday, April 17, 2025, with support from Song Sparrow Hall, City Dance Studio, and Acorn Music. Further details, including information on dance lessons, are now posted in our event calendar.
The Salmon Arm Jazz Club wants everyone to attend, so a three-tier ticket option allows you to Choose Your Price to best fit your situation: $30 student/lower income (because everyone needs to dance!); $40 General Admission (cover costs and make it swing!); $50 Supporter (kick the band into double-time by subsidizing a student/lower income ticket). Get your tickets online at the Songsparrow Hall event portal or old-school in-person at Acorn Music (cash only).
Dust off your dance shoes, brush up on your swing dance moves, and come on out to listen, to dance, and to celebrate live music!
First New Demos Recordings Now Available
July 21 2024
The first of the Salmon Arm Jazz Club's New Demos Recordings from composer, trumpeter, and band leader, Liam Nadurak with his dynamic group, The Jazz Implication, are mastered and ready for the world to hear.
The Jazz Implication is a local collection of musicians that started with Liam on trumpet, Jordan Dick on guitar, Jake McIntyre-Paul on bass, and Will Friesen on drums. They were joined in the studio with well-known Salmon Arm guitarist (and Liam’s neighbour), Dan Smith, as well as Kamloops multi-instrumentalist, Alexander Ward, on keyboards. The result is an expanded pallete of sound that is as freshly current and as contemporary as it gets.
When asked about the band’s progress in the studio Liam said, “When I write original music, I almost never imagine that they will see the light of day, let alone be performed by the talented local musicians we are blessed with or recorded in a professional studio. This opportunity could not have happened without the wonderful people that have supported the Salmon Arm Jazz Club and its new artist recording initiative. On behalf of the band, thank you for this opportunity. We are all so thankful and are excited to share our product with you!”
Our gratitude goes out to all the donors who are making this possible. Please enjoy these remarkable compositions and musicians, and know you are an important part of the musical ecosystem here in the Shuswap allowing musicians like Liam and The Jazz Implication to explore, create, and flourish. Thank you!
Stream or purchase The Jazz Implication Vol. 1 recordings on your favourite streaming platform here.
More New Demos Recording Developments
April 19 2024
Great news! We have now raised sufficient funds to support all three New Demos Recording sessions, thanks to a recent joint contribution from the Lakeside Manor jazz fans! Thank you to all of our donors for supporting our local jazz music scene and helping to bring this project to life. They include:
Kathy Yanke
Cheryl Bawtree
Peter Molnar
Jim & Kathie Cooperman
JP & Norma Flament
Sansom Surveying (Brian Sansom)
Phil McIntyre-Paul
Andrew Paul
Sharon & Steve Fabro
Cindy & Murray Scholinder
Phil McP's 60th Birthday Celebration Donors
Lakeside Manor Jazz Fans
The next two recording sessions, featuring new compositions and arrangements by Jordan Dick and Jake McIntyre-Paul, are ready to go and will now be scheduled.
Our next target is to raise the funds to complete a New Demos Compilation CD. Support the project today with an eTransfer donation to jazzclubdonation@telus.net labelled “New Demos Recording Project”, along with your name, email, and phone contact.
New Demos Recording Update
March 11, 2024
We have exciting news on the Salmon Arm Jazz Club's New Demos Recording from composer, trumpeter, and band leader, Liam Nadurak, who made it into the recording studio last month thanks to your generous support!
Here is Liam's firsthand account of the session. . .
The Jazz Implication is (from left) Liam Nadurak (band leader, composer, trumpet), Will Friesen (drums), Dan Smith (guitar), Jake McIntyre-Paul (bass), Jordan Dick (guitar).
Last month, our band - The Jazz Implication - recorded some brand-new tracks at Holy Cow Studios, a professional studio in Kamloops, with sound engineer Emilio Pagnotta. The Jazz Implication is a local collection of musicians that started with me on trumpet, Jordan Dick on guitar, Jake McIntyre-Paul on bass, and Will Friesen on drums. All were in the studio this weekend. Plus, we were lucky to have Salmon Arm guitarist (my neighbour), Dan Smith, as well as Kamloops multi-instrumentalist, Alexander Ward, joining us on keys.
I connected with Emilio through random interactions in the Kamloops music scene. I had the privilege to see his band Mother Sun perform in Vernon two times at the Sun Dog music festival and the now closed music venue Local Losers. I could already tell Emilio was a conscientious musician intentional about the sounds and textures he provides to the group. These are very important qualities in a sound engineer.
Emilio has an amazing studio at his property in Kamloops where he hosted our band, The Jazz Implication. Emilio has a love for Jazz music and seeks out information and techniques from the great sound engineers in the Jazz idiom like the great Rudy Van Gelder. To get to record in a studio with a sound engineer that treated my original music with a level of care and intrigue was a dream come true for me.
We recorded 3 of my originals. When I write original music, I almost never imagine that they will see the light of day, let alone be performed by the talented local musicians we are blessed with, let alone be recorded in a professional studio. This opportunity could not have happened without the wonderful people that have supported the Salmon Arm Jazz Club and its new artist recording initiative. On behalf of the band, thank you for this opportunity. We are all so thankful and are excited to share our product with you!
~ Liam Nadurak, for The Jazz Implication
We are excited too! As soon as Liam has the master’s ready, we'll send you links to take a listen.
Thank you to all the New Demos Recording donors to date, for helping to make this happen and supporting our local jazz music scene. They include:
Kathy Yanke
Cheryl Bawtree
Peter Molnar
Jim & Kathie Cooperman
JP & Norma Flament
Sansom Surveying (Brian Sansom)
Phil McIntyre-Paul
Stay tuned - Jordan Dick is getting ready for the second session in the studio shortly.
We are looking for new donors to support this and a third recording session plus production of a compilation CD with recordings from all three sessions. If you would like to be a supporting donor, please speak to John or myself in the foyer at the Jazz Club shows or send an etransfer via email to: jazzclubdonation@telus.net (label your etransfer “New Demos Recording Project”).
More good things to come. We'll keep you posted. Thank you for supporting our exciting live music scene in the Shuswap!
~ Phil McIntyre-Paul, for the Salmon Arm Jazz Club's New Demos Recording Project
Salmon Arm Jazz Club Launches New Recording Project
September 10, 2023
Fresh off the success of last season’s Sandy Plays Benny Legacy Recording project featuring the Sandy Cameron Quartet (available online or at Acorn Music), the Salmon Arm Jazz Club is inviting donors to support a new recording project featuring some of the region’s hot young jazz musicians. Every $500 raised allows the club to support an emerging artist in the recording studio featuring new compositions and arrangements ready for wider promotion. The goal: to raise $3000 supporting four recording sessions and a compilation album. First up in the studio is the Liam Nadurak Quartet.
Support the project today with an eTransfer donation to jazzclubdonation@telus.net clearly marked Salmon Arm Jazz Recording Fund, along with your name, email, and phone contact.
Sandy Cameron’s Tribute to Benny Goodman CD Now Available
June 17, 2023
Last September, local musical legend Sandy Cameron led an outstanding show paying tribute to jazz great Benny Goodman. The Salmon Arm Jazz Club decided to pursue a recording of these arrangements at Song Sparrow Hall to honour Sandy's popularity and long-standing contribution to the local jazz scene.
The legacy CD recording, titled Sandy Plays Benny, officially launched at the recent Sandy Cameron and the ShuHorns Swing Dance Party at Song Sparrow Hall. CDs are now available at all Jazz Club shows, as well as at Acorn Music and online through all major streaming services!
LOW TICKET ALERT! Sandy Cameron and the ShuHorns Swing Dance Party
May 20, 2023
This is the last call for tickets to the Sandy Cameron and the ShuHorns Swing Dance Party featuring Andreas Bajova! At last count, only 25 tickets remained for the Friday, June 2 event at Song Sparrow Hall in Salmon Arm. Tickets are available by clicking on the link below or in person, old school style, at Acorn Music in Salmon Arm. Doors open at 6:30 pm, and the show begins at 7:00 pm. The event includes a cash bar fundraiser hosted by Women Who Wine, and is sponsored by Acorn Music, the Salmon Arm Jazz Club, and Song Sparrow Hall.
For anyone interested in learning a few swing dance steps for the event, there will be a one-hour Swing Dance Survival Primer on May 29th, 5:30-6:30 pm at the Salmon Arm Recreation Centre led by Jens Goerner (dance instructor with City Dance Vernon). The session will be perfect for anyone who wants a few ideas or a quick refresher on some simple swing dance steps. This drop-in event is open to anyone, with entry by donation.
Salmon Arm Jazz Club members raise funds for Legacy Recording: Sandy Cameron’s Tribute to Benny Goodman
January 16, 2023
We did it! YOU did it!
Salmon Arm Jazz Club members raised $1900 to support Sandy Cameron's Benny Goodman Tribute legacy recording.
Last September, local musical legend Sandy Cameron led an outstanding show paying tribute to jazz great Benny Goodman. The Salmon Arm Jazz Club decided to pursue a recording of these arrangements at Song Sparrow Hall to honour Sandy's popularity and long-standing contribution to the local jazz scene.
Thanks to generous donations to date ($1900) and the extraordinary donation of time from all the musicians (a value of over $2000), recording, production, registration, licensing, online streaming, and CD printing costs have been covered!
Sandy Cameron (clarinet) and a stellar quartet featuring Dan Smith (guitar), Brian Pratt-Johnson (drums), and Jake McIntyre-Paul (bass) spent an incredible two days at Song Sparrow Hall studios in Salmon Arm, with Craig Newnes engineering the recording.
Craig and Jake McIntyre-Paul just finished the sound mixing. All that remains now in terms of production is for Craig to complete the final mastering to render the recordings into a polished set ready for listening. Based on what we have heard so far, the recordings are excellent.
Next, we will navigate the process of licensing, uploading the files for online access and getting CDs printed. We are working through this process for the first time so it may take a couple of months for the licensing request to be finalized. We will keep you posted.
Many thanks to everyone who contributed to the recording:
Betty Parsons
Cheryl Bawtree
Colin Spence
Dan West
Delores Mori
Dick Mann
Ineke Hughes
Jean-Pierre & Norma Flament
Jim & Kathi Cooperman
Joanne Vivian
John & Nellie Rasmussen
Joyce & John Henderson
Karen & Ric Fetterly
Kathy Yanke
Linda Hirtle
Louis Simard
Louise Nadeau
Lynn Hyland
Maggie Cameron
Marg Parfitt
Phil McIntyre-Paul
Recording donors will be the first to know as soon when the finished products are available and will receive an access code as well as a copy of the CD. Only through your donations has this legacy recording with Sandy been made possible.
And for everyone else – great news – the recording will be available for online streaming as well as purchasing in CD format. Stay tuned!
