This weekend, the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra is teaming up with SoulBear (David Grenon), a bilingual singer-songwriter originally from Quebec, to perform jazz standards made famous by Frank Sinatra. Curated by Sean Irvine, the concert features beloved oldies such as “Fly Me To The Moon” and “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.”
In an interview, Irvine said he began playing saxophone in 2004 and joined the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra 15 years ago. As a woodwind specialist, he plays the flute, clarinet, saxophone and oboe. He has worked as both a composer and performer. He currently teaches full time — leading high school band, jazz band and a music studio primarily for students with special needs and those who identify as queer.
Frank Sinatra remains one of the most iconic musical figures of the 20th century, earning monikers like “The Voice” and “The Sultan of Swoon.” Moreover, he is widely credited with helping bring jazz into the realm of popular music. Even though he was born more than a century ago, his influence can still be heard in contemporary artists such as Michael Bublé.
Irvine explained that this genre of music has its roots in Tin Pan Alley in the early 1920s.
“Tin Pan Alley was based out of New York, and there are a lot of traditional commercial songs or [songs] from musical productions. And these became jazz standards over the years from being performed so regularly,” he said.
“So what genre of music [the concert] is mostly going to be is jazz standards that have been arranged, and many of them are the original arrangements that Frank Sinatra used with his band. David’s got an original in this, I’ve got an original in this show, but we’re also looking to a couple other crooners for their arrangements and their traditional songs.”
Irvine added that Sinatra comes from the crooner tradition, where a male vocalist fronts the band and the performative environment is just as important as the music itself. He described SoulBear as “the best train of personality” to take on the crooner role for this concert.
Irvine first met SoulBear in the Royal Canadian Air Force band many years ago. The two have performed together in the past — and Irvine even appears on one of SoulBear’s albums.
“David and I have had a long-standing friendship, and obviously too, we’re both members of the 2SLGBTQ+ community so that’s also been a gravitating force. [In] the music industry, we’re far and few between, so when you meet people that you can relate to in that sense, who you see yourself in, there’s a special bond there.”
When asked why the oldies continue to resonate with audiences today, Irvine said much of their staying power lies in their ability to uplift people during hard times.
“These songs have stood the test of time simply because they are great melodies. Historically, they were melodies that connected with audiences,” he said.
“We look at the time that many of these standards came out, from the 20s to the 60s, we look at the world and what the state of the world was in at those times, and these songs were very uplifting. Many of them were relevant to what was going on in those moments. But the other side of it was that in the time where they’re facing wars and poverty and whatnot, these were very uplifting songs.”
Think Sinatra… Except Fabulous will take place on April 12 at 7:30 p.m. and April 13 at 2 p.m. at the Centre Culturel Franco-Manitobain (340 Provencher Boulevard). Tickets can be purchased at app.arts-people.com/index.
