By Keith Black, Winnipeg Free Press
Trumpeter Derrick Gardner is originally from Chicago, but has held the Babs Asper Chair in Jazz Trumpet at the University of Manitoba since 2011. A mainstay in the jazz community here, Gardner has a new big band release that features a number of Winnipeg musicians, including Luke Sellick (bass), Curtis Nowosad (drums) and Kasey Kurtz (guitar). Others are Mark Gross, Greg Gatien, Rob Dixon, Tristan Martinuson and Ken Gold on saxes, Bijon Watson, Jeff Johnson, Curtis Taylor and Andrew Littleford on trumpet, Joel Green, Anthony Bryson and Bill Green on trombones and Zen Zadravec on piano. A number of the musicians are alumni of Gardner’s program. Read the full review here.