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The October Trio

The band was formed in late 2004 when its members were in Vancouver’s Capilano College Jazz Studies program, and it was hard to miss the chemistry between Evan Arntzen on saxophones, bassist Josh Cole, and drummer Dan Gaucher. Opportunity presented itself when the trio was offered a regular gig at rime, at that time east Vancouver’s creative music hub. The band recorded their first album, live at rime, using a minidisc player and two microphones. Their critically acclaimed sophomore album, Day In (Cellar Live), followed in July 2006. Co-produced by Canadian jazz icon Brad Turner, the album covers a broad musical spectrum, from the most intimate, subtle renderings to blistering grooves. Riding on the success of Day In, which was nominated for a 2007 Western Canadian Music Award for Outstanding Jazz Recording, The October Trio went on to perform at the 2007 editions of the Portland, Vancouver, Calgary, and Edmonton International Jazz Festivals. 2008 saw the band perform at the National Jazz Awards in Toronto and attend the Banff International Jazz and Creative Music Workshop.

During the spring of 2007 the trio began developing a set of new music with trumpet player Brad Turner in mind. Continuing to pursue the depths of emotional expression and improvisational freedom, The October Trio plus Brad Turner performed memorable and engaging sets at the 2007 Seattle Earshot Jazz Festival and the 2008 and 2009 editions of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival. These gigs culminated in the release of the critically acclaimed Looks like it’s going to Snow (Songlines, 2009) featuring Turner. June 2010 saw the trio head to the east coast to perform in New York (Cornelia St Café, w/ Ingrid Jensen on trumpet) and Boston for the first time, as well as performing at the Montreal and Vancouver International Jazz Festivals. During that tour the trio refined a set of new music on the road and headed back into the studio to record their 4th album.

And 2012 sees the trio return to the international stage with the release of New Dream (Songlines), an album that explores new musical territory while remaining rooted in the trio’s ideals of emotional expression and musical freedom. The band will be touring the album in eastern Canada in the spring, and western Canada and the US in the summer and fall.

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126
Album Review

The October Trio: New Dream

Read "New Dream" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


In recent times, Vancouver, Canada has produced a hotbed of jazz-centric talent, outlined by an improvisational superstructure of sorts. On New Dream, The October Trio conveys a resourceful melding of various musical inflections amid a great degree of flexibility and moxie, featuring a wily sequence of events where each member plays a significant role. The trio teeters on the outside, but not far enough to be classified within the free jazz schema. Here, multi-woodwind artist Evan Arntzen pursues ...

288
Album Review

The October Trio + Brad Turner: Look's Like It's Going To Snow

Read "Look's Like It's Going To Snow" reviewed by Jerry D'Souza


Collaborations can be effective if all the participants are on the same wavelength. In this instance, Evan Arntzen (tenor saxophone), Josh Cole (acoustic bass), and Dan Gaucher (drums) were the first, when they formed The October Trio in 2004 after they met at a jazz program. Two years later they met Brad Turner (trumpet and flugelhorn) and a new relationship was forged. The Trio and Turner make for a strong and comfortable fellowship. Proof lies in Looks Like it's Going ...

260
Album Review

The October Trio: Looks Like It's Going To Snow

Read "Looks Like It's Going To Snow" reviewed by Matt Marshall


Josh Cole, the bassist and primary composer for The October Trio, cites Wayne Shorter as one of his major inspirations and that influence is apparent throughout the Canadian trio's Looks Like It's Going To Snow, with guest trumpeter Brad Turner. There are strong references to Miles Davis' Shorter-heavy Miles Smiles (Columbia, 1966) and the saxophone legend's own Speak No Evil (Blue Note, 1964).

But the group's modernist sound doesn't altogether get stuck in the grip of mid-'60s post-bop--though, to be ...

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133

Performance / Tour

The October Trio to Tour Throughout Eastern Canada and the US

The October Trio to Tour Throughout Eastern Canada and the US

Source: GoMedia PR

Award Winning Canadian Jazz Trio Will Perform for the First Time Ever in New York and Boston

This June, internationally acclaimed jazz group The October Trio will set out to promote their latest CD, Looks Like it's Going to Snow (Songlines), with the (no more snow) Tour 2010.

The band's third release, Looks Like it's Going to Snow once again features the classic sounds of the bass-drums-saxophone combo, this time expanded to include one of Canada's most honored jazz musicians, ...

“Their first set showed such an easy relationship between musical form and freedom �" it was, in many ways, a vivid example of the various strains that inform Vancouver’s jazz community.” - The Globe and Mail



”..artful and melodic songs… they have an accessible but evocative sound, with a propulsive rhythmic element and a grounded sense of musicality.” -The Montreal Gazette



“This is a CD with a tangible sense of place. 3 and ½ stars” �" Down Beat Magazine



“Looks Like Its Going To Snow has no shortage of strengths, from intriguing compositions to extraordinarily inventive players, but at its core it really is all about the ensemble.” �" Jazz Times

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Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

New Dream

Songlines Recordings
2012

buy

Looks Like It's Going...

Songlines Recordings
2009

buy

Look's Like It's...

Songlines Recordings
2009

buy

1983

From: New Dream
By The October Trio

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