Petrides turns up the heat on Victoria Row

Petrides Sorensen Quartet, Mark Adam drums, Chris Budhan bass, Barrie Sorensen sax, Ron Petrides guitar

After a long two days of sound and video editing, I went for supper on Victoria Row to chill. The jazz musicians had other ideas.

Unlike Sunday when Petrides was playing more towards the cool side of jazz, Wednesday night they were cooking.

Maybe it was new drummer Mark Adam from Acadia University. Maybe it was Chris Budhan’s new bass mic that made him sound fuller, more present. Perhaps Petrides was over the cold he had on Sunday. 

Whatever it was, there was a definite difference. Petrides was driving the band, pushing them to extend themselves and it worked. We arrived in the middle of the first set and the change in tempo and volume was noticeable right off the bat. The ensemble playing was hot and when Petrides took his solos he dug in for some blistering playing.

The played a tribute to trumpeter Freddie Hubbard who died in 2008. Moving back into be-bop is typical of Petrides who is well grounded in post-war jazz. When they shifted into Someday My Prince Will Come in the second set it seemed almost tame.

Different nights, different sets.

The band could do the audience a big favour if they used the voice mic for all their announcements. Speaking without it renders their commentary unintelligible over the restaurant chatter.

The Musicians

From supplied biographies

Ron Petrides

Petrides is faculty at the New School University Jazz and Contemporary Music program. “Previously taught at the New York and Columbia Universities. Dr. Petrides holds a Ph. D. in composition from NYU, where he conducted an original research into the life and music of the late 20th century American composer Stephen Albert.”

“During the last two decades, Petrides established himself on the New York jazz scene, having performed with many famous musicians, including Walter Bishop Jr., Dizzy Gillespie, Ron McClure, Billi Hart, Duffy Jackson, and Bob Mover.” Ron Petrides

Chris Budhan

Chris Budhan is a bassist and festival producer from Prince Edward Island, Canada. He holds a B.Mus. from McGill University, an M.A. from New York University, and a D.M.A. in Performance (Jazz Emphasis) from the University of Texas at Austin. As a bassist, he has performed extensively with David Restivo, Alex Dean, Pat LaBarbera and others, and been a finalist in MusicFest Canada’s national soloist competition. As a festival producer, he presents more than 1,000 performances each summer in Eastern Canada as part of the City Stages and Always On Stage festivals.  The New Five

Barrie Sorensen

“Barrie graduated from McGill University in 1993 with a BMus in Jazz Performance. He has also studied privately in New York with jazz great Bob Berg. He has been a very active performer as a member of many bands and ensembles, as well as a freelance artist in the Atlantic Canadian region. He also spent a year and a half working in the show bands on board several of Holland America Line’s cruise ships. Barrie co-produced both Jive Kings recordings, and wrote and arranged much of the material. He has been commissioned in the past to write and arrange many pieces of music in a variety of forms, and continues to be active in this area. He can be contacted at barriesorensen@hotmail.com for more info on his writing and arranging services.” Jive Kings

Mark Adam

Drummer/percussionist Mark Adam has made a versatile career across Canada and around the world as one of Canada’s strong creative musical voices and has leant his support to a diverse array of the best musicians this country has to offer. Receiving his Bachelor of Music with distinction in Percussion Performance in Calgary and a Master’s Degree from the University of Toronto, Adam has played with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, plays regularly with Symphony Nova Scotia, has been an ensemble member and guest soloist in the New Works Calgary Ensemble, principal percussionist of the Banff Center for the Arts Orchestra under Krysztof Penderecki and a frequent performer on CBC. His jazz credits include work with Mike Murley, Hugh Fraser and Andrew Downing as well as tours with The Dave Restivo Quintet, Carol Welsman and Tom Daniels.  MySpace and Acadia University