BY
KEITH LACEY
Although Jeff Healey became a household name to Canadian music
fans playing rock n' roll and blues, his first musical love is
jazz.
And it's this style of music the popular Toronto musician will
be playing when Jeff Healey's Jazz Wizards take the stage
Saturday during the 35th annual Northern Lights Festival Boreal
(NLFB).
The festival means different things to different people, but
for most, it's all about the music. Given the impressive line
up of talent taking the stage this year, NLFB is once again
guaranteed to attract a large crowd.
The rock-funk guitar outfit Zuul's Evil Disco are the main
stage headliners kicking off the festival Friday evening.
Blue Rodeo, one of the country's most popular rock bands,
will close out the festival Sunday evening with a main stage
headline performance. Legendary singer-songwriter Valdy
performs prior to Blue Rodeo.
Sandwiched between the two nights is Healey who has played in
Greater Sudbury numerous times over the past two decades. This
will be his first visit heading up a jazz band, however, and
he's looking forward to performing his favourite form of music.
"I've been listening to jazz since my early childhood," said
Healey, in a phone interview from his Toronto home. "It was the
popular music of the 1920s and 1930s and it certainly became my
main passion in my home growing up. I've always collected music
from that era for as long as I can remember."
Healey is proud of his collection of old jazz recordings,
reported to be one of the most impressive in the country.
Blind since childhood, the musician gained acclaim as a guitarist, but plays both guitar and trumpet with his jazz band, which recently released a CD entitled It's Tight Like That. The CD features classic standards from the 1920s and 1930s.
"I've dabbled with many different instruments all through my
life," said Healey.
There are various incarnations of his jazz wizards, ranging
from seven to about 12 members, and there will be an
eight-member band with him when he takes to the stage Saturday
night.
Joining Healey on stage will be legendary 75-year-old
British jazz legend Chris Barber, who played on the CD.
Healey is well-spoken and thoughtful when discussing his
current musical project, but becomes rather agitated when
talking about the Jeff Healey Band, which released several
albums and sold hundreds of thousands of records in the late
1980s and early 1990s.
"I have no idea what the original other two members of my
band are up to and we haven't recorded together since
1991...why people want to continue to talk about those days is
beyond me," said Healey. "I moved on a long time ago."
As a married father of two, Healey said playing jazz and
running his downtown Toronto bar keep him extremely busy.
While he still loves playing live music, he doesn't care for
life on the road and says he's fortunate to be able to play
many gigs close to home.
"I just don't like travelling...I no longer see any reason
to go on the road for weeks or months," he said. "I'd much
rather be home with my family than getting to know hotel
staff."
New NLFB marketing director Tina Siegel said it's exciting
to be part of a festival that has provided so many fond
memories to so many people over such a long period of time.
"We're recognized as the longest running continuous music
festival in the country and that's something we're very proud
of," she said. "The festival is all about having a good time
and allowing local artists to get some exposure and share the
stage with some of the country's best-known musicians."
Once again, long-standing artistic director Paul Loewenberg
hired a wide cross-section of musical talent, ranging from big
name recording stars to young local musicians looking for their
big break.
The festival has long mixed various forms of music and it
will be no different this year, Siegel said, as there will be
folk, rock, blues, and world music.
The theme for the 35th anniversary festival is "Energy,"
which can be attributed to the diverse list of musicians and
bands playing this year, explained Siegel.
And it's also about GREENville, sponsored by Northern Life,
which is a pilot project being introduced to the festival this
year. Around two dozen environmentally friendly businesses and
organizations will be promoting green initiatives and sharing
their success in helping make Sudbury a nicer place to live.
There will be displays on solar energy, biodiesel, recycling
and many other areas in GREENville, which will be located next
to the arts village, to the right of the main entrance to the
park.
Saturday night will be special not only because Healey and
his band are performing, but because there will be a special
tribute to bluesman Jackie Washington, who has played at all
but a couple of the Northern Lights festival's over the past 35
years, said Siegel.
"Jackie has been a huge part of this festival since we began
and the special tribute to him should make for a great
evening," she said.
Sudbury's own Paul Dunn will perform with the Honolulu
Heartbreakers to start off Saturday's tribute to Washington.
Also performing will be Mose Scarlett, The Whitely Brothers and
Washington himself, who is set to take the stage after Healey's
Jazz Wizards finish their set.
Being able to hold the festival on the grounds of Bell Park
makes NLFB special, said Siegel.
"Bell Park is obviously a wonderful venue. It's not only
beautiful, but if the weather is hot, people can walk down for
a swim to cool off," said Siegel. "People can also get up nice
and close and mingle with the musicians and performers, which
is often very difficult with larger music festivals."
Volunteers "are the heart and soul of the festival" and
there are more than 300 on board this time around. They perform
duties ranging from driving musicians and artists to and from
the venue to serving food, washing dishes, conducting security,
to setting up and tearing down the festival site, said Siegel.
There are still a few positions that need to be filled for
this weekend and anyone interested in volunteering can phone
the office at 674-5512.
Mother Nature always has a significant impact on the number
of people who attend the festival, Siegel admits.
To help raise money for the festival and cancer research,
200 special edition promotion art prints of this year's poster
are selling for $20 each. They will be on sale at the office at
109 Elm St. and onsite throughout the festival.
A weekend pass, which gets you into each and every venue and
concert, is affordable at $54, said Siegel.
Purchasing a weekend pass remains the best value for the
dollar, said Siegel.
Tickets for Friday's main stage concert are $16, while a pass for all events Saturday is $22 and $27 for Sunday.
There are reduced prices for seniors and children.
Tickets are on sale at Black Cat Too, Records on Wheels, Jett Landry Music, Walden Home Hardware, Gloria's Restaurant, A & J Home Hardware and the NLFB office.
