Revelations on why I love this city

Reasons #1 and #2:

I’m sitting in Seb’s Market Café, a laid-back-kind-of-groovy oasis I’ve just stumbled into from the outside grit and tired neighbourhood strip-mall feel of Broadway and Fraser. I’m here to check out the Grand Trine Trio, a relative newcomer to the Vancouver jazz scene, though they’ve played together for roughly two and a half years and showcase at Seb’s at least once a month. I try and ignore the brash Mac’s and Subway signs across the street as I settle in.

I admit, I’m only here because my friend David knows the keyboardist, Karen Rauh, and I have no idea what to expect. Cynic that I am, I’m anticipating same old same old, but our smiley waitress (who could be Lisa Loeb in disguise) surprises me straight off with a cute British accent and a quick delivery of beer though the tiny place is packed. The speed at which the ale kicks in reminds me that I haven’t eaten all day, and just as I start to slide into my own little happy land, a low edgy trumpet croon draws my full attention. I blink and realize this bird call is emerging from a bass rhythm that’s crept into the room through the usual restaurant chit chat with such stealth I didn’t even realize I was subtly swaying to the beat.

The bassist, Orith Fogel, is driving the current with an understated pulse that lightly skips like a heart beat and stays grounded at the same time. I enjoy watching Orith as she closes her eyes and grooves. I don’t really think musicians can transport an audience to that “special music place” unless they can get there themselves. Well, I’ve just barely settled in, but Orith is already is there.

I’m usually wary when I see a trumpet in a line up as it often upstages and drowns out other players, especially in such a small place as Seb’s, but Melissa Hammer schools me. Defying her own name, Hammer’s instrumentation tenderly peels my heart from the busy illusions of day with its slow pining call. At first I am reminded of a black and white detective movie with the lone brass rendering the forlorn heart of the city, but it soon dawns on me that this crooning sounds more like Rumi:

Listen to the reed, how it laments,

telling us of separation, saying,

"Ever since I was severed from the reed field,

men and women have lamented at my shrill cries.
But I want this broken heart, torn from separation, so that
I may remind you of the sweet pain of yearning...”

Ok, I know trumpets don’t have reeds, but the essence of the analogy fits and I can’t believe how into it I am this early into the set.

As we taste and nibble away at the tasty fare at Seb's I’m discovering that the Grand Trine Trio has the makings of an engine that delivers both the spirit of aching longing and of joyful reunion. I can see why they have chosen their name, “grand trine” being astrology lingo for the union of heavenly bodies in a triangular formation that fosters a time of harmony and creativity. My only problem with the synthesis at this point is technical. I haven't been able to hear Karen Rauh’s keyboard as much as I would like to. But, when I strain my ears, I like what I hear. Proficient nimble fingers turning out some progressive sharps and flats.

The music shifts, as it will for the rest of the evening, between a variety of soundscapes. We’re now into a Jobim cover, but it is smooth and fresh, kind of like the garlic, fruit preserves and toast. I’m not the only one in the room who’s toe tapping.

Just when I’m thinking some vocals would round out the gig, Orith provides again, this time with clear, cascading melodies reminiscent of a young Ella Fitzgerald and another up and coming Vancouver vocalist, Terra Grimard. (I soon find out they both studied jazz at Cap College. Hmm, they're doing something right up there!) Orith doesn’t go into diva solos, but balances both adventurous and soothing tones with instrumentation for the rest of the night, even getting into some light hearted scatting. As a vocalist myself, at some points I catch myself feeling jealous, a good sign that I’m going to keep my eye on the Grand Trine Trio in the future.

I have to admit, these cats are tight, and something in the groove is getting somewhere special. Ok, maybe not quite to the same professional place as the Kronos Quartet gig I caught at the Chan a while back, but on the map. Baby Talent is still Talent. I’m reminded of the first time I caught Diana Krall on an early CBC show before she went big time and thinking that there was a bit of stardust in her act. I find myself wondering what they could do if they branched out from rearrangements into new territory. But I’m patient to watch the lotus unfold and I’m not ready to lose them to the music machine yet.

Seb’s Café: Live Jazz Friday and Saturday evenings.

Reservations recommended. (604) 298-4403

592 E. Broadway, Vancouver
Links: Map

The Grand Trine Trio:

Bass and vox: Orith Fogel, Trumpet: Melissa Hammer, Keyboard : Karen Rauh

For info contact: orith@excite.com

Links: Grand Trine Trio Website

Thanks to Karen Rauh for provideing photos. Thanks also to Sheila G. and a couple of monks who have shown me that in appropriate times, and with appropriate measure, it is ok to cuss.

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