Jazz is an ever-evolving medium. Its roots are deep and the tree continues to grow. New branches are sprouting around the whole world and it can be seen in Edmonton, Alta. 

The first notes

The origins of jazz are tied to slavery. In the 1600s, African slaves were cut off from their families and traditions. Although they were prohibited from drumming and dancing, they could not be stopped. Their style of foot stamping, tapping, and hand clapping would be the basis for jazz dancing and tap. It wouldn’t be until the 19th century in New Orleans that jazz music would begin. At Congo Square, slaves would gather and play music blending African and Caribbean music with marching band instruments. 

In 1999, MacEwan music professor Mboya Nicholson went to New Orleans to study jazz piano. He has been playing since he was five years old and grew up with a fascination with the city. He was inspired by jazz musicians like Thelonious Monk, Oscar Peterson, and loved the way Ellis Marsalis sounded. When Marsalis came to Edmonton to play at a jazz festival, Nicholson went backstage afterwards to ask about places to study. Marsalis told Nicholson, “I teach at the University of New Orleans.” After learning that, he knew “if Ellis Marsalis teaches at the University of New Orleans, I need to go to the University of New Orleans.”

Nicholson began teaching at MacEwan in 2019 and teaches many courses including jazz history. He notes that, “It’s a cultural form of expression with particulars,” because of how it synthesizes African musical elements with English musical elements. 

Nicholson believes that cultural biases are etched into how jazz is portrayed. They are based on how those with privilege often perceive those who created it, which, subconsciously, is another form of oppression. He says, “If you look at a movie — usually the only time for jazz in the score of the movie is when something negative is happening, somebody is either being robbed or they’re about to break into somewhere, or just something nefarious is happening.” 

With Nicholson teaching the new generation he wants his students to, “understand that this music transcends the era of a composer and speaks directly to their relevance.” He knows that jazz is changing and that it “goes wherever the musicians take it.”          

          

New tunes

The Yardbird Suite is a staple of the Edmonton jazz scene. Tuesday nights are jam nights for members of the community to get together and create music. Occasionally, Desirée Swain’s rhythmic tap dancing can be heard with harmonizing musicians at the club. 

Tap dancing has branched in many ways with dance festivals, being prominently featured on Broadway, and has developed a competitive side to it. Swain has been tapping since she was five and has moved away from competitions. She occasionally teaches children and says, “I am noticing how I am teaching this compared to how I was taught — we share the history of it and all the different possibilities as well.” 

With many festivals, workshops, and people sharing new ideas online, Swain has developed her own style from what she has absorbed and especially enjoys travelling steps because it is more visual. She now aims to tap dance more with live musicians as people would back in the day. 

“It’s almost like we are coming back to the roots of it all,” she says.    

Often jamming alongside Swain on Tuesday nights, are two common faces, fifth-year MacEwan students Jacob Tanner and Ryan Simmons. 

Tanner has been drumming for the past five years and Simmons has been playing the guitar since he was 10. They have been inspired by new age sounds such as Japanese fusion, hard bop, metal music, and shoegaze. With their knowledge and verve for music, they both aspire to teach music to kids in the future. 

As a guitarist, Simmons has found that it is becoming more accepting for sounds to be altered electronically with equipment such as effects pedals. “Jazz musicians are finding a good balance,” he says. “They allow technology to enhance what they are doing, but not in a way where it compensates for their ability to play.”

With all the different styles and innovations in jazz, Simmons says, “I am soaking in everything that has happened before me and I am putting my own spin on it to try to evoke a sense of personal expression.” As for his future students, “I want to inspire [future students] to do whatever they feel is best for them.”

Tanner’s musical aspirations began with classical music, but found a love for jazz at MacEwan.  For Tanner, jazz reflects the changing times. “I always imagine it like a sunflower, like in Chernobyl,” he says. “It’ll soak in all the radiation and all the negative things, and it will produce something positive.

“So that’s the way I think I want my music to be, is I want it to be a reflection of how I’m feeling, and how I express myself during these days kind of, bringing people more together.” 

Jazz is growing and its new branches are reaching into the unknown, Tanner says, “it always adapts to the times.”

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Photo by Natan Leong