Between The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Members of Vancouver’s yachting community are for the most part a generous and fun loving crowd, therefore it comes as no surprise to me when I run into folks I know from yachting at a variety of interesting events around Vancouver; it also comes as no surprise to learn that many boaters are a active and generous patrons of the arts and higher learning in the city. So to all of those readers who fall into either of those categories, a hearty thank you for all you do to support access to cultural events in the city; and a special thank you to any boaters who might be supportive of the Vancouver Public Library or the VCC Jazz Orchestra. On behalf of everyone in the packed room of jazz lovers who came out to hear the free concert on April 2^nd , “THANK YOU!!!”.

I attended this concert last night and managed to snag one of the last remaining seats; those who came after me had to stand, and whether sitting or standing there was an ample amount of toe tapping and handclapping to indicate that everyone in attendance was having a blast listening to Alan Matheson and his crew as they offered up a hearty performance for us all. The program included songs such as “Rocks in My Bed” by Duke Ellington, Hoagy Carmichael’s “Skylark” and Gershwin’s “I got Rhythm”.   The program was also to include “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,” but that tune had to be skipped in the interest of time. As someone who has spent a fair bit of time between the devil and the deep blue sea, or at least the devil and the local marinas of Vancouver, I was disappointed to realize that this was the song that had to be sacrificed in order to keep the evening on schedule. It’s a great tune and I am certain the VCC Jazz Orchestra would have done wonders with it. My disappointment was tempered by the fact that the rest of the tunes were played, and were played wonderfully.

As I got to the concert just at 7:00 I only caught the tail end of Sue Moor’s appeal to the audience at the beginning of the program where she encouraged people to speak up if they wanted to see programs such as these free concerts continue at the library. So this is me speaking up to say that I for one think these events are a fabulous asset to our city; locals and visitors alike benefit from the enjoyment of great music and from the community that is built around such programs. If you are visiting Vancouver on your yacht you might want to checkout the events page to see what’s going on at our beloved library; the building itself is worth a visit if you are at all into architecture. It is also a good place to meet the locals of this town including many boaters. The Library’s ample assortment of books on cruising, boat buying and maintenance are always treasured resources for any current or would be boat owner in the city.

To Alan Matheson and crew: “We want you back!” We want to know all about your next several performances and we want to support this wonderful Jazz Orchestra that has attracted and cultivated the talents of so many great performers.  A special shout out to Alison Gorman, Marlena Kurek, Caitlin Toom, Cary McCaffrey and Michael Coury who added so much to the performance. As a special request I’m asking you to include “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” at the next performance I attend.

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