The Infidels Threesomes series at the Heatley, 2 shows in
Funky trios launched the monthly series called Threesomes in October and November 2023
The latest Infidels Jazz series to launch is called Threesomes at the Heatley, featuring trios in the small bar on Hastings Street otherwise known for folk music. The venue is a sister establishment of the Painted Ship, which also hosts one of Tim Reinert's series – a monthly one called Social Music that launched a couple months prior:
Will Chernoff
I sat down at one of the Heatley's 10 tables for the opener, so today, I bring you:
- What I heard of the second show in November, the more recent one
- My eyes & ears from that first show in October
- Who's up next month
The recent show: November 19, 2023
Dean Thiessen's electric trio with Marcus Abramzik & Jamison Ko jolted the Threesomes series to life; I admit the turnout was quiet on the rainy October night I had previously gone there.
Dean's band, dubbed DM Electric Ko, served up funky organ trio but with a bass, like Medeski, Martin, & Wood. Dean sang on top of some gospel grooves too, he sang "Bridge Over Troubled Water" – what can't he do? It's a bit of a Stevie Wonder-influenced presentation, from the clips I saw.
I asked Dean's and my friend John Nicholson, who did go, for a review by direct message. He wrote back to me: "Dean's trio sounded like an established band. They listened to each other and were grooving as a unit." I hope they record, even if it's a DIY living-room situation.
The first show: October 15, 2023
Alvin Brendan, Benjamin Millman, and Trent Otter previously played Frankie's After Dark and were sort of the wild children of Jazz at the Bolt 2023, being one of the Infidels-presented artists there. "Tim literally made this band," Alvin said from the stage in tribute to the opportunities they've had at just their third gig together. "He wants it to be weird."
There's no bassist but Alvin and Ben both play bass, whether that's guitar pushed down an octave by pedals or the left hand of the keyboard. Their originals spanned funky neo-soul, lofi beats, and Pat Metheny-like guitar ballad playing. Ben memorably called a tune of his titled "I said yes to too much s___ and now I wanna cry," a lament for a self-employed artist if there ever was one.
The covers they chose to play are an interesting mishmash, too:
