What am I doing playing more often than Bruno Hubert?

Bruno Hubert played a release concert for his new album on Cellar titled Fire Waltz at Frankie's on June 24, 2024. Joining him that night were André Lachance on bass and Joe Poole on drums, while the album has James Meger on bass instead of Lachance.

Produced by Keith MacLachlan here in Vancouver, Fire Waltz had an Indiegogo campaign behind it in 2023, which I backed. Although the campaign raised less than 50% of the stated goal, the funding went through – unlike Kickstarter, where your project is conditional on hitting your goal – and MacLachlan reported all systems go. "While this is not as much as we were shooting for it is still a success", he wrote in an update on October 6, 2023. "I am pleased to tell you that with the money raised so far and from other ongoing fundraising activities, we can continue with this project and move on to the recording sessions as per our schedule." Some top Indiegogo backers have credits as "associate producers" on the album.

Before recording in October 2023, the trio played at Frankie's in August as well as Brentwood Jazz Evensong and La Fabrique St-George in September. En route to release, day, they played Jazz at the Bolt in February, Frankie's again in March, and Fabrique again in April with Lachance on bass (the other dates all being with Meger).

Even with all those gigs, plus a couple more as a sideman with Brad Turner among others, it strikes me: Hubert had fewer shows on the gig list through this timespan than I did. Who do I think I am? We ought to treasure every chance we get to hear him, especially now that those chances don't come, as they did when I was coming up, every night at the Libra Room on the drive.

I have a reflection for you on Hubert's newly-released body of work that combines what I heard at last month's jazzfest concert along with what I hear on the album now.