Enjoy some jazz standards, wine and chocolate – and help out people in need on the Downtown Eastside.
The Maria Ho Quintet is offering up a special concert on Wednesday, Feb. 13 as part of the Jazz Evensong series at Brentwood Presbyterian Church – which will double as both a salute to love for Valentine’s Day and a fundraiser for the Socks for Souls campaign.
Ho, a vocalist, will be joined by top Vancouver-area musicians Bob York on piano, Noah Gotfrit on bass, Brendan Steele on guitar and Buff Allen on drums for a program of jazz standards from the 1920s through to the 1960s.
“We can all relate to this music,” Ho said, noting it’s an era that features some of the best songwriters of all time – songwriters like George Gershwin and Henry Mancini – and that boasts some of the best melodies and lyrics around.
“The lyrics are subtle, they’re very intelligent, witty,” she says, adding the music itself is equally memorable. “I was attracted to the melody that brought me to do this type of music. It was just beautiful music, beautiful melodies, beautiful lyrics. You can’t go wrong.”
Jazz Evensong nights combine music with prayer and reflective readings on related themes.
Because this one’s about Valentine’s Day, Ho says, the themes are clear.
“It’s about wisdom, about faith, about love,” she says. “It’s all about love, life, faith, hope, reflection.”
As a performer, Ho says, she loves how the Jazz Evensong nights can combine storytelling and music to create a powerful message.
“People get really uplifted when they go,” she says. “It’s music that’s good for the heart, it’s really good for the heart and soul.”
The concert will be followed by wine and refreshments (yes, there will be chocolates and strawberries), and it’s open to everyone interested.
There’s no charge to attend, but a “love offering” will be taken, with a portion of the proceeds to the band and a portion to Socks for Souls, which raises money (and socks) for the Footsore No More campaign run by First United Church in the Downtown Eastside.
Cash donations are preferable, Ho notes, since money allows organizers to buy the sizes and types of socks that are most needed at any given moment.
To find out more about Ho and her quintet, see www.musicalbreeze.ca. For more on the Jazz Evensong series, see www.brentwoodpc.ca.
Brentwood Presbyterian Church is at 1600 Delta Ave.
