The Polyjesters are shooting for staying power.
The Carstairs based jazz group have been playing together since 1999, but don’t play live as much anymore.
But they will be making a special visit to the Lethbridge Jazz Festival, where they will be playing two shows, June 15 — a free show at CASA in the afternoon from 1-4:30 p.m. with Hippodrome, Luke and Tess and Slide Zone and at the Slice that night.
“ We’ve been around since 1999 but then everyone got married and had kids. I guess it’s what some people call growing up,” quipped stand up bassist and vocalist Jason Valleau. the rest of the band includes his brother Sheldon on baritone ukulele and vocals, guitarist Aaron Young, fiddler Drew Jurecka and drummer Jon May.
“We’re like stubborn dogs chewing on the same old bone,” he said.
They play about four times a month as as the Polyjesters for corporate events, folk clubs and jazz and folk festivals, though Aaron Young and Jon May are profession musicians who play several times a week with other bands in the Calgary area.
“I don’t think we‘ve ever played Lethbridge as the Polyjesters,” said Valleau, who has a music degree from the University of Lethbridge. He played in a pop rock band called Bedside Manners several times in Lethbridge in the early 90s.
Though the Polyjesters don’t play a lot, the band members keep their feet in the artistic and music community.
They run their own summer music festival The Mountain View Music Festival every summer, and Jason Valleau and his wife Karina opened a popular coffee shop and cafe in Carstairs.
“We‘re all so busy,” he said.
“ But we’re still there, we all got day jobs that have to do with music,” he continued adding the Polyjesters have backed an array of musicians like Ian Tyson and Cindy Church.
“So we keep sharp by learning how to play other people’s music,” he said.
“That’s the great thing about jazz music, there is so many styles. There is about 10 styles of jazz music. We’re musical chameleons. We know hundreds of songs, from old swing, western swing, gypsy jazz and cool pieces by Nat King Cole,” he said.
“We read the audience. If it looks like a bunch of old farmers are in the audience, we can easily slip into some Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys. If they look cool and well dressed, we can play more modern jazz,” he said. They also have plenty of their own material, though they aren’t in a hurry to record a new CD.
“We’re always writing. My brother Sheldon has a bunch of songs ready to go. But we’re not in a hurry. We want to be 60, 70 and 80 years old and still playing. And we’re only in our 30s now,” he said.
“ It (a new CD) will come when it’s ready to come. If we want to play festivals, you have to have a new CD to be on the circuit. The music industry is always anxious. But we don’t want to be caught up in what the industry wants,” he said.
Their afternoon show, June 15 is free, though there is a $15 cover for their show at the Slice that night.
