On February 6th, an enthusiastic audience of music lovers was treated to spectacular show feating Alan Matheson and Wade Mikkola playing an array of jazz classics by Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn and Bix Biederbecke, interspersed with pieces by Finnish composer Oskar Merikanto. While a classical composer like Merikanto may not be the first person who springs to mind when thinking about jazz, the genres are very much connected as the two performers explained in between musical pieces.
Bass player Mikkola flew in from Finland to perform with his friend and collaborator Matheson, who deftly (and impressively!) switched between piano, flugelhorn and cornet throughout the performance. The two clearly have a very close friendship, and their obvious admiration for one another made them even more of a joy to watch.
Being unfamiliar with Merikanto's work, I was interested in learning more about his connection to jazz, and excited to hear the performers discuss their connections to the music—the dialogue and discussion always makes these concerts feel very intimate and educational. Plus, I was really curious about what exactly the flugelhorn sounds like (FYI, it's a really beautiful instrument).
Huge thanks to the UBC School of Music for putting on a wonderful show, and for Alan Matheson and Wade Mikkola for their incredible performances! I'm looking forward to the next Music on the Point concert on February 27th, featuring Julia Nolan, David Gillham and Jane Hayes. For free tickets, be sure to fill out the request form!