Will Clements' Compass at Bernie Legge Theatre, New Westminster
On Saturday, June 1, 2024 at the Bernie Legge Theatre, I presented a special concert with the Vagabond Players in my hometown of New Westminster featuring vocalist Will Clements.
Will's band includes Nebyu Yohannes on trombone, Alvin Brendan on guitar, Jason de Couto on keyboards, me on bass, and Todd Stewart on drums. Half of this band is a product of the New Westminster Secondary School music program, including myself.
I played the opening set of the concert with two of these other musicians, playing instrumental music.
Learn about the band:
Described by CBC Music as "a fantastic and easy voice", vocalist Will Clements presents the music of his 2023 album, COMPASS. The album explores the themes of love through a queer lens; having resided in Montreal, Paraguay, and Vancouver, Clements brings influences from these cities into a new collection of compositions and arrangements, ranging from traditional swing music to South American-inspired sounds.
Bassist William Chernoff plays the opening set with his jazz trio, having released his debut album, Aim to Stay ("refreshingly accessible music” - All About Jazz), in 2020 and his sophomore album Maybe Eventually ("swing and melodicism [are] at Chernoff's artistic core" - Chris Wong) in 2022.
Both Clements and Chernoff grew up in New Westminster and were featured at the 2023 Vancouver International Jazz Festival.
Check out the music
Chernoff Music
Chernoff Music