A veteran in jazz circles for more than 25 years, John Stetch has collaborated with countless talented artists throughout his prolific career. The pianist may well be witnessing the rawest, purest players of the bunch, though, when Westender catches him on the phone in his hometown of Edmonton. He's got some proper Canadian club stops coming up by the end of the month, but at this moment he's deep into a two-week trek around the Alberta public school circuit as a guest instructor. In addition to teaching youths about counter-rhythms and flat seven chords, he just told a class of kids at his old elementary school about his time there as a student. And it wasn't all good.
"I'll never forget, I got a D. This is in music! I got a D in effort but an A in achievement, and the kids laughed," he says with mock exasperation. "I told them that I didn't feel good about that, so I've been trying hard ever since."
The McGill-trained pianist has certainly been grinding, producing a thick catalogue of material since moving to New York in 1993. He's worked closely with respected composer/bassist Rufus Reid and also jammed with Charlie Haden and Seamus Blake. His 16-album discography includes a solo piano trilogy, as well as re-workings of the Price is Right and Love Boat themes on TV Trio. He's yielded five Juno nominations, most recently for 2014's Off with the Cuffs.
His latest collection, Vulneraville, brings him back into a group scenario, trading phrases with Steve Kortyka, a saxophonist who also plays with Lady Gaga, drummer Philippe Lemm and bassist Ben Tiberio. "Oscar's Blue Green Algebra" is a 10-minute workout that flexes Kortyka's hot-wax wailing and Stetch's choice, nimble chord manipulations over Lemm's snapped-up beat. Elsewhere, the swingin' "Do Telepromptu" makes a complex 9/8 time signature surprisingly spry and smooth, while Stetch notes that "Phun Toon" is "a real old-fashioned toe-tapper." Recorded live last fall at Ithaca, New York’s Carriage House Café, the well-oiled set is even more remarkable in that it was the quartet's first formal live performance.
He recalls: "We were excited to play that first show. We probably even had some beginner’s luck just because we were so psyched to finally play that music live in front of a really supportive audience."
Though plans are still up in the air, Stetch hopes that the foursome will get back in the studio by late summer to record an album of newly composed material. Without giving away too many details, he reveals that the group will be focusing on some tight-knit, scripted material this time around.
"We all love improvising as jazz artists, but sometimes I think there's such a thing as a perfect composition where it's just planned. What's wrong with that?"
Interestingly, by the time he's recording in New York, Stetch will only be a part-time resident. The pianist is moving back to Canada after 24 years abroad, taking up residence in Vancouver this spring with his girlfriend. Stetch recalls coming to Vancouver in the early ’90s to play the famed Purple Onion, but this week's performance at Pyatt Hall marks his first-ever West Coast homecoming. Fittingly, he's ready to take on the local scene.
"I have some very dear friends in the jazz community that I've been hanging out with that I'm looking forward to collaborating with," he says, explaining sax man Mike Allen and drummer Joe Poole are just a couple of the players he's going to connect with.
While currently teaching out in Edmonton, he's excited about learning more about his new hometown.
"[I'm] just looking forward to being in that city," he says.
