The PEC Jazz Festival is in good hands. Creative Director Colleen Allen oversaw a great variety of music last week: 34 concerts at 15 different venues over six days.

There were sold-out shows from the Big Smoke Brass at Huff Estates and saxophonist Alison Young at and Sandbanks Winery—“she killed it!” said one audience member visiting from out of town. On a warm afternoon, there were pleasant breezes under the tent at the Closson Chase Winery, accompanying the trio of Ms. Allen herself (saxophones), Gord Sheard (piano) and Brian Legere (guitar). They offered clever arrangements for this unusual gathering of instruments, ranging over standards and originals, each drawing on different traditions. There was lots of space for the soloists and attentive ensemble work.

Virginia MacDonald (Jason Parks/Gazette Staff)

The main stage events at St. Mary Magdalen Church featured a variety of acts.

Virginia MacDonald’s band with special guest Todd Marcus from Baltimore offered modern jazz in the post-bop mode with a unique lineup of two clarinetists playing mainly their own compositions. Mr. Marcus’s tunes had a touch of middle eastern flavour, and his bass clarinet varied from long lines to flurries of notes, and sometimes exotic undercurrents. Ms. MacDonald plays with bebop speed and precision, and great purpose — especially on ballads. Her opening statement on the Marcus original “Waiting” was worthy of Miles Davis. The final MacDonald blues, “Last Call at Dmitri’s,” featured an angular melody, reminiscent of Eric Dolphy in places, that gave way to an all-out, up-tempo swinger as each soloist, including pianist Nancy Walker and drummer Ian Wright, developed from diminuendo to crescendo over their successive choruses. The audience was both attentive and appreciative.

Singer Marc Jordan brought his husky, sometimes whispering, baritone to the church in the company of four skilled musicians, featuring keyboardist Lou Pomanti, and our very own Colleen Allen, who turned in some fine sax solos, especially her tenor on Jordan’s own “Coltrane Plays the Blues.” Jordan’s style is jazzy (if not jazz) and soulful with a touch of the Dylanesque troubador. His songs tell stories and evoke late-night moods; his voice is that of a world-weary philosopher, both experienced and prone to nostalgia. The audience caught on to the style, and there were couples holding close.

Speaking for the festival as a whole, John Puddy, Chair of the Board of Directors, said, “we were very pleased with the number of loyal jazz supporters who turned out. In a year of significant transition, we were able, with the assistance of a very strong team of volunteers and sponsors, to provide a diverse selection of exciting performers. It was a pleasure seeing the many, many hours of hard work pay off in a great week of jazz.”

“We are already planning next year,” added Mr. Puddy, “see you then!”

2023 Jazz Fest event goers enjoy the music of the Colleen Allen Trio at Closson Chase Vineyards. (Jason Parks/Gazette Staff)