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THE ARTS
Wednesday, April 4, 2012 - GOLDSTREAM
NEWS GAZETTE
Support the one potato fund The Very Thought of You is available at Munro’s Books, Lyle’s Place, Larson Music and ianmcdougall.com or at the official CD launch tonight (April 4) from 7:30 p.m. at the University Club’s Fireside Lounge at UVic.
Jazz legend founds emergency fund for students Ian McDougall’s latest recording to benefit those in fine arts Natalie North News staff
Ian McDougall cranks the volume on his home stereo and lets a smile overwhelm him. His new recording of the Charlie Chaplin original, Smile, plays. “I like it loud,” says the 73-year-old jazz trombonist. Arms outstretched, McDougall pauses, then as if to point at the notes filling his living room, cries out in appreciation of Rick Wilkins’ arrangement on the track. “Listen to the strings,” McDougall says of the recording which happens to be much slower – and more emotional – than most expect from the ballad. The way Chaplin intended, he says. But the iconic jazz musician, Juno Award winner, University of Victoria professor emeritus and Order of Canada recipient stops himself short of embarking on a conversation about sentiment. The story behind his latest disc, The Very Thought of You, featuring Smile and 13 other classic ballads performed by an all-star ensem-
ble of Canadian talent, saries or scholarships, is powerful enough on rather “a little dough” its own. for students in immeThe record is an diate need, he says. entirely volunteer “If they get sucendeavour of McDoucessful after that and gall’s, an effort to create they’ve paid their milan emergency fund for lions in students loans students entering the and they can put it arts. Ten dollars from back in the fund, but every $20 CD will go if they don’t, that’s directly into the fund, okay.” intended to support Also behind one fine arts students in potato are UVic need at UVic. No strings alumni Jim Crawford attached. and Tony Gage, who The project is nickassisted with financial named the “one potato” backing by establishfund after McDougall’s ing Ten Mile Music encounter with a young Production Limited man purchasing a single Partnership and solicpotato for dinner at his iting donors to the neighbourhood grocery project. store, Pepper’s Foods. “It’s something I “He was looking a litcould never afford, Don Denton/News staff but I can do the stuff tle worn out,” McDougall says. “It was right Ian McDougall, with his wife Barb, that makes the record. at the end of the year has created an emergency relief I can write and I can and he’s got no money fund for fine arts students. play.” to eat, poor guy. And The Very Thought of he’s just buying the one potato.” You was recorded at the Warehouse StuThe fund is not intended to supply bur- dio in Vancouver, along with McDougall’s
wife Barb, a four-piece rhythm section, 20 strings and an oboe. Barb, a violinist, produced and mixed the recording. The oldest of the ballads – which McDougall insists aren’t jazz – is a 1926 George Gershwin tune. The newest: Henry Mancini’s Moon River from ’61. McDougall’s epic career began in late night downtown Victoria, where he “learned on the job,” he says, as young as 12 years old. “Instead of playing in the school band, I was playing in the clubs with a bunch of boozers,” he adds. He went on to play on somewhere in the neighbourhood of 40 LPs and CDs over his 63-year-career and accompany the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett and Gladys Knight. McDougall continues to perform with his band, the Ian McDougall 12tet. “Musicians never stop working if they care about music,” McDougall says, adding that continuing to play is also an excuse not to drink cheap wine. Should CD sales take off, Ten Mile has plans to extend the fund to fine arts students across the country. “I’m very happy to the supporters and that they’re happy giving to this fund. What more can you ask for?” nnorth@saanichnews.com