The Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra. (Submitted photo/Dean McNeill)

By Martin Martinson

Free Outdoor Concert

SJO bringing Stevie Wonder’s music to Dekker Centre

Aug 10, 2022 | 1:10 PM

North Battleford’s Rotary Plaza will be filled with the musical stylings of Stevie Wonder on Aug. 23 when the Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra comes to town.

The first of three free performances in the Dekker Centre’s summer Plaza Series, the jazz orchestra will be performing ‘Keyed to Life: The Music of Stevie Wonder’.

Artistic director with the SJO, Dean McNeill, said the show — which they performed at the 2021 Jazz Festival — serves as a reimagining of some of the musical icon’s biggest hits.

“Stevie Wonder is one of those iconic shows from the 20^th century whose music knew no boundaries,” McNeill said.

“He was part of the Motown movement, jazz musicians love him, and he’s got great popular appeal, so this is a great opportunity to re-examine his music and put our own stamp on it, and convert his music from the original instrumentation to the big band format.”

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The Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra is a 19-piece band, featuring five trumpets, four trombones, and five saxophones, with piano, bass, drums, guitar, and vocals.

Performing along with the orchestra for the Battlefords show will be North Battleford local and Saskatchewan Jazz Festival Special Recognition Award winner, Barrie Redford.

The Dekker Centre’s Plaza Series has been funded through an initiative by the federal government’s Department of Canadian Heritage to help re-engage audiences post-COVID back into live arts experiences and find new ways to present live arts safely.

General manager with the Dekker Centre, Kali Weber, said the event will serve as the first outdoor show since she’s been with the organization, with its free nature and central location offering an open invitation to all.

“We’re basically removing financial barriers for people that may not be able to regularly engage in the arts,” Weber said.

“Because it’s outdoors and because we exist in the InnovationPlex, we wanted to make the Plaza Series free. So if a family is exiting the pool, going to the Beaver Grill for supper, or checking out the Field House, they could also attend these concerts.”

The plaza will open Aug. 23 at 5 p.m., with bar service and food trucks available. The show will begin at 6:30 p.m.

In the event of inclement weather, the show will be moved into the Dekker Centre’s Gordon Tootoosis Memorial Theatre. For more information and the latest updates, visit the Dekker Centre’s Facebook page.

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Martin.Martinson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @MartyMartyPxP1