The Cheryl Fisher Trio, with Eric Allison and Morgan McKee, will present A Jazzy Weekend in Red Deer.
Two free outdoor shows will be performed — from 3 to 4 p.m. on Saturday at Riverside Meadows Community Association Barbecue, and from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday at Canada 150 Square in Capstone.
The two concerts in Red Deer will offer local audiences a chance to hear jazz music on the same weekend that would have featured the 2023 Sylvan Lake Jazz Festival had the annual event not been cancelled due to lack of funding.
Allison said he knows there’s a pent-up desire for jazz tunes as he’s already heard excitement expressed about these shows by former festival subscribers.
Audiences will be hearing some classic jazz music performed by a well-honed trio.
Fisher, who divides her time between Sylvan Lake and Florida, has recorded six CDs and performed with P.J. Perry, Tommy Banks, and many other jazz luminaries. Her work receives regular airplay across North America and has been featured on film, radio and in jazz publications in Europe, the United States, Canada and Brazil.
Billed as Canada’s New Diva of Jazz at the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Fisher was recorded by the CBC at Calgary’s Jack Singer Concert Hall, as well as by CKUA for a live broadcast at the New Calgary Jazz Festival. Fisher has also been featured on the American NPR Radio Network, and been nominated by ARIA as Best New Jazz Recording Artist.
Allison plays saxophone, clarinet and flute and is an inductee in the South Florida Jazz Hall of Fame, while pianist and composer McKee performs in a variety of Alberta combos and does composing and arranging for musical theatre. He’s also a producer and recording engineer.
​The Saturday concert in Riverside Meadows will be at 6021-57 Ave., under the Fairview Elementary School overhang. (In case of rain, this show will move to Sunday at 3 p.m at the same location.)
The Sunday concert in Capstone is part of the Sounds Like Sunday concert series, with available seating and free parking.
