About Jazz Nebula
The Nebula Repertory Ensemble Association (registered trade name: Jazz Nebula) was formed…
Reason One
To inform the public and keep alive in the present day the music of important Jazz composers and the main writers of the Great American Songbook. It is important to sustain and promulgate these musics to contemporary audiences.
Reason Two
To preserve and repeat repertoire tribute concerts of Jazz and Great American Songbook composers originally curated and performed in the early 2000’s for the Instrumental Society of Calgary.
Reason Three
To impart to audiences items of musical, historical, biographical, and contextual information on the composers/artists being composers in the fashion of lifelong learning.
Meet The Ensemble
Get to know the members of our incredible ensemble, and the rotating cast of guests!
Instrumental Society of Calgary
Inspired by the programming of Calgary classical pianist Charles Foreman, John Reid was engaged by the Instrumental Society of Calgary to present two five-year cycles of concerts at Scarboro United Church– ten years total – in the annual series of concerts for the society. His offerings were the (token) jazz component in the season of roughly Year 2000 to 2010.
First Five-Year Cycle
The Jazz Performer/Composers (in Jazz, the most highly regarded musicians are those who perform at a high level and also have a significant compositional oeuvre).
- Horace Silver
- Thelonious Monk
- Dexter Gordon (played in Calgary in 1974)
- Herbie Hancock
- The Great Saxophonists (Rollins, Shorter, Coltrane, Adderley, Golson, etc.)
Second Five-Year Cycle
The Major Composers of the Great American Songbook; inspired by the book The House That George (Gershwin) Built.
- George Gershwin
- Irving Berlin
- Jerome Kern
- Cole Porter
- Richard Rodgers
Inspiration for creation of Jazz Nebula
The problem and the challenge was this: Tremendous effort went into the research, development, creation, rehearsal, presentation, and performance of a singular show and then after one staging, that concert was then “put out to pasture.” With Jazz Nebula, those creations live on and are kept alive with repeat performances as it is possible to do so.
Our Motto
Classic Jazz. Calgary Artists. Legendary Tributes
Our Board Of Directors
Acting President: Douglas J. W. Cooper
Recording Secretary Denise Fay Brown
Treasurer: Dale Issler
Directors at Large:
Lillian Bartha
Ernst Enns
Tae Nosal
Brickard Ratcliffe
Philip Rydl
Artistic Executive Director: John Charles Reid