WESTERN FRONT – Chamber of Bones

Description:

As part of the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Pura Fé and Jesse Zubot presented an open rehearsal in the Grand Luxe Hall to further develop Chamber of Bones, their collaborative project for voice and string ensemble. Conducted by Zubot, Fé’s improvised vocals were accompanied by Meredith Bates (violin/viola), Trent Freeman (violin), Wesley Hardisty (five-string violin), Marina Hasselberg (cello), Peggy Lee (cello), and Josh Zubot (violin/viola). Audiences had an opportunity to see their process and witness the music taking shape ahead of their concert at Performance Works on June 30, 2023.

Presented in partnership with Talking Stick Festival, Coastal Jazz & Blues Society, and the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation at the University of British Columbia with support from the Government of Canada and SOCAN Foundation.

Violinists Meredith Bates and Josh Zubot, cellist Peggy Lee, violinist Wesley Hardisty, violinist Trent Freeman, and vocalist Pura Fé sit in a circle in the Grand Luxe Hall. Jesse Zubot stands in the centre, wearing a grey pocket T-shirt, baseball cap, and dark-washed jeans. He faces the musicians, with his back to the audience.

Cellists
Peggy Lee and Marina Hasselberg sit with their instruments in the Grand Luxe Hall. Peggy wears a denim button-up and her hair is in a claw clip, and Marina Hasselberg wears a white T-shirt, jeans, and geometric earrings. Her bow dangles between her fingers.

Wesley Hardisty plays violin while seated. He wears square glasses, a blue plaid shirt, and blue jeans.

Trent Freeman gazes upwards while holding his violin in his left hand, and his bow in his right. He wears clear-framed glasses, a black-and-white striped shirt, and blue jeans.

Jesse Zubot holds a microphone in his left hand, and points upwards with his right index finger. He wears a black baseball hat decorated with white embroidered people, glasses, and a silver pendant over a grey pocket t-shirt. In the background, Pura Fé vocalizes into a microphone and mirrors Jesse’s gesture with her right hand raised in a fist. The audience in the Grand Luxe Hall can be seen behind them.

Pura Fé sings into a microphone with her eyes closed in the Grand Luxe Hall. She sits with her back to the audience, and wears colourful necklaces layered over a brown t-shirt.

The conductor’s notes rest on a music stand. Combining written and illustrated directions, the piece of paper reads: Squiggly Fingers - means random sounds. Hands raised - louder. Lowered - quieter. O.K. signal thumb/index - means note circle. The word repeat is underlined in ballpoint pen. The notes continue, reading: Play something melodic, thumbs up. Shhhh finger on mouth. Circle finger means go, more. Rhythm - tap hands cue. Repeat.

Jesse Zubot plays violin with his eyes closed. He wears a black baseball hat decorated with white embroidered people, glasses, and a silver pendant over a grey pocket T-shirt. He stands with his back to the audience in the Grand Luxe Hall.

Violist Josh Zubot and cellists Peggy Lee and Marina Hasselberg play in the Grand Luxe Hall while smiling.

Captions:

Chamber of Bones, photo documentation, Jun 29, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Peggy Lee and Marina Hasselberg at Chamber of Bones, photo documentation, Jun 29, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Wesley Hardisty at Chamber of Bones, photo documentation, Jun 29, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Trent Freeman at Chamber of Bones, photo documentation, Jun 29, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Pura Fé and Jesse Zubot at Chamber of Bones, photo documentation, Jun 29, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Pura Fé at Chamber of Bones, photo documentation, Jun 29, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Performance notes for Chamber of Bones, Jun 29, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Jesse Zubot at Chamber of Bones, photo documentation, Jun 29, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.
Josh Zubot, Peggy, Lee, and Marina Hasselberg at Chamber of Bones, photo documentation, Jun 29, 2023. Photo by Rachel Topham Photography.

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Western Front is a non-profit
artist-run centre in Vancouver.

We acknowledge the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations as traditional owners of the land upon which Western Front stands.