Be transported to the Golden Age of Jazz this Thursday, March 2, as Sax & Axe bring their wonderful mellow sound to the Arbor Gallery in Vankleek Hill.
The musicians behind Sax & Axe are Trevor Stanton on saxophone and Clive Bebbington on guitar.
“We play a blend of soft jazz standards and a little blues,” says Bebbington – music that is perfect for the intimate concert space and excellent acoustics at the Arbor Gallery.
Both men have been playing music most of their lives. Stanton bought his first saxophone in Metz, France, in the mid-1960s, when he was serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in Germany. He was a member of two RCAF station bands that did a number of public relations gigs in the area near Baden Baden, Germany.
“For those occasions, the dress was lederhosen, long white socks, a green felt hat and polished black shoes,” Stanton recalls.
Fortunately, the other RCAF band in which Stanton performed was more relaxed and known as the Rube Band.
After moving back to Canada, Stanton dropped out of music for about 20 years. However, when he moved to Glengarry, he picked it up again, playing in a number of groups, including the Cornwall Centennial Orchestra.
A debt to Beatlemania
Clive Bebbington started to play guitar in the UK during the 1960’s British Invasion. He immigrated to Canada in 1965 and in the 70s, became involved with the contemporary Christian music scene, where he learned to play the organ. In the 1980s he took up classical guitar, studying with an excellent teacher in Winnipeg.
Stanton and Bebbington met at St. Michael’s church in Maxville and recognized a common love and appreciation of the same type of music. They started playing local gigs in 2018.
You can hear the results of their collaboration on Thursday, March 2, beginning at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 for gallery members and $25 for non-members. Reserved tickets are recommended, as there is limited seating. Email [email protected] to book your place.
Arbor Gallery – Galerie Arbor is located at 36 Home Avenue, in the heart of Vankleek Hill. The gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. More information about programming and events is available on Arbor Gallery’s Facebook page, website or Twitter, by subscribing to the gallery’s newsletter at www.arborgallery.org or by email at [email protected].
