LISTEN HERE: Obsessions Octet flying high on classical octane
He plays sax and is head of composition at MacEwan University’s music program.
She plays violin for the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.
They make beautiful music together – literally.
The Obsessions Octet is one of Edmonton’s more unusual bands. It’s basically a string quartet combined with a jazz band, in the tradition of Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla – just with saxophones instead of accordions. Kent Sangster (who also runs the Edmonton Jazz Festival) and Joanna Ciapka-Sangster (born and trained in Poland) have been at it since 2006, married with kids longer than that, and with their combined talents and their bandmates make lush music that sounds like you’re driving along the French Riviera in a 1960s movie starring Gina Lollobrigida. Some call it “Tango.”
The Obsessions Octet releases its fourth album REVERENCE with a show Sunday, Oct. 6 at 4 pm in the Polish Hall.
The title has special significance, Kent says.
“I’ve lost both my parents in the last three years,” he says, “So it was the thought of needing to have reverence for life. It’s about making the most of right now and appreciating it.
“I’m a workaholic, so I’m learning to step back and appreciate what a rare treat it is to create music with these people. It’s literally like getting together with old friends. On this album we’ve reached a comfort level that we’ve never had before. I don’t want that to go unnoticed. So REVERENCE is about life and appreciating the moment. Maybe when I was younger I would’ve rolled my eyes and said, ‘Oh, I’ve heard that before,’ but now it’s important.”
LISTEN HERE:
Reverence, by Kent Sangster’s Obsessions Octet
