Squamish's Connor Lum is looking forward to performing in front of his hometown crowd once more.
The Capilano University student is performing as part of the Connor Lum Jazz Quintet on Saturday, Feb. 26. The evening is presented by the Howe Sound Performing Arts Association.
Lum, a saxophone player, is currently finishing up his Bachelor of Music in jazz studies — performance and composition.
Joining him will be Julian Borkowski on trumpet, Jordan Manderioli on piano, Emilio Suarez on bass and Seth Kitamura on drums.
"We're going to do some classic jazz standards, such as 'Waltz for Debby,' or 'A Night in Tunisia,'" Lum said.
Vocalist Kirsten Price and Stan Thompson on saxophone will join the quintet as special guests.
Thompson gave Lum his first saxophone lesson back in the day, so it is a welcome reunion, Lum noted.
"It's going to be a really special treat to have him back," said Lum, adding he and Price performed together in November of 2020.
"We're going to do some jazz-rock with Stan — some kind of funkier tunes. And then with Kirsten, she's going to be singing some ballads from Billy Strayhorn and Billie Holiday," he said.
Lum said he was attracted to jazz initially for its spontaneity and how universal it is.
"You could play with any jazz musicians anywhere in the world, and you could call a tune, and they would probably know it, and probably know how to play it or what form to use," he said.
Lum said being at Capilano University, he has been surrounded by like-minded musicians.
"It's been really cool being at Cap because I'm surrounded by so many other jazz musicians and young people. So it's a really nice opportunity to be able to just walk around and grab, you know, four or five other students and just play some tunes right out of the blue."
He hopes this upcoming concert sparks an interest in jazz for Sea to Sky locals.
"I'm just hoping to expose some people to more traditional bebop, or hard bop, as well as contemporary jazz that doesn't often get heard and Squamish," he said.
The performance at the Eagle Eye Theatre — within Howe Sound Secondary School — starts at 7:30 p.m. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Tickets are $25 each and can be found here.
Proof of vaccination is required at the door.
Masks must be worn in the venue.
For more information go to Connor Lum Jazz Quintet on Facebook.
