Kevin Dean

Here’s two three four videos that reflect some of the activity at my favourite university music faculty, the Schulich School of Music at McGill. Great teachers, wonderful students arriving all the time, great newish building by Saucier + Perotte, a real blend of tradition and innovation. First, excerpts from a documentary about keyboardist Tom Beghin’s ambitious project to record Haydn’s keyboard sonatas on instruments that sound like the originals, in a room that recreates the acoustics of the original rooms. I wrote about it here, but it’s so much more fun to see for yourselves:

Kevin Dean plays anachronistically modern jazz on a 1930 Conn cornet, talks about horns, and makes me miss Montreal, where he holds court several times a year at Upstairs. Kevin, who grew up on a farm in Iowa and teaches at McGill, is one of the finest jazz trumpeters anywhere, and he also has the rare gift of being able to speak compellingly about this music, as you will soon find out if you didn’t already know.