Jazzed by Winnipeg

Last night we went to the first of two concerts here for the Winnipeg Jazz Festival. The groups we heard were all piano groups, a quartet led by Francois Bourassa of Montreal, and two trios from Winnipeg. The music was all excellent. Many original compositions from Glenn Buhr, who has put out CDs here in Canada and also plays with the Winnipeg Symphony, and also from Will Bonness, also local, whose drummer, Curt Nawoset, is a young phenomenon. Bonness' group did a piece composed by Nawoset for piano, bass and drums that was just ethereal. Bourassa's quartet has developed a style that is a mime of electronic music which was not to our taste, though it was a positive experience to listen to it. Tonight we hear two soul performing groups from Winnipeg. This afternoon we ran into a program by a Toronto singer (I think) at the Forks, a festival marketplace at the confluence of the Assiniboine and Red Rivers.

Winnipeg is a pretty little city on the banks of its rivers, both flowing north to the Arctic Ocean.
Probably metro about 750,000, with a lovely older downtown surrounded by newer skyscrapers, an imperial whipped cream pseudo beaux-art legislative building (the equiv of a state capitol), which is not quite as pretty as Regina's. However it does have an exhibit of bears on the grounds; Ben fell in love with Looney. The residential districts that show the money and power that flows and flowed through here from the grain business. This city grew quickly in the last years of the 19th century and it shows, particularly in the BnB, the Columns, on Westgate where we're staying...and grand manse of a place with paneled walls and a huge imposing central staircase.
We have our own verandah overlooking the garden, and the house backs on to the Assiniboine and the river walk...where we muddied our feet after huge thunderstorms walking home.

Last night we ate at Bistro Dansk, on Sherbrooke Street,near the BnB. Nice Danish food. I had meatballs with cabbage, Ben had a schnitzel of chicken breast. We started with herring in three kinds of cream sauces: Russian, curry and soured cream. No wine, just a beer for me: Tuborg.

Tonight we go to a performance late (22h00) and we leave for Duluth in the morning. A long day tomorrow.