Stepping in at short notice to fill-in for our planned entertainment this Friday, many of you will recognise Neil Bateman who is one of the people who really helped jump-start our music night series a few years ago.
Neil teaches music at Holy Trinity High School, and several of our other younger performers have passed through his mentorship. Small wonder that he has really inspired some gifted individuals to go on to not only enjoy music in their lives but in some cases to pursue it as a career.
You will realise why when you sit and listen to him play – he is able to effortlessly move from creative interpretations of jazz standards (both well-known and the more obscure) to songs you will recognise from the world of rock and pop, and even the occasional foray into classical music. (Foray was a French classical composer around the time of Debussy, and he wrote a neat requiem).
Part of the fun of an evening with Neil’s music is the odd little anecdotes he will sprinkle in between the pieces. And some of them are truly odd. It pays to sit near the front if you arrive in time since some of the gems are delivered more as an aside than as a full-blown announcement.
When he is not actually teaching or playing in bars, Neil also motivates and leads the Rhythm and Blues Band comprising students from Holy Trinity. They have played all across Canada and to great acclaim on Canada Day in Kanata.
So come along and enjoy Neil’s music, and salute one of the people who works hard to bring the wonder of music to the next generation, both for joy and for profit.
Neil Bateman plays at Gaia Java on Stittsville Main Street on Friday, March 20 at 7:00pm.