SJO Presents: Beyond Cool – Gerry Mulligan’s Big Band Vision with Shirantha Beddage

By Scott Roos

The Saskatoon Jazz Orchestra (SJO) has always had a knack for programming concerts that not only entertain but also educate. Their upcoming show, Beyond Cool: Gerry Mulligan’s Big Band Vision, featuring guest baritone saxophonist Shirantha Beddage, is no exception. Set for Saturday, October 4th at 7:30 pm at the Broadway Theatre, this concert digs deep into Mulligan’s rich catalogue of large ensemble works, offering Saskatoon audiences a rare chance to experience the bold elegance of one of jazz’s most distinctive voices.

Mulligan’s name is synonymous with the baritone saxophone. His work with the likes of Chet Baker and his seminal Birth of the Cool collaborations with Miles Davis are canon. But it’s his vision as a big band leader - leaning into counterpoint and melodic interplay - that this SJO program will spotlight. The repertoire has been hand-picked and conducted by Vancouver-based arranger Fred Stride, a name familiar to Saskatoon jazz fans.

For Beddage, one of Canada’s leading baritone saxophonists, the opportunity to dive into Mulligan’s big band charts is new territory. “No, (I've) never (Mulligan's big band music). This will be the first time,” he admits. “Fred (Stride) actually curated all the repertoire for this show and did a wonderful job. In the course of listening to it after he sent it all to me, I was surprised as to which songs that I was really keenly aware of from either smaller versions or other sources and others that were new to me.... There's some wonderful records from this Gerry Mulligan concert jazz band, both live and in the studio. But no, never played any of these arrangements in the big band form.”

Beddage’s connection to Saskatoon runs through SJO’s artistic director, Dean McNeill. The two first crossed paths in 2022 while serving as external assessors for the St. FX jazz program in Nova Scotia. “Dean and I were the ones who were called to do the 2022… review of the St. FX jazz program out in Antigonish, Nova Scotia,” recalls Beddage. “We got him in via Microsoft Teams and chatted for a few days and then we spent the next few months back and forth creating a report… And then he invited me out to Saskatoon that fall. I did a residency at the university with his students and did some performing. Came back and taught the jazz intensive the following year…. this past May I came out to Saskatoon to take part in the Kenny Wheeler jazz composition symposium that he had that he'd organized with Ingrid Jensen and Nick Smart and various folks are connected to Kenny Wheeler. And I wrote an original piece for that symposium and performed as part of a group and just a fabulous experience. So yeah, we've worked together a significant amount in the last three years.... it feels like we've known each other a long time, but that's my main connection to Saskatoon.”

That connection has blossomed into a genuine musical kinship, culminating in this collaboration with the SJO. Beddage, who serves as Assistant Professor of Jazz at the University of Toronto, is a highly decorated performer and educator. His resumé boasts JUNO-nominated recordings (Identity and Momentum), prestigious awards like the Montreal Jazz Festival Galaxie Rising Star, and credits alongside heavyweights such as Laila Biali, Mike Downes, and the Order of Canada Band.

Yet, for all his credentials, Beddage remains committed to making jazz approachable for younger players. His advice for aspiring improvisers? “Learn music by ear as much as you can,” he says. “That trial and error process on the instrument was I think how I came to be able to improvise as a jazz musician… I think that especially when it comes to books and all these wonderful resources that we have (at our disposal due to the internet), there's a lot of stuff that's available that's notated. And that's not a bad thing inherently at all. It's just an understanding that the notation, I think, can only serve what your ear knows how to do and what you can play from what you're hearing. So I would say whatever level you're at, learning music by ear, whether it's learning popular songs or learning folk melodies or learning how to play 'Happy Birthday' or various things like that, especially for an instrumentalist. I think for a vocalist, it's a similar process, but it can also be translated the other direction perhaps into a theoretical thing if they want to. But for an instrumentalist, learning how to get your ear to translate to the instrument, this mechanical object that's outside of your own head is a really difficult thing, but that process is really important.”

He’ll be unpacking that philosophy further in a jazz workshop on Saturday morning, October 4th from 10 am in Room 1036 of the Education Building at the University of Saskatchewan. “It’s open to all. So everybody’s welcome,” he adds.

With Mulligan’s forward-thinking big band sound as the foundation, the arranging brilliance of Fred Stride, and the artistry of Shirantha Beddage front and centre, Beyond Cool promises an evening of musical discovery that goes well past nostalgia. For Saskatoon jazz fans, it’s a concert not to be missed.