Jazz on Wheels exposes kids to cool rhythms

New experience for many youngsters

Growing up on the inner-city streets of St. Louis, Steve Kirby and his friends were never far from violence and crime.

Some of those friends are now in jail, some have been executed by the state, and others have been left crippled by gunfire.

Kirby not only survived, but went on to thrive, and he says he owes it all to jazz.

There was a group of musicians in St. Louis who used the back of a flatbed truck as a stage and put on free jazz concerts in the community.

“It was the best part of the summer,” said Kirby. “It made me dream about being a musician.”

The director of jazz studies at the University of Manitoba’s faculty of music since 2003, Kirby is also very involved in the local jazz community. Last year, he joined forces with Jazz Winnipeg to start Jazz on Wheels, a program inspired by the one that he says saved his life.

Using a donated truck as a bandstand, Kirby played the bass beside eight other band members July 25, outside Dufferin School for a group of inner-city kids participating in a summer education program called CSI: Community Schools Investigators.

Several band members came down from the stage to dance with the kids during the opening number, “Bourbon Street Parade.” Then it was time for a quick lesson about all the different instruments.

Kirby says he’s not trying to make all the kids fall in love with jazz like he did, but wants them to be exposed to a variety of music styles.

“The study of jazz is an accelerated study of music,” he said. “If you can play jazz, you can play anything.”

Meagan Ballantine, a team leader with the CSI program, said the concerts last summer and this year were both big hits with the kids.

“They really respond well to it,” she said. “It’s live music, and some of them haven’t been exposed to jazz before, so it’s really good for them.”

Nine-year-old Kristina Racraquin, who plays the drums, and aspiring guitarist Landis Miles, 12, both said the show was a lot of fun.

The CSI program is run by the Social Planning Council of Winnipeg to help kids keep up their literacy and math skills during the summer.

An added twist to this year’s Jazz on Wheels shows is an appearance toward the end of the set by rapper Pip Skid.

Jazz Winnipeg’s Tyler Sneesby said adding a hip-hop element to the show has made it easier for the kids to relate to the music.

“The idea is to bridge what the kids are into now with the roots of hip hop, which is jazz,” said Sneesby.

By the end of the show, several of the kids were on the microphone performing their own rap routines as the band played in the background.

Jazz on Wheels will next be performing at Rossbrook House (at the corner of Sherbrook Street and Ross Avenue) on Aug. 29 at 4 p.m.