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1925 - Columbia recorded "St. Louis Blues"

Bessie Smith with Louis Armstrong

Read the reviews from our shows in Chemainus & Crofton, B.C.:

See the video from our previous show at Nanaimo's Dorchester Hotel:

Friday, September 15 at 7:30
Best Western Dorchester Hotel - 70 Church Street, Nanaimo 
Tickets: $25 - NIJFA Members $20 - $15 student with I.D.
Buy at
Fascinating Rhythm (51 Commercial St. Nanaimo)

Andrew Homzy’s NOLA NightHawks

Nanaimo’s Andrew Homzy, musician, arranger, jazz scholar and Grammy nominee, has infused a New Orleans jazz flavour into his arrangements for his 10-piece NOLA NightHawks band. Homzy’s NightHawks have performed regularly up and down Vancouver Island since the group was formed four years ago.

The band includes some of Nanaimo’s best professional musicians: 

Trumpets: Greg Bush and Michael Irving 
Trombones: Darren Nilsson and Julian Telfer-Wan 
Clarinet: Claudio Fantinato
Baritone Sax: Rod Alsop
Drums: Alicia Murray  
Bass: Rob Uffen
Guitar: Adam Dzbik
Director/Piano: Andrew Homzy
Vocalists: Robyn Fortunat, Layla Hansen
Key Grip and Video-Historiographer: Norman Abbey

Andrew Homzy, who moved to Nanaimo in 2009, was a key figure on the Montreal jazz scene for more than 40 years.His 16-piece Jazz Orchestra played regularly at the Montreal Jazz Festival and was featured on many Radio-Canada broadcasts.

~~~ Dance to our Music ~~~

New Orleans music from Traditional Jazz to R&B, Funk and More

Friday, September 15 at the Nanaimo International Jazz Festival

Andrew Homzy

Band leader Fate Marable remembered that when Louis Armstrong first joined him, one tune that went down well with the audiences was “The St. Louis Blues” (1914). Marable relayed how “the power of Armstrong’s trumpet sent the famous

W. C. Handy composition bouncing off the boat to the shores in both directions.” As Marable explained it, “It was an entirely different kind [of] music.” It differed from “ragtime which preceded it or the swing which followed.”