Skip to content

Modern jazz group Tunnel Six performs in Penticton

Tunnel Six, a modern jazz band, performs at Opus Café in Penticton on Saturday.
62256pentictonS-TunnelSix
Tunnel Six a modern jazz group will be performing at Opus Café in Penticton on Saturday.

Tunnel Six, a modern jazz band with members from throughout North America, will tour again for the third consecutive year.

This 11-city tour is sponsored in part by the Canada Council for the Arts and will land in Penticton at the Opus Café on June 16 at 7 p.m.

Comprised of several young modern jazz artists, each notable band leaders in their own right, Tunnel Six has grown from a collective group of friends at the Banff Centre into a deeply intertwined musical unit capable of connecting with a wide array of audiences on a deep and emotional level. Their performances have often moved listeners, and this year the group will capture the spirit of their live performances with a follow-up recording to their internationally-released first album, Lake Superior.

"Every time we get together, it's an incredible experience and one I always look forward to," guitarist Brian Seligman said. "Each year, with six guys this gifted, and moving in so many directions there never fails to be some deep musical moments that can only happen when everyone's on the same page, with the same goals."

Those moments are sure to be plentiful in the coming tour, with 11 concerts and a considerable time to workshop the new music. Not that they need it. Many of the new tunes were road-tested last summer at the Halifax and St. John's Jazz Festivals. Those performances notched the group a TD Rising Star nomination, and a sold-out hall in Newfoundland.

The band's first album Lake Superior (released last March on Seattle-based OA2 Records) was listed on eMusic's top 100 releases of 2011, right above the new Britney Spears album. A fact that the band's pianist Andrew Oliver is quick to point out. His pride is instantly understandable. One of his compositions (the title track) garnered him an ASCAP Young Jazz Composer's Award.

The upcoming tour, their 'third season' promises more of the same, and business as usual is just fine for Tunnel Six.

Tickets for the Tunnel Six performance are $16 and include a glass of Gehringer Bros Wine. To purchase contact Opus Café at 778-476-5856.