There are as many kinds of jazz as there are shades of green or shapes of a maple leaf and in Prince George there is Eric Tompkins. The city's main jazz cat is a form of the stuff unto himself.
To explain, one need only look at the coming events posters around the city. You'll see notices for open mic nights at Cafe Voltaire, jazz-blues drop-in jams at Nancy O's, concerts with the Persian fusion band Navaz, and all of it has the name Tompkins attached to it in large letters. If you read the fine print, you'll also spot his name in the programs for wedding performers, corporate background gigs, backup bands for headliners, musical theatre productions, and a lot of other stages around Prince George.
He may perhaps be the most active musician in the region, and when he's calling the tune it is usually from out of the jazz songbook.
"Since March or April I've been able to play once or twice a week, on average, sometimes more," he said. "If I were inclined to travel I could have been even more busy. I have found a niche for myself where I can play what I like to play. I don't do it for the money, really, but I have a strong affinity for the jazz genre of music, and I've been able to play quite a bit lately."
Besides playing before audiences, Tompkins enjoys the camaraderie that comes with working with other musicians, all speaking the shared language of jazz.
"For all the talk about improvisation, there is a lot of structure to jazz, there's a pretty extensive list of songs most jazz players know, so when you get together it is a pretty democratic process. You all take turns, you all contribute, you collaborate and support each other," he said. Which is why most of his appearances lately have been the open mic / jam session variety of show. He is deliberately calling out other jazzers and players interested in experimenting with their own skills on their instruments.
"We don't have a lot of players doing this stuff, but it's just a matter of providing the opportunities," Tompkins said. "We have a lot of venues lately interested in supporting that. Places like Cafe Voltaire and Art Space, Twisted Cork, Nancy O's, Shiraz, even some house concerts, it is starting to happen. A music scene is coming to life, I think. These places see the benefit of bringing musicians in to help draw an audience into their establishments. It makes business sense, and it's only going to grow. Prince George is built for it. We're the crossroads of the north. We're a chemical stew of arts and culture and economies and communities. It takes some leadership and maybe some kind of galvanizing movement, but all the pieces are here."
Tompkins has a few go-to people to work with on a regular basis. His main act is Navaz with lead singer Neda Jalali, Curtis Abriel on bass, Justin Gendreau on drums, and Jose Delgado-Guevara of the PGSO on violin. His quartet includes Kenny Ogilvie on bass, Blaine Powel on drums and Phil Hamelin on trumpet and piano. His trio includes Abriel and Gendreau. Zavan is made up of himself, Delgado-Guevara and Ogilvie.
Several others have shared the stage with him under these umbrellas over the past couple of years.
The next time Tompkins and friends are on stage is Saturday at Shiraz Cafe for a night of jazz standards done Tompkins Quartet style, then his trio will be at Nancy O's for a jazz-blues drop-in jam session on Sept. 4.
He's frequently around Cafe Voltaire, especially for Friday night open mic nights. He recommends coming early to get your name on the open mic list if you wish to contribute a tune or two. And he recommends making contact in advance of the Nancy O's blues-jazz jams to let him know you're coming, which instruments you play or singing solo, and what songs you had in mind so he and the band can practice it. None shall be turned away, however, and if you can't make it out for one of these sessions, don't worry, just wait, it won't be long and Tompkins will be back again with more opportunities to jazz up the city.
