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Youthful Yukon enthusiasm for jazz

WHO: Peters Drury Trio WHERE: MY Place WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 8 It's not Limp Bizkit. It's not Brittany Spears.

WHO: Peters Drury Trio

WHERE: MY Place

WHEN: Sunday, Oct. 8

It's not Limp Bizkit. It's not Brittany Spears. It's not even a style largely popular with their generation, but the Peters Drury Trio are giving 100 per cent of their youthful enthusiasm to a sound older than their parents.

Youthful is a key word. At the ages of 15, 17 and 18 Graeme Peters, Caroline Drury and Jesse Peters had already found their niche in jazz. Growing up in Whitehorse, Yukon helped shape the interests, and eventually the careers, of the budding musicians. Classical, traditional and jazz music in the great white north? Albeit small and isolated, Whitehorse shows a strong commitment to the development of the arts.

"The cultural scene is very vibrant. There's a lot going on," enthuses Caroline. "The arts scene is very tight and there's a lot of support in all mediums, like dance and visual arts. And they give a lot of attention to young artists. I don't think you would get the same amount of attention in larger cities because there are so many people doing the same thing you are. When you've got that great ground base you can only thrive."

"Up north, we have a series called Jazz On the Wing where they bring in jazz artists from month to month," adds Jesse. "We've had some phenomenal players. One of the most inspiring concerts I had was with a bass player who played with the Bill Evans Trio in the ’60s. Since Whitehorse is a smaller community, we have the opportunity to do workshops and actually speak and interact with these jazz musicians as opposed to them being swept away in this crowd of people."

After a short, but encouraging, time spent performing in local and national festivals, the trio found themselves under the wing of, and in the studio with, the award-winning production talents of Rick Kilburn. There just couldn't be a more fitting title than When Old Met New for the debut CD of these teenagers who bring a confidence and freshness to a music that takes a while to be truly appreciated.

The Peters brothers have the advantage of having a classical music teacher for a mom (who now doubles as their road/business manager). Caroline admits her mom "can't carry a tune in a bucket," but she had no hesitation in giving up her pop performances for the chance to blow the dust off the traditional concept of jazz.

And as the most visible member of the band (her face appears on the cover of When Old Met New ), Caroline pulls off the meshing of generations perfectly. She’s a sophisticated ruby-lipstick-and-hourglass vision with smooth and sultry vocals, hearkening back to the smoky dancehalls of the ’40s. The boys are nothing to scoff at either, bringing the necessary maturity to their otherwise young appearances – a maturity that serious jazz critics would expect of any respectable performance.

"I take that very seriously. I am one of two singers, but I definitely spend most of the time up front," says Caroline. "If you see our show, Graeme is very comedic back there on drums and Jesse pretty much holds us all together as the piano man, but having to stand up front, that image is something I'm very conscious of. Image isn't everything but it's something."

Speaking by phone from St. Paul, Minnesota where they're performing at a jazz festival, they sound like seasoned veterans. It's almost difficult to believe at the ripe old ages of 19 and 21, Peters Drury Trio have already been featured on such programs as Vicki Gabereau, CBC Hot Air, CBC's True North '98 (national radio and TV), the Peter Gzowski Invitational Plays the Red Barn Theatre in Jackson's Point, Ontario, and CBC's This Morning, have earned a place in YTV's Youth Achievement Awards, and are already touring in support of their second album.

Backbeat

features original arrangements of several jazz standards – My Funny Valentine, It Don't Mean A Thing, They Can't Take That Away From Me – as well as Jesse Peters' originals. The addition of horns – Hugh Fraser, Alan Matheson, Campbell Ryga and Ross Taggart – creates a big band feel, an infectious and irresistible swing sound.

"Minnesota is rad! We went to a Weezer concert last night. It was fun!" crows the voice of youngest member, Graeme, a reminder that the three are still kids, but kids with vision and ambition.

"When we're doing set up and sound check we have to approach it as professionals. But last night was a classic example of us being young still. We were walking by the stadium where Weezer was playing and there was one row of tickets left and we jumped on them. We went to the show and then got pizza and hung out at the hotel all night. Being on the road for months, hotel rooms can get to be a bit bland ’cause we're still kids at heart. But you learn to adapt," says Graeme.

But wouldn't a 19-year-old prefer the flashy lifestyle of the more trendy rock bands?

"When I first started drumming, rock was the easiest thing to play. By the time I got into Grade 9, I'd been playing the same rock beat for two years so I was striving for something new. I got an invitation to play with the jazz band at the high school and that was super hard. I had never played jazz before and it was a jump into a whole new level. I became addicted to the thrill of leaping into the unknown."

Peters Drury Trio all seem to enjoy leaping into the unknown. Their attitude is still wide-eyed and appreciative for the privilege of earning money doing something they love.

"We got to play at CBC in Toronto. Peter Mansbridge was walking around," says Graeme. "We were just playing in the lobby. It was really cool, when you get to play on stuff that you grew up watching. And you think 'Whoa, maybe I'm getting a little bit talented here?’ But even if the trio doesn't end up getting super famous, that's not the end all and be all. Playing music is just fun. And once you've started, you can't stop!"