IN CONCERT
What: Chet Baker Tribute featuring the Daniel Lapp Quartet
Where: Oak Bay Recreation Centre 鈥� Upstairs Lounge
When: Friday Feb. 1 and Saturday Feb. 2, doors open at 6 p.m., music at 7:30 p.m.
Tickets: Sold out.
Victoria鈥檚 Daniel Lapp figures he鈥檚 been dipping into the repertoire of jazz trumpet player and singer Chet Baker going on 25 years now.
The tribute concerts began at Cecconi鈥檚, shifted to Pagliacci鈥檚, and gained recognition over time as a 鈥渟pot-on retrospective鈥� of Baker鈥檚 troubled career.
Eventually, Lapp began limiting the聽shows to one or two a year, busy as聽he was playing other gigs, overseeing his B.C. Fiddle Orchestra, serving as artistic director in the School of Contemporary Music at the聽Victoria Conservatory of Music.
The fallow periods, however, have only fuelled the public鈥檚 appetite for the tribute concerts, as evidenced by the fact that both shows this weekend sold out well in advance.
Lapp, who sings and plays trumpet, said part of the show鈥檚 appeal likely stems from the ongoing fascination with Baker鈥檚 life, which has been the subject of books and movies. Immensely talented and movie-star handsome, Baker struggled with drug addiction for much of his life and died聽in Amsterdam in 1988, apparently after falling from his hotel window.
鈥淪ome people are intrigued by the man,鈥� Lapp says. 鈥淗e continues to charm people even to this day.鈥�
Lapp, however, has always been more interested in the music than the man behind it.
鈥淏eing a jazz trumpet player, first of all, he is one of the guys I listen to. [He鈥檚] not necessarily my favourite trumpet player of all the greats, but up there for sure.
鈥淭he fact that I like to sing also made him kind of a natural interest of mine.鈥�
More than that, though, Lapp was drawn to the melancholy material that Baker favoured. Songs of lost love, unrequited love, love gone wrong.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e not all like that, but a large amount,鈥� Lapp said. 鈥淔or whatever reason, I鈥檓 attracted to that whether it鈥檚 Nick Drake or Chet Baker.鈥�
The Daniel Lapp Quartet, featuring Tony Genge, Kelby MacNayr and John Lee, will serve up a fair amount of pain and heartbreak at the Oak Bay Recreation Centre Friday and Saturday. But Lapp insists the songs are also 鈥渇ull of chuckles鈥� that will provide a measure of levity to the evening.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not going to be depressing,鈥� he said.
As for those who are melancholy simply because they failed to get tickets, Lapp said he鈥檚 hoping to stage another Chet Baker Tribute show April聽13 at The Atrium in collaboration with Zambri鈥檚 restaurant. 鈥淢ore info soon,鈥� he said.
