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The Naturals Ride again! @ Frankies Jazz June 7! 🩴🌴🦋🦒🌈🌟

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Well helloo! Springtime friends and Naturals fans…You are warmly invited to come hear us http://www.frankiesjazz.ca in a refreshing new way! that’s right! NEW and IMPROVED! (as they say – lol) You must be curious? I know I am…freshness is exciting, so is poetry. I’m having my first poem published this fall in Persimmon, an online magazine, so happy to say, and an honor for sure. In fact, we’ll be performing the poem/lyric/song ‘Love is a Traveller’ on Saturday June the 7th, LIVE and IN PERSON. Tingle-time!

 

The Naturalz


I encourage you to beat the rush and book your reservations SOON for Saturday night June 7 at FRANKIES ~ our favourite downtown Vancouver jazz club. Here’s Bill Runge ~ one of the best saxophone players in Canada and a true legend in Vancouver. The ubiquitous Andre Lachance will be joining us on bass, Magick Kristian Alexandrov on piano, and master drummer Randall Stoll. What a bouquet of wonderment, yes? YES! superlatives fall short of the experience…

into the mystic
“Nature Sky” by Miriam Espacio/ CC0 1.0





Bill Runge, Saxophonist, Arranger, Orchestrator, man of the hour.










Andre Lachance ~ consummate bassist.





The Magick Kristian Alexandrov himself.





Randall Stoll’s Zen and the Art of Drumming.





 





“Music can be made anywhere, is invisible, and does not smell.” W.H Auden





Composing is like making love to the future. Lukas Foss – NY Post





I think the main thing a musician would like to do is give a picture to the listener of the many wonderful things he knows of and senses in the universe. John Coltrane





I’m not online,
     I’m not offline,
            I’m between the lines…





HB 🦩





Looking forward to seeing your shining faces June 7th!





“zen“/ CC0 1.0

			

	
	



			
				


	

		
Dear Friends Thanks for the Sold Out Show @ Frankies!

				

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Dear Friends, Fans and Family ❤️ Thank you!





I have been deeply touched by your notes and flowers and surprising words of praise and support for the show…aww…shucks. The show really wasn’t about me – I was akin to a small hood ornament that came and went, while really enjoying the smooth Jaguar engine purr of the band. The real deal was the music itself having life again! and for me – it was actually more like riding a wild horse and just trying to stay on! whoweee-wwwwweee. Talk about inspiring! I’m totally jazzed now and working on new ideas…we are looking forward keenly to the next Big (or small)Thing whatever it is. I will be doing my first ever poetry reading at Vancouver Public Library April Fool’s Day! Maybe that’s it! Should be a gas –  8th floor 6:30-8pm with three other poets. 





For those who couldn’t make it to the show we share these Bright Moments! Enjoy!



















































			

	
	



			
				


	

		
Come to Hero’s Welcome Sunday October 20!

				

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I’ll be joining Bill Runge’s amazing quartet breaking new ground @ Hero’s Welcome this Sunday 2-4 pm. You can dig the band.  You can play Skeeball, a hundred year old east coast arcade game my friend Susan’s addicted to. https://heros-welcome.com/events/the-infidels-jazz-presents-sundays-at-heros-welcome-37/ What a great thing to do in the rain…see you there!!






			

	
	



			
				


	

		
Stepping Out @ Fabrique St.George June 1

				

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Yes indeed! As you well know…Bill Runge is a Vancouver legend. His quartet, sometimes quintet is a thing of great beauty and wonder! I’ll be doing a couple of Naturals tunes to add to the mix and it should be really fun. We’re doing Nature Girl and Woodstock, Naturals style…full of surprises. C’mon by! 2-5pm @La Fabrique St.George, 7 East 7th ave. Vancouver. I block east of Main.7th and Ontario st. Oh…no cover or tix, just enjoy what the place offers and leave a mighty tip for the band 😉





 





https://www.facebook.com/share/hLecSF1MYc7M6a7M/






			

	
	



			
				


	

		
Don Stewart Concert April 1 @ PAL Theatre

				

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I’m thrilled to play with my pals, @ PAL next Monday. No, this is not an April Fool’s joke! I really am PLAYING with Don’s wonderful band, wonderful colleagues from earlier times, Kerry Galloway, Miles Black, Buff Allen and Dave Say. They all played in Holly Burke and The Naturals at some point. What a cool reunion this will be! and it’s a free concert! I swear I’m not pulling your leg 😉 See you there. 6:30 pm.







581 Cardero St. 8th floor 🙂




 
			

	
	



			
				


	

		
Come for a Flute Hang Monday afternoon…

				

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Hello Flute Fans! I’ll be playing in the Main Hall of the West Vancouver Memorial library from 2-3 pm. this Monday December 18, that is. Come and browse and flip magazine pages while I pour my heart out flute-wise…





It’s not set up for a Concert – more for a pleasant flute hang. Very casual and a bit of a scholarly vibe you know…lovely!





You’re invited! and a Merry ’tis the Season to All!






			

	
	



			
				


	

		
Come on a Dream Ride Sunday September 4

				

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Dear Fine Folk… you are warmly invited to come on a Dream Ride with us September 4, 4pm @ St. Andrews Wesley Church in Vancouver.






DREAM RIDE






Can’t believe eight years have passed since I bounced off the end of my mother’s bed and into a very different head space! 





All was not lost though. Beautiful new music has come to the surface, twenty pieces for solo piano and new project called Dream Ride. Serendipitous events that have urged us forward in surprising ways, like finding baritone Pablo Romero in the forest. 












Featuring Linda Lee Thomas, renowned VSO pianist, also known as the “Queen of Tango”. Dream Ride explores the Tango idiom while venturing into realms of pure lyric beauty.





Next Performance: September 4 @ 4 pm – 5 pm





St. Andrews Wesley Church (Burrard and Nelson) Vancouver. By Donation *no upward limit! free parking under the church.





Dream Ride ~ the music of Holly Burke and Bill Runge





Featuring: 





      Linda Lee Thomas – piano





             Pablo Romero – vocals





                    Bill Runge – soprano saxophone and clarinet





                              Holly Burke – flute





Here’s a video taste of what you’re in for…





On the subject of heads…here’s another cool thing I stumbled upon in the forest.










This amazing carving known as “Twin Spirits” is just off of Rawlings trail in Stanley Park, not far from Second Beach.





The Parks Board in their greater wisdom do not “acknowledge” this remarkable creation because the artist failed to go through their application process. Hey maybe the artist didn’t know where the office was – didn’t have a computer – was living in the park? I’m just so glad this carver went ahead with their vision, their inspiration for all the people to enjoy.





Thank you, Park Banksy. Love to know who you are and meet you one day ❤️





 





 





                                       “Cos you know two heads are better than one” – Twisted

			

	
	



			
				


	

		
‘Two Eagles’ takes flight January 8 @ Frankie’s Jazz Club

				

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Yes, it’ll be the first public performance of Two Eagles ~1000 hours later…or is it ten thousand hours later…Bill has meticulously finished the band arrangement of ‘Two Eagles.’ Can’t wait to hear it played by Bill’s stellar band  The Bill Runge Quintet. Miles Black on piano, Bernie Arai on drums, André Lachance on bass and Nick Apivor on the magical vibes. It was a full circle type of experience with this tune. It began on a cold clear February day when I spied two magnificent eagles in the large evergreen just off my building. They were there for hours…just hanging out. I went to the piano and found a figure I liked, and a couple of potential places to go and Two Eagles was born (I kept running back and forth from the piano to the window to the window to see if they were still there.) Last week, Bill was completing the full band arrangement and looked out his window to see two glorious eagles soaring around his building. “We’re not changing the name!” said Bill. 





Listen to an excerpt of “Two Eagles”!





Can’t help but get a little excited about stepping out onto the new terrain of a new year. The forever hope of things being better. Things will be better, it always feels that way, even this year. So here we are sending some good vibes your way ))))) 





Your buddies, 





Holly and Bill











			

	
	



			
				


	

		
Hello China🇨🇳 Italy 🇮🇹England🇬🇧 Ireland 🇮🇪& India🇮🇳!

				

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Hey nice to meet you:) How are you anyway? Tell me everything… 





I love seeing that I’ve had visitors like you from around the world. It’s one of the coolest things about having a website. 





What would you like to know? I’d love to know about you. We could be pen pals say and share ideas. You might send me 





some of your music, I’d love that. Or tell me what it’s like where you are, have you had your covid shot yet and etc. The 





weather, the temperature, what it feels like to be you these days, that sort of thing, whatever’s on your mind. Jokes are 





great too! 





Cheers,





Holly










 






			

	
	



			
				


	

		
Two Composers Walk into a Bar…

				

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          Yes, two composers walk into a bar…             












sporting Bulbous Bouffants…

















Bill and Holly looking very much like baroque composers







The bartender says, “Hey you two deadbeats! You haven’t paid your tab from the last time!”





Bill looks the bartender straight in the face and pleads, “but you know we’re both baroque!”












Here she is, Linda Lee Thomas, reigning Queen of our piano project, The Advanced Pianist.  Linda and her esteemed husband Jon Washburn live in an ivy covered fairy tale house in Vancouver. There are crystals and tango shoes in the garden out front, and orange wooden steps that lift you up to the orange front door of the ‘Casa de Tango.’ Come inside, and discover Linda’s expansive living room welcoming you with warm reds and oranges, and wherever your eye falls you’ll find out something fascinating about her!










Next week we’ll be completing our twenty-tune audio/video recording at the ‘Casa de Tango.‘ Then we’re onto edits, and publishing and promotion…in a way, this has been a perfect dream to develop during good old Covid diciannove. 















Linda Lee Thomas, Principal Pianist of the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra  since 1972, was Artistic Director of Masterpiece Music, a hugely successful chamber music series for 17 years. In 2000, she was inducted into the B.C. Entertainment Hall of Fame for her outstanding contributions to the industry. Her passion is the music and dance of Argentina - the Tango. She is one of Canada’s foremost tango musicians, performing and recording with Argentine bandoneonists Daniel Binelli and Nestor Marconi and with harmonica sensation Franco Luciani.  In her latest recording project, Tango Con Fazioli, Linda Lee is putting together two of her favourite things - Tango and Fazioli pianos.   For more information, see www.lindaleethomas.com.










What’s in a name? Cole Porter was married to a different Linda Lee Thomas. There’s even a musical about her!