>> media // chris trinidad's common themes two: 07.22.04

I had first met pianist Paul Miyai and saxophonist Aaron Hardie at Capilano College. Paul had a profound influence on me in my second year of studies when I seriously began to doubt my abilities as a musician. In an environment that was hostile to everything but bebop, Paul [a master of bebop] had told me that I should take pride in the music that I liked and to never forget my intention for coming to jazz school in the first place. Aaron and I shared the stage on a little known dive on Homer Street in downtown Vancouver called the Marine Club during the summer of 1999. It was there that I really got my walking bass chops together. My encounter with Morgan Childs took place a few months before I attended my first classes at Capilano College. We had played together at the Okanagan Summer Jazz Camp in Penticton in July of 1997 under the tutelage of the reknowned Dave Proznick. I remember Morgan as someone who was just getting his chops together but when he arrived at Capilano College his playing had just exploded.

Scheduling these recording sessions [which were preceded by three days of intense rehearsing] were nothing short of a miracle. Aaron had just finished his teaching gig at Burnaby South. Paul was ending a six month stint working for Princess Cruises and his last port would be Vancouver. Morgan was on Vancouver Island wrapping up a visit with his grandparents and was due back in town the day we started rehearsing. As with the first Common Themes project, I invited each player to submit compositions for the project. The sessions took place once again at Bakerstreet Studios with Mike Rogerson engineering.