Reviews of the
2024 - 2025 Season

The Dime Notes: British jazz band conjures New Orleans cool By Michaela Bray -- On a cool Monday evening in September, I stepped into the Evangel Church Auditorium in Kelowna and was met with a different kind of reverence. While this wasn’t the first time the Kelowna Community Concert Association was presenting The Dime Notes — they were part of the 2019/2020 season as well — it was the band’s first time at this venue, and they took to the stage to swiftly deliver a time-travelling performance. Listening to them play, I felt like I was sipping a Sazerac while listening to a jazz band in a dance hall, nestled somewhere along the Bayou. As the evening unfolded it was clear that this was not just another jazz band. In the KCCA’s first concert of the 2024-25 season, the Dime Notes, a UK-based quartet delivering 1920s-era New Orleans-style jazz, gave us two hours of classic ragtime tunes from the likes of Jelly Roll Morton, James P. Johnson, and WC Handy, among others. Band members David Horniblow (clarinet), Sam Watts (piano), Dave Kelbie (guitar), and Louis Thomas (double bass) brought forth a lively and buoyant sound, offering give-and-take between each musician, and allowing each to have his spotlight throughout the show. The dynamics of the full band together was just that — dynamic. It was very cohesive in the way they exercised control, giving space when a song needed it, and delivering tight rhythmic bursts that kept me excited. It was evident that this band knew what they were doing, and then some. While the performance itself was excellent, The Dime Notes offered more than just music. The parts of the concert I equally loved were the vignettes of history between songs, delivered in a classic dry British humour, courtesy of clarinetist David Horniblow. His stories behind the music brought context to songs that were written 100 years ago, and while they were both informative and funny (I really felt for Jelly Roll Morton’s poor wife), it was an opportunity for this instrumental quartet to interact with the crowd. Beyond their musical expertise, The Dime Notes brought an air of authenticity to their performance. I’ve been to New Orleans only once, but it felt as though the band was plucked from the bustling vibrancy of the French Quarter to an intimate house concert with 800 of your closest friends. The instruments were not plugged into any amplifiers, and the sound was run simply through microphones for a more pared-down sound. This added to the authenticity of the 1920s sound they were emulating, and the audience was rapt with every note. That being said, at times I strained to hear the guitar in all its glory. Dave Kelbie, a fantastic rhythm guitar player, kept the guitar warm as he played up and down the neck, and while the percussive style of his playing came through enough to keep the band train on its tracks, I would have loved to hear all the intricacies. The Dime Notes are another great example of UK artists drawing inspiration from sounds of the South. Kelbie and Horniblow are truly immersed in the rich history of the New Orleans sound, also having toured with Don Vappie, a revered Jazz Creole banjo player presented here during the KCCA’s 2022-23 season. It’s clear that New Orleans jazz is in their blood, and while it was a performance, it was also a cultural journey that highlighted the timelessness of New Orleans jazz. The Dime Notes got their name from a $10 bill, but the experience alone was worth so much more. Michaela Bray is a Kelowna-based singer-songwriter