The first time I ever got the "music high", not counting the time I accidently mixed a beer with allergy pills and listened to “A Love Supreme", was about 10 years ago at the Cellar, a jazz club in Vancouver, BC. It was my first time seeing the Jill Townsend Big Band live. I had met Jill and Bill Coon at the university campus or during community band rehearsals, but I had never seen their band perform until that night. That night, I decided that I had to write my own music. I didn't know I was going to form my own big band in the future, but I knew I couldn't just keep playing someone else's music anymore. I wanted to feel the same way I felt back then from creating and performing my own music.

I learned the word "Incarnadine" from a music history class at Capilano University. We had a rather eccentric professor teaching that class, and he used to start the lecture by sharing his favourite recipes or words. Incarnadine as a noun means a bright crimson, but as a verb, it means to colour something a bright crimson. It's the act of making something a bright crimson, and in my case, the act of extracting my music from deep within to render it into a brilliant reflection of my life.

Time has passed, and after moving to Montreal and meeting many inspiring musicians in its vibrant music scene, I've finally decided that it's time to rebuild the "Incarnadine Big Band" once-more. The old Incarnadine has remained in Vancouver, where the house pricing has touched the moon. Now in my mid 30s, I often get self-conscious about some of the members in the band being exactly half of my age. Some of them won't meet the legal drinking age if we tour outside of Quebec. I am also amazed and truly grateful that these young talents are willingly playing and showing up to be part of this project.

So the question remains - have I ever felt the same way I felt at the Cellar while performing with my own big band? The answer is No. However, I feel like the most like myself when I am performing with this band. And I would say it's pretty good feeling.

Members:

Artistic Director/Composer: Leo Bae
Project Manager: Victoria Hebbard

Voice: Sarah Rossy
Saxophones: Michael Joyancsik, Julia Warren, Jeremy Sandfelder, Jacob Do, Shawn Rinkenbach
Trombones: Mateo Jaeckel, Margaret Donovan, Emily Kester, Stefan Thompson
Trumpets: Annie Lu, Victoria Hebbard, Scott Bevins, Max Zhang
Guitar: Felix Desbiens
Piano: Leo Bae
Bass: Stephane Krims
Drums: Aaron Dolman