Laurier Jazz Orchestra

March 5, 2026

Saturday, March 14, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Theatre Auditorium

Laurier Jazz Orchestra Roster

Program

Sweet Time Suite by Kenny Wheeler (1930-2014)
Part 1: Opening
Part 2: Kind Folk
Part 3: For Jan
Part 4: For PA
Part 5: Know Where You Are
Part 6: Consolation
Part 7: Freddy C
Part 8: Closing

About Kenny Wheeler

Kenny Wheeler is considered one of the most influential figures in contemporary jazz. Born in Toronto in 1930 but based in the UK from 1952, by the 1960’s Wheeler had become highly regarded in the London scene, known as a post-bop trumpeter and flugelhorn player inspired by Booker Little and Freddie Hubbard, but also as a pioneering free player moving into unexplored territory alongside improvisers such as John Stevens, Evan Parker, Dave Holland and Derek Bailey. He died in 2014 at the age of 84, leaving behind an impactful legacy that has remained towering influence for legions of acolytes. Legendary bassist and NEA jazz master, Dave Holland, a lifelong colleague of Wheeler, characterized him as so: “Kenny was a true original, always in the music. For his generation, he contributed a harmonic language, which at that time was brand new. Who he was, as a person, was embodied in the music in a certain way, which is the highest form of artistry."

Sweet Time Suite was originally released on the 1990 ECM Records album Music For Large and Small Ensembles. Today, it is widely considered one of the most important jazz orchestra works of the modern era.

We ask that patrons take photos only during intermission and/or after the show and do not record audio or video unless otherwise announced at the beginning of the show.

Land Acknowledgement

We would like to acknowledge that Wilfrid Laurier University and its campuses are located on the shared traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishnaabe (Anish-nah-bay) and Haudenosaunee (Hoe-den-no-show-nee) peoples. This land is part of the Dish with One Spoon Treaty between the Haudenosaunee and Anishnaabe peoples and symbolizes the agreement to share, protect our resources and not to engage in conflict. From the Haldimand Proclamation of Oct. 25, 1784 this territory is described as: “six miles deep from each side of the river (Grand River) beginning at Lake Erie and extending in the proportion to the Head of said river, which them and their posterity are to enjoy forever.” The proclamation was signed by the British wit​h their allies, the Six Nations, after the American Revolution. Despite being the largest reserve demographically in Canada, those nations now reside on less than five percent of this original territory.