A group of local jazz musicians recently cut an album and decided to dedicate three quarters of all sales to a charitable cause.
Cal’s Cool Cats, headed by saxophone aficionado Calvin Lutz and rounded out by Loyd Bishop, guitar and vocals, bassist Linda Mackenzie, pianist Maureen Brown, drummer Jack Watson and Louie the guard dog, released their first album A Backward Glance and have already donated $1,000 to the Clearwater and District Food Bank from album sales.
“About a year ago we decided we’d like to make an album and we started to rehearse with that in mind,” said Lutz, who’s been playing saxophone for 67 years.
“We completed the project a couple months ago and the CD became available and first went on sale at the food bank fundraiser on Dec. 1.”
Lutz started Cal’s Cool Cats roughly seven years ago after enlisting Bishop and Mackenzie, then eventually getting Watson on board to play drums, and the group would gather on Wednesdays to play songs for a couple hours, just for the fun of it, banging out numbers from the big band era, as well as jazz flavoured tunes and rock from the 1950s, 60s and 70s.
In spring of 2018 the group decided to record its first album at Bishop’s Bear-in-the-Basement Studio, laying down 13 cover songs from various eras, all for a good cause.
Those looking to pick up a copy of A Backward Glance can purchase the album at the North Thompson Clearwater Times office or by calling Lutz at 250-674-7399.