Entertainers back on the road in Sask!
By Joan Janzen
Thanks to the Kindersley & District Arts Council and the Luseland Arts Council, the audiences in Kindersley and Luseland were treated to exceptional musical entertainment on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 14th and 15th. Canadian musicians Jory Kinjo and Aaron Young were first up on the line-up of entertainers to get back on the road in Saskatchewan. “You make us feel so welcome,” Kinjo said.
Kinjo and Young kicked off the season for both the Kindersley & Luseland District Arts Councils last week. They were not only brilliant musicians, but talented singers and songwriters. PHOTO BY JOAN JANZEN
The duo began entertaining their listeners the minute they walked on stage and kept right on going. They played selections from their blues album and many of the songs they’ve written. Every selection was laced with a liberal amount of brilliant guitar skills.
Their songs tell stories about life in an upbeat tempo. They performed a song they had not yet recorded. “It was written a number of years ago when it was -35 degrees. It momentarily transferred me to a warm place,” Kinjo said about the tropically flavoured song.
Kinjo grew up in Calgary and has toured with many legendary musicians, including ZZ Top and B.B. King. “He played 349 nights a year,” Kinjo said about the King of the Blues. “The first time I played with him, he was 76 years old, and the last time he was 86. I learned a lot from him.”
Young grew up right here in Saskatchewan at Prince Albert and started playing guitar at the age of nine. By the time he was 23 years old, he had produced, arranged and performed on over fifteen albums! His skills on the guitar are truly brilliant and have been showcased all over the world, from Asia to Scandinavia, the UK, Canada and the United States.
Both musicians have been performing, writing, producing and touring for three decades but joined together as a duo more recently. However, to their listeners’ ears, it sounds like they’ve been performing together for years as they harmonize and improvise as effortlessly as breathing.
“We’re so happy to be on the road; it’s one of our most favourite things,” Kinjo said. “But sometimes you want to be somewhere, and you can’t.” Their song “A Little Bit More” was born from those heartfelt feelings, which they expressed with voices blended in perfect harmony.
The duo pleased the crowd with fun and familiar selections, and during the break, they were out front shaking hands and greeting their fans. The duo’s performances were an awesome way to start off the Arts Council’s season of entertainment.