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Whenever members of the 18-piece Prime Time Big Band would get together for rehearsals or gigs, they could expect a certain level of organization.
In fact, it was impeccable. Dave Jones, the band’s leader for 29 years, had a high standard when it came to all things related to the outfit.
“Every time you would go into a rehearsal, this went on for years, everything would be set up,” says alto-saxophonist John Roggensack, who played with Prime Time for nearly 20 years. “The chairs would be perfect, the music would be out. For gigs, he would show up early and have everything set up, everything sorted out. He would say, ‘I want everything to be right, for the guys.’ He just went above and beyond, all the time.”
The Prime Time Big Band played its last show in November 2023 at the Ironwood Bar and Grill. There may have been a certain consistency to their twice-a-month gigs at the Ironwood – the encore was Benny Goodman’s Sing, Sing, Sing – but ultimately the idea was to keep the repertoire challenging and the players at the top of their game. Jones had a military background, he was a commanding officer of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry Band. He was a university jazz professor and musical director and conductor of Prime Time for 29 years.
During the band’s final rehearsal, trumpet player Jim Murray expressed what many were thinking by telling Jones that it was the music he chose that made him “get my horn out every single day.”
“He pushed people and held them to the highest level of accountability,” Roggensack says. “He didn’t ask for anything in return, he just wanted the best for people. Dave would find the challenging music that would make (us) work … every single day. Dave was a pretty humble guy, but he held people to a level. It will take people a while to realize the contributions he made. There won’t be another Dave, that’s for sure.”
Jones died in May of cancer at the age of 76. Within a few months, many of the regulars in Prime Time reunited to form the Ninth Avenue Band. Like its predecessor, Ninth Avenue has 18 members including five saxophonists, five trumpet players, four trombonists, a keyboardist, bassist, drummer and vocalist Tina Hartt.
But while there may be plenty of overlap, the name change was done at least in part to honour the fact that Prime Time “was Dave’s band, 100 per cent.”
While Roggensack may have taken on spokesperson duties for this article, he stresses that it would take “a small army” to fill the shoes of Jones as a band leader and conductor. He has not been replaced, but several members are trying to fulfill his role. The band has taken over Prime Time’s regular gigs at the Ironwood, which includes a 2 p.m. show this Saturday.
Ninth Avenue has continued to fill its setlists with challenging and ever-changing repertoire. Saturday’s show will feature work by Quincy Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Bob Mintzer, Rob McConnell, John LaBarbera’s arrangements of Duke Ellington pieces, Buddy Rich, Count Basie’s Kansas City Suite written by Benny Carter and even a nod to Michael Buble.
On Nov. 9, The Ninth Avenue Band will perform as part of the JazzYYC Canadian Festival with a tribute to 89-year-old Al Muirhead, a Juno-nominated trumpet player who is a member of Ninth Avenue and one of the longest-serving members of Prime Time.
It’s all part of honouring Calgary’s rich legacy when it comes to big band music. Prime Time nearly lasted 30 years. In Canada, only Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass had a longer lifespan. Roggensack says he believes much of the city’s big band culture sprang from the work Jones did with Prime Time.
“Dave was an authority: he knew the history, he knew the charts, he knew the records,” he says. “He was an encyclopedia and a wonderful resource. He held that band to such a high level for so long. Calgary has a real thriving culture. There are more community big bands in this city … it’s in the high 20s. It’s a really unique thing.”
Ninth Avenue Band plays the Ironwood Stage and Grill on Oct. 26 at 2 p.m. and Nov. 9 at the Ironwood at 8:30 p.m. as part of JazzYYC’s Canadian Festival.