COOKING ON SUNDAY

HENRY YOUNG’S NEW JAZZ / R&B / FUNK CD

Just listen to that giant hollow-body Gibson guitar sing! In the hands of Henry Young, Vancouver’s most enduring jazz landmark, it has played alongside the best in Young’s 30 year career, accompanying the likes of Nina Simone, Ray Charles and Charlie Byrd. Henry and his guitar have entertained in every possible Vancouver venue. He has performed in clubs in New York, Paris and London. He has been featured at the Newport and Montreux Jazz Festivals and toured Africa.

Now Young has paused in his hectic schedule of club gigs and major events to lay down tracks for his first CD, Cooking on Sunday. Actually, it not only cooks - it boils with his original talent and diversity.

Raised by his Dad in the toughest part of East Vancouver - Chinatown, Young found his soul in the R&B of the early 60’s. He developed - playing with Vancouver’s first mixed race band “The Mischiefs” at the Y dances, the Smiling Buddha, Danceland, Shanghai Junk, the Elegant Parlor, Harlem Nocturne, and more. It certainly got the attention he craved. Much better than doing a wheelie on his motorcycle on the slick polished floors of Vancouver Tech. High School. Later, he discovered jazz.

Cooking on Sunday lays a trail of sounds and styles, tracing Young’s roots as a Chinese-Ukrainian teenager. Cooking on Sunday is an adventurous journey through the many interests and influences that have peppered his rich career. “I feel really good about the music I’ve written. I listen. I learn. I know when it sounds right. Finally the time is right to do this project.” One of the compositions is Seong Loong (Double Dragon), a work that starts with a traditional Chinese opera sound and builds with intensity toward modern jazz improvisation. As Alex Varty of the Georgia Straight (Vancouver’s premiere Entertainment weekly) observed in a 1995 interview, Young achieved “a wholly successful attempt to integrate a Chinese quartet with a funky jazz ensemble”. This one piece links Young’s early life with his adult career. There are many more varied cuts to please the listener on Cooking on Sunday.

Throughout his career, he has made music with the stars - Jimmy Witherspoon, Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Jay & the Americans, the Righteous Bros., Diana Ross and The Supremes, Buddy Rich, Del Shannon, and the list goes on. He has a story or two to say about them all

Henry Young is foremost in the background - an arranger or writing charts for visiting greats like Nina Simone and Bobby Taylor. He is in demand as a musical director for name groups, conventions and Asian name acts.

As a master of hundreds of jazz and R&B standards, it means a lot to finally have his original music recorded and a chance to tell his story.

Cooking on Sunday is available through:

Henry Young - henry.young@shaw.ca

Real Audio Here (8 Min compilation tape - live stream)

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