BU music grad Jesse Dietschi releases jazz album

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This article was published 06/12/2023 (1030 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jazz musician Jesse Dietschi is thanking his start at Brandon University for the diverse range of music he now performs as a professional artist.

“Brandon University played a big role in the kind of career trajectory that I’ve followed which led to this album,” said Dietschi, who released his debut album, “Gradient,” with the Jesse Dietschi Trio, in October. “Because Brandon has a smaller school and a smaller community, I had a greater amount of freedom to experiment, and be involved in wider variety of musical projects … Had I not had that opportunity, this album would not have been possible, because I would not have had the breadth of experience that led to the other opportunities, which led to the creation of this album.”

“Gradient,” Dietschi said, is a combination of jazz and classical sounds. It was written and composed by Dietschi, who plays the upright bass on the album. Other trio members performing with Dietschi on Gradient are Ewen Farncombe on piano and Ethan Ardelli on drums. He said while he wrote most of the music, a lot of the album is improvised.

“My background as a performer was predominantly in jazz when I was at Brandon University. I continued that work when I moved to Toronto and started working a lot more in orchestras, chamber music and other forms of classical music,” Dietschi said. “This album is trying to draw those two different influences and communities together.”

Dietschi said while he enjoyed playing for other musicians on their albums, he came up with the idea to write and compose his own album during the pandemic.

“This is the first time that I have had my name on the front. And the first time that I’ve kind of been, you know, the one writing all the music and making all the decisions,” Dietschi said.

Dietschi grew up in Selkirk but was recruited to BU by his brother Ben, who played the saxophone and was enrolled in BU’s School of Music at the time. Ben also recruited Dietschi to his band Anagram while he was still in high school. The brothers played and toured while part of Anagram, which Dietschi describes as a “Celtic fusion” group.

“I think a few days after my high school graduation, I actually packed up my bass and all my stuff and went on the road for three weeks with Anagram,” Dietschi recalled, saying it was his first time on the road performing. His fellow Anagram performers were BU School of music students. During that time too, Dietschi was getting lessons from School of Music Dean Greg Gatien, who at the time was the head of the jazz program at the university.

Dietschi spent six years at BU and during that time performed at many events and festivals around the city, but more notably he was a member of the NuPhunk Orchestra. His brother Ben also played with him in the NuPhunk Orchestra.

“We toured quite a bit in Western Canada and we did create an album. This was before digital distribution and streaming and all that. We just sold the albums out of the trunks of our cars,” Dietschi laughed.

Dietschi’s album has already received considerable play on CBC radio, CBC French, and on independent radio stations in North America and Europe. Fans have many ways they can hear “Gradient” now. You can purchase the “Gradient” album, by the Jesse Dietschi Trio, on the website Bandcamp – a digital version, or a CD. You can also stream the songs on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and other streaming services. Buying the album, though, is the best way to support the artist.

» khenderson@brandonsun.com