Rolling Boyle

From his career as a musician, jazz trumpeter Patrick Boyle really has just one desire.

"All I really want out of my life in music is to always play in places where chairs face the stage," he said.

Boyle's love of intimate concert venues has led him to hold out for more than six months on holding a local show in support of his second album, "Still No Word," released last May. He could have debuted the CD's music in bars, he said, but chose to wait until he could book a classier, more personal venue.

The Petro Canada Hall at Memorial University's School of Music was the perfect location, Boyle said, and he'll be holding his CD release concert there tonight, with help from Bill Brennan.

Boyle has long been known as one of the province's most sought-after sidemen, and has performed on more than 40 records for friends and colleagues, including Great Big Sea, Ron Hynes and Mark Bragg. Both this year and in 2006, he won MusicNL's award for side musician of the year.

However, it's the male artist of the year award - for which he was also nominated this year but lost to friend Duane Andrews - that Boyle is after.

"I need to get a little better at the leader end," he said.

"Still No Word" is Boyle's second album as a leader, and - apart from a Croatian folk tune - features a collection of original music. Inspiration for the CD, Boyle said, came from experiences he had and people he met during his extensive world travels.

Interestingly, Boyle composed the songs on piano, then translated them to the trumpet.

"Piano is just something I've grown to love. I haven't always loved it," he said. "I try to play piano every day, even if it's just a couple of minutes."

What does he like so much about the trumpet?

"The trumpet is closest to my own original voice. I can get my ideas out more directly through the trumpet," he said.

Produced by Glen Tilley, "Still No Word" also features Brennan, Mike Downes on the double bass, and Mike Murley - whom Boyle calls his hero - on tenor sax.

"(He and Downes) happened to be in town to be adjudicators at the Rotary music festival in the spring of 2007, and I was lucky to get them on the record. They had the time and I had the money, and it was great," Boyle said.

Living in Toronto, where he's a doctoral student in the performance program at University of Toronto, Boyle is currently researching ways in which improvisation, both within and outside of music, helps students in situations of anxiety and tension.

He came home to St. John's earlier this week and hasn't stopped since he's been here, performing with Curtis Andrews during his CD release show Tuesday night, and in Shelley Neville's "O Holy Night" Christmas show at the Masonic Temple Wednesday and Thursday.

Before going back to school in January, Boyle will play with Duane Andrews, and with Mark Bragg and the Butchers - both times at The Ship - and he will play in two separate shows on New Year's Eve: one with Rick Hollett and Jim Thompson at the Delta between 5-10 p.m., then with Mark Bragg and the Butchers and The Idlers at the Rock House afterwards.

While being a lead musician is great, side work does have its advantages, Boyle said.

"Sometimes being a sideman is a lot easier and maybe even a lot more fun, in that someone else is responsible for everything," he said.

Boyle and Brennan will perform songs from "Still No Word" as well as a few seasonal favourites at tonight's show, which gets underway at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10 or $20 with a copy of the CD.

tbm@thetelegram.com