SYDNEY, N.S. — First of all, Joe Waye Jr. wants to make it clear he’s still playing and teaching guitar privately, not at a local music store.
A recent photo of Waye showed him trying out a new guitar at the shop and oddly enough, some assumed it meant he was teaching guitar there — even though it never stated that anywhere in the article.
“I get asked about it every day,” says the 63-year-old local guitar legend who has been teaching for more than 40 years. “I started teaching in Toronto in the 1970s and I’m still doing it today.”
When he’s not teaching in his own Sydney studio, Waye can be found performing, including a recent stint with the “Tis The Season” cast on their annual tour through Nova Scotia. He can play any style of music and has accompanied just about everyone at some point but he’s perhaps best known for his abilities as a jazz guitarist.
It’s a talent that runs in his family. Waye is the son of legendary Joe Waye Sr. and his brother, the late Nigel Waye, was well known as a bass player.
It’s those abilities and his love of jazz that have led to the continued success of his annual Night of Jazz Standards for the Holidays at the Sydney Curling Club on Thursday. The event has been held for more than 20 years and has become a Boxing Day tradition for many Cape Bretoners.
“We’ve sold-out already for this year,” said Waye, adding he starts getting requests for tickets in October.
This year will again feature John Hawkins on drums, Red Mike MacDonald on bass, Matt Nicholson, Malcolm MacNeil, Mike MacDonald, Charlotte MacDonald, Jody Cail, Maynard Morrison and Bette MacDonald. The show should wrap up by 10:30 p.m., Waye says.
In addition to allowing performers to play music they might not normally get a chance to perform, the event also raises money for palliative care.
“Each year, it seems like more fun. It just keeps getting better.”
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