{"id":51593,"date":"2021-12-21T11:50:12","date_gmt":"2021-12-21T19:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bassic-sax.info\/blog\/?p=51593"},"modified":"2024-06-27T11:04:47","modified_gmt":"2024-06-27T18:04:47","slug":"r-i-p-art-panchishin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bassic-sax.info\/blog\/2021\/r-i-p-art-panchishin\/","title":{"rendered":"R.I.P. Art Panchishin"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"blues<\/a>
Art Panchishin<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Update: The family’s obit is NOW AVAILABLE<\/a><\/h6>\n

May 6, 1953 – December, 17 2021<\/h4>\n

I find it hard to believe that it has been 8 years since I left a band fronted by a man who I had more musical chemistry with than any other musician I have ever worked with. Deception’s front man, Art Panchishin, forgot more about how to play blues, than most people will know in their lifetime.<\/p>\n

Art and I had a very unique chemistry that both of us noticed during the first few bars we played together, the very first time we got together in his studio in 2004. At the time I didn’t know I was auditioning for a spot in his band. Truth be told, I thought I was auditioning him for a spot in mine. But things have a funny way of turning out. <\/p>\n

Although I had to go on and find other members for my own group, I became the 4th member of Deception, which at the time included: Gary Huntbatch on drums and vocals, and Steve Fultz on bass guitar and vocals. <\/p>\n

\"band<\/a>
Deception’s line up from 2005-2009. Back row left to right: Helen on sax, Art on guitar, Steve on bass. Front row: Gary on drums<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Band + sax means re-working of charts<\/h3>\n

Art’s arrangements of classic and original blues numbers needed to be re-tooled to include my sax. However, since he had not had a sax player in his group before, he gave me free reign to try what I wanted for horn lines. <\/p>\n

In the beginning I wasn’t playing enough, so he kept telling me: add more here; and here; and put something more here. Next thing you know, the sax was intricately woven into all of Deception’s songs.<\/p>\n

For Art I did what I do best: developed horn lines specific to a particular vocalist, and played these lines consistently so they would always know what was going to happen every time we played a particular song. It paid off. The audiences responded well. Based on the audience feedback the band received after I joined the group, they really liked the added tonal colours and complexities the saxophone added to Deception’s music. <\/p>\n

When it came to solos, Art was never one to hog the spotlight. I played nearly as many as he did. For nearly 10 years I played screaming blues solos that became so intertwined with those of Art’s amazing blues guitar work, that sometimes neither he nor I could tell whether it was him or I playing a particular note or riff. <\/p>\n

\"Deception <\/a>
Deception performing at the 2008 Arty Awards <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Deception <\/a>
Deception as one of house bands at The Church of the Blues in 2008 <\/div> <\/div>
\"Deception <\/a>
Deception performing at the Envision Concert Series at Heritage Park in 2008 <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

Personnel changes in 2009<\/h3>\n
\"band<\/a>
The band line-up from 2010-2013. Back row from left to right: Art, Randy, Bob. Front row: Charles, Helen.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

2009 was a major transition year for Deception. Art decided it was time to change-up the band’s personnel. He and I were to be the only members who remained, while the drum and bass guitar slots were to be filled by Randy Mathers and Charles Mauviel respectively. The following year Art also had the opportunity to add keyboard player Bob Peters.<\/p>\n

My two closest musical collaborators <\/h3>\n

Some of my favourite moments with Art, were the time he and I spent with another important musical colleague and friend of mine: the incomparable Ray Myers.<\/p>\n

When we first moved back to BC, I had played bari sax for Ray in his R&B band. Even though I quit his band, Ray and I remained good friends. We always enjoyed getting together and playing in his studio. I figured Art & Ray would get along well, and they did.<\/p>\n

Art, like pretty much every musician who had a working knowledge of the music industry, knew of Ray Myers, but Art had never met him. So when I suggest we get together with Ray, Art jumped at the chance.  <\/p>\n

The first time he and I drove to Burnaby to meet up with Ray in his studio, Art was awestruck by the gear that Ray had. After the gearheads finished their talk about sound equipment, we spent the day playing, with Art being knocked on his ass by Ray’s vocal abilities. <\/p>\n

Ray would come out Art’s place as well on a few occasions. He even came out to a blues jam we hosted out at Straiton Hall in 2010. This video clip features a small taste of Ray Myers doing a blues tune with Deception. Please excuse the poor quality recording, but it was done on a Panasonic camera on video mode. (Best we had access to back then.) \ud83d\ude09 <\/p>\n