Vern Dorge was probably my first “celebrity” interview on radio. He had moved from Lethbridge to Toronto and had become part of the thriving music scene there. At the time of the interview he had just joined up with the iconic band Blood Sweat & Tears. He is proficient on sax, clarinet and flute and is a highly sought after sideman and studio musician. As I recall the interview did not go that well. Vern was great but I was a huge dork because I was too star-struck and probably used some made-up words. Fast forward some 30 years and it’s been fun to reconnect with Vern on a couple of occasions. He’s been back as a guest artist with the Lethbridge Jazz Festival and in what I thought was a magical couple of nights he agreed to sit in with the orchestra during the Lethbridge Musical Theatre run of Hairspray. It was remarkable how he enhanced the overall sound of what I thought was a solid core of musicians. Vern took some time out to answer a few questions.
What was life like for you growing up in Lethbridge?
Very average, life as a prairie/city kid in the sixties was lots of bike riding everywhere including the coulees and Hardieville, going swimming at Fritz Sick or fishing at Henderson, etc. I remember people saying “have you tried pizza yet”, I used to work part time at Currie’s on 6th avenue and my co-worker had a copy of Playboy.
When did you discover you had musical aspirations?
Sometimes I think that music picked me but also it gave me something I needed, a desire to learn things. I had read our entire encyclopedia set 3 or 4 times, took my bicycle and our lawnmower apart, and only had 2 channels on TV. I listened to a lot to my AM radio and was very familiar with all of the Canadian and American recording artists. My mom listened to country and western music and some crossover pop.
What gravitated you to the saxophone?
I knew the sound of the saxophone from radio and mom’s albums, then I saw Boots Randolph live on the Ed Sullivan Show. It really seemed something fantastic to me. Remember the saxy music for the Old Dutch Potato Chips ad on TV, or the sax solo on Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree?” Eventually I took music in eighth grade the same year Jerry Pokarney moved to Lethbridge from Missoula. He brought a breath of fresh air to the musical community at that time and especially in the schools and lucky for me I benefited greatly. He set me up with a school baritone sax from LCI until I managed to get my own.
You played with some talented musicians in Lethbridge in the 70s. What do you recall about gigging around Southern Alberta?
I started very young as my dad Al Dorge was in a country dance band called The Westerners. I became a member and it gave me a great experience really playing with other musicians and having an audience. It was all by ear and in guitar keys which really pushed me to learn in a hurry. Later I played with other groups in high school with direction by Jerry Pokarney, the Lethbridge Big Band led by Nick Kucheran, rock band Kathy And The Kool-aid Kids, and best of all The Jazz Scene with Herb Hicks, Dale Ketcheson, Billy Joe McCarrol, Ron Yasheda. Everyone really encouraged me. Jerry had by far the most profound influence. He really helped me find my path in life, I can’t imagine what I would be doing now if I had not met him when I did during my first year in band class in eighth grade.
What were the contributing factors in making you decide that you had to make a move to a bigger city to continue with your music career?
I knew that half way through LCI that I wanted to go to music college or university. I had been doing everything a musician could do at that time playing in Lethbridge. I applied to Berklee School in Boston but later heard of a great new college in Toronto where I was accepted into the Humber College music program.” It was a great time to be going to school in the vibrant music scene in Toronto. Many of my classmates and I are still making music together.
How did you get the gig for Blood Sweat & Tears?
After finishing college I was already playing constantly and becoming part of the Toronto scene. There were so many opportunities and great musicians to learn and play with. I had a musical education money could not buy today. Eventually some very good friends had joined the reformed BS&T. David Clayton Thomas lived in Toronto at that time and hired some Toronto players for the new group. They toured for a couple months but then needed another saxophonist and I was recommended by Earl Seymour who was in the band. It lasted just over two years and included the album recording Nuclear Blues.
You traveled all over the world with BS&T. What was that experience like?
It was a real eye opener on different levels. The music experience was intense and a lot of hard work, but I learned so much about music and the array of styles, culture, expression and art. But there was also the negative side of a working band on the road living the life of a musician. I was at a young age of 22 in BS&T and had many touring experiences since throughout my career and met many great people and inspiring musicians and so lucky to have seen many parts of the world, but there were many setbacks. Touring was not always a happy trip with cancelled tours, not getting paid, staying in lousy accommodations, not having a home to come home to, etc.”
I would assume that your role in a band like BS&T is to not only be part of a tight cohesive unit but also to make sure that you make your lead singer (in your case David Clayton Thomas) sound as good as possible. I’m sure that is the case with other bands with dynamic front men. Essentially you’re important but you’re mostly in the background. Is that ever a problem in a band or you happy to be the somewhat anonymous sax guy? Where do you come out on that?
In BS&T at that time we thought of ourselves as a jazz fusion group. David is a huge music fan, we would play our concerts with a couple of his tunes and a BST medley and then he would turn us loose, with lots of spontaneous improv. We each had a feature number and what a great band we had. We were very influenced by Weather Report, Miles Davis, Chick Corea, and Tower of Power to name a few. I have mostly been a side man all of my career. I accept the role being a musician who plays for the money and thoroughly enjoys the craft of making music and playing with other great musicians. I do have aspirations to do more of my own thing, I like to compose and record my own music and have plans to pursue it.
You’ve done a lot of studio work for a lot of big names. Any stand out for you?
I have been so fortunate to experience recording with people like Anne Murray, Gordon Lightfoot, Domenic Troiano, Doug Riley, the list is so long I can’t remember them all. Lots of great sessions for TV and orchestral film scores all with top professional players.
You’ve been in the pit for many musicals. Is it difficult to get excited about doing the same show and playing the same notes after month two?
How about after one week? It is a definite mind set to get through it. I survive by trying every time to make my parts sound better than they have ever sounded. If I make a mistake I let it go and just give it my best and keep trying. Just not caring and mindlessly cranking it out does not work for me. Sometimes the show can be incredibly challenging to play, or physically punishing from volume or a really bad music score.
What have been some of your favorite shows to play?
First Broadway tour of the revival production of Guys And Dolls, the world premiere of Kiss Of The Spider Women with the incredible Chita Riviera, first Broadway tour of the revival production of Chicago, Sweet Charity directed by Bob Fosse in person, Toronto production of The Lion King. and many more”
Take us through a typical day for you when you’re in a long-running show.
It can’t be much different than you Mark when you are in the cast of the LMT group: Get up in the morning and squeeze in some regular daily activities including your other job, perhaps a nap or some exercise and then prepare for rehearsal and or performance. The main difference for me is the commute to work every day, living in the GTA has some challenges.
It’s for one night and you’re given the option of playing a jazz gig with a top name jazz singer, playing in the pit for your favorite musical or doing a show with a renowned rock band. Which one do you choose?
I will choose them all. This year I finally got to perform with Diana Krall with a 60 piece orchestra including her own band-totally amazing. I played 8 weeks this summer with the Broadway tour of the Disney musical Newsies. It was a wonderful show to play. I also got to perform three big sax solos at Massey Hall with Classic Albums Live-Pink Floyd.
It is going to be a hard year to beat!
How much do you enjoy coming back to Lethbridge for the Jazz Festival?
I really love it, the people and sponsors running the festival are so passionate about bringing a great music experience to Lethbridge for everyone young and old. I really look forward to the next time I am able to come and partake. It’s great for me to go bike riding on the coulees and around town like I did when I was a kid.”
You’re also an instrument repair guy. How big is that business for you?
I have been actively fixing saxophones and woodwind instruments for over twenty five years now. My primary work is playing but I started out of necessity to supplement my income and keep my fleet of horns working. Repair has become a very rewarding path for me. I love to help young and senior students with their instruments and mentor the next generation of musical geniuses. It all started working part time for Mr. Fred Leister of Leisters Music. The Leister family ran a repair shop at the store and gave me the opportunity to give it a try. I am forever indebted to them.
Gotta know your top five favorite albums of all time.
This is tough. My list keeps growing. How about albums that I think are important to me: Miles Davis “A Kind Of Blue”, Chick Corea “Light As A Feather”, Tower Of Power “Back To Oakland”, Beatles “One”, Marvin Gaye “Gold.”
Anyone out there you’d love to work with?
I adore Norah Jones, Sting, Diana Krall, just too many to list. I really enjoy meeting and playing with new musicians, singers, actors, dancers, comedians, and drummers.
Your advice to any kids getting set to make music a career.
It has become much more challenging to make a living as a musician as I have done. A career in performance needs to be defined by how talented and suited you are, how much you are completely committed to it purely for the joy of music experience or to what level you expect as your means to live in terms of remuneration. There are many ways for musicians have a life in music without doing it for a living or suffering the disappointment of not “making it”. I always encourage young talent who are firmly on their path to foster a “B” plan to ensure their economic life will carry them later to a happy life. Music is the universal magic that will never die but it likely will not pay the bills.
Mark Boogieman 