A Night of Groovy Tunes
Review by Ani Heslop
photo of Simon and Garfunkel at Jazz Fest 2010 by Alaina Buzas
The Music of Simon and Garfunkel
Edmonton Symphony Orchestra with Jim WItter + Band
Conductor Robert Bernhardt
Winspear Theatre
April 1, 2025
I had never been to the Winspear Centre before, and as I traipsed downtown on Tuesday April 1, I fell in step with a group of dapperly dressed Edmontonians who were also heading to the concert hall. They were in full suit and ties, nylon stockings, and high heels; I felt severely under-dressed in my jeans. But I didn’t feel bad: I still think that my bell bottom denim was more appropriate for a Simon and Garfunkel concert anyway.
The theatre was packed with elderly people. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, as most of the attendees would have been children or young adults when Simon and Garfunkel were popular in the 1960’s. The demographic made sense, and in fact, I might have been more out of place as a young person, but I felt that this was my crowd.
I grew up listening to Simon and Garfunkel’s music. My mom had a “Best Hits” CD that we would sing along to in the minivan, and it rubbed off on all of us; my little brother still listens to Simon and Garfunkel through his JBL speaker. When the Winspear announced the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s Tribute to The Music of Simon and Garfunkel, I knew I had to go. I just wish I could’ve taken my mom and my brother with me.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from the orchestra at first. Was it going to be just instrumental? What about the lyrics? Paul Simon’s songwriting is what made the duo what it was, and is. That and their groovy folk acoustic sounds of the 60’s. I was relieved when the orchestra was joined by Jim Witter and his band, including Ian Tanner as vocalist and guitar, James Bardreau on drums and backup vocals, and Matt Leaman on bass.
They started with ‘Mrs. Robinson,’ the quintessential folk song of the 60’s. It had me tapping my toes and picturing Forrest Gump and The Graduate. Following with ‘Hazy Shade of Winter’ lowered the mood, but allowed the band members to address the audience. Jim Witter told the story of his brother Charlie’s bedroom in the 60’s with a Star Trek-esque sliding door, fluorescent ‘trippy’ paintings on a black wall background, and the strong smell of incense, which would sometimes be passed around the room — this line got a huge laugh from the audience. “And in that room,” he said to us, “is where I heard this song for the very first time.” I got chills when the intro to ‘Scarborough Fair’ started with the band’s soft acoustic plucking, and then came the violins; the first aspect of the orchestra so far that really stood out to me. The guitars and voices were so strong that I found it hard sometimes to pick out the orchestra instruments among the familiar tunes.
Between every song, Jim Witter did an address-the-audience bit, and I began to get a little tired; we don’t need to take a break after every song. I would’ve liked to have been more enveloped in the music instead of jolted out of my trance every three minutes.
The refreshments during intermission also left something to be desired. A tiny plastic cup filled a quarter of the way with rosé wine wasn’t the elegance that I (or my $10) had in mind. But it was nice to sip while we waited for the rest of the set — the second half of the show had my favourite songs, according to the program.
Jim Witter continuously slipped in commentary and songs that weren’t on the set list. The Everly Brothers, the band that supposedly inspired Simon and Garfunkel, got their moment to shine on stage with ‘Wake Up Little Suzie’, a song I only knew because it was on my dad’s Hits of the 60’s CD, one of two CD’s he had in the garage. I think I might have been the only one singing along, and I was pleasantly surprised that I still knew the problematic lyrics to this 1950’s song.
‘America’ hit hard with Jim Witter’s accurate vocals and the crashing cymbals from the orchestra. ‘Bridge Over Troubled Water’ was beautiful and balladic, and ending with ‘Cecilia’ left the audience on an energetic note. I never thought I would hear any of these songs live, and it did exceed expectations. Even though it wasn’t the original musical artists themselves, it was an extremely accurate rendition, and the orchestra added the perfect amount of life to the folk music.
The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and Jim Witter’s Band had performed this show before at the Winspear, many years ago, and Jim promised to return in another 10 years to do the show again. You can count that my ticket for that show is already bought.
If this show was nostalgic for me, I can only imagine what my elders in the audience were feeling, and what memories were brought back by the melodies. This show was a beautiful ode to the sounds of the 60’s and I’m sure that the ESO’s next musical tribute, ‘Anime in Concert’ will hit the same notes for those who love Studio Ghibli. Find tickets for that next show here, and the Winspear’s full list of shows here.
