About the Performance Tales of Tricksters and Vagabonds is an original programmatic work for large jazz ensemble, drawn from Mike Herriott’s 2023 album of the same name (H&H Records) and rooted in his master’s thesis in music composition. The suite portrays six unforgettable figures from folklore and literature — the scheming cat of Puss in Boots, the gold-spinning Rumpelstiltskin, Shakespeare’s quicksilver Mercutio, Dickens’s oily ’Umble Uriah, Dostoevsky’s guilt-haunted Rodion’s Republic, and the gloriously life-loving Sir Jack (Sir John Falstaff) — moving from the comic to the genuinely sinister and back again across a single evening. The ensemble’s instrumentation — brass and rhythm section, with no saxophones — recalls the lineup of Canada’s celebrated Boss Brass. Trumpets Doug Berner, Jon Mossing, Brian Sand, Dave Lavoie (Chuck Mallett, Trumpet 1 assistant) French Horns Nikki LaBonte, Peter Clarke Trombones Carsten Rubeling, Jim Scott, Nat Lazzarotto, Dave Reid Rhythm Piano – Jon Day · Guitar – Aaron Shorr · Percussion – Chris Sies · Drums – Jacob Slous · Bass – Jeremy Coates