Jazz Thriving In Krall's Hometown

When it comes to finding used, rare, and collectible rock/pop/R&B in this Canadian harbor city, indie retailer Fascinating Rhythm is unrivaled.

But the 1,400-square-foot, 40,000-title store—located 10 minutes from the Nanaimo waterfront in the Country Club Mall—is best known for its connection to the community's thriving local music scene, specifically the jazz scene.

To be sure, jazz has enjoyed a rich tradition here. For years, restaurants and clubs featuring jazz have attracted yachters from Seattle and the Vancouver Islands, who anchor in the city on weekends. What's more, Fascinating Rhythm's owner, Steve Lebitschnig, is a jazz enthusiast and co-founder/director of the Hub City Jazz & Blues Society. The store is also a favorite of jazz music students at the local Malaspina University.

But the best endorsement for the store of late comes from its connections to Nanaimo's most well-known artist, pianist Diana Krall.

Krall—whose Grammy and Juno Award-winning album "When I Look In Your Eyes" (Universal/Verve) became the first-ever certified platinum title for jazz in Canada—is known to shop there. Ditto Krall's father, Jim, and Krall's secondary-school music teacher, Bryan Stovell—an oft-cited influence of hers. Both are also co-founding members of the Hub City Jazz & Blues Society, along with Lebitschnig.

Not surprisingly, "When I Look In Your Eyes" was the store's top-selling jazz release in 1999 and has been partially responsible for Fascinating Rhythm doubling its jazz inventory over the last two years. Her catalog continues to do strong business amid anticipation for her next release, which Lebitschnig says is scheduled for 2001.

Indeed, Fascinating Rhythm benefited from what one Nanaimo music expert called "Krall hysteria" last year. She sold out two nights at the local 802-seat Port Theatre in just four hours. Fascinating Rhythm had "When I Look In Your Eyes" on sale at the time.

Krall is hardly the only big seller, though. In 2000, Keith Jarrett's "The Melody At Night With You" (ECM), Dave Douglas' "Soul On Soul" (BMG), and Kenny Barron's "Spirit Song" (Verve) ranked as Fascinating Rhythm's three top-selling jazz albums. But "nothing has caught on this year like Diana did then," says Lebitschnig.

And overall, business at Fascinating Rhythm has been what Lebitschnig describes as "so-so."

"I am up slightly in revenue from last year, which was not all that profitable," he says. "It's partially due to the economy in British Columbia. Nanaimo still depends on much of its income from fishing and forestry, although tourism is on the rise, and the high-tech sector is emerging in the Vancouver Islands. And Ontario and Alberta