Fingerpickin’ guitarist Guy Van Duser and clarinet player Billy Novick will perform together at Boulevard Music this week. We spoke to Novick about what they have in store for Culver City…
When did the two of you start playing and performing together?
We met at a dance performance in Cambridge, MA. We’d both composed music for different choreographers on the program. Guy’s piece was a gorgeous solo guitar piece, which I thought at the time as being somewhat “modal.” My piece was for an avant garde jazz trio: myself (clarinet), upright bass and drums. Considering the music that we were each playing, Guy might have been the only person in the world who’d have approached me and asked if I knew any benny Goodman tunes. The way his piece sounded I probably wouldn’t have thought that he knew any. Well, I did know some (many, actually!) and, using my band, we put together a set for the intermission and (in my mind) we stole the show. We booked a gig at what became our “home” club at Passim as a duo… and then things took off from there.
Describe your sound…
I never thought of it as being “unique,” but, as far as I can tell, the blend of the two wooden instruments- especially for jazz- has never really been done before or after in such a comprehensive way. Guy’s nylon-string guitar and finger-picking guitar style also usher it into a new idiom that allows us to play “older” music but still have it sound fresh and new. I’d describe it as being warm, elegant, light, nuanced but also very evocative and soulful. It’s all built around Guy’s amazing guitar-playing. We include a few vocals in our sets- they’re in a loose, casual style, similar to what some of the great instrumentalists of the time did. Not great singers, but could deliver the lyrics in a way that enhanced the song.
What are your career highlights so far?
As a duo, Prairie Home Companion Show (multiple times), 20-minute interview on NPR’s All Things Considered, large folk festivals (Phila, etc), July 4th nationally broadcast radio show live performance from Boston’s famous Hatch Shell. numerous renowned jazz clubs throughout the country (Bottom Line, NYC, Cellar Door, Wash, DC, Regattabar, Boston)…same with folk clubs…I’m sure I’m forgetting a lot
Do you have any recorded music available?
We have very few physical CDs for sale any more, but our nine CDs can be found on various streaming platforms. Personally, I have five more CDs under my own name.
Have you performed at Boulevard before? Any memories?
This will be my first time playing there.
What can we expect from the set this time?
Our repertoire is built around classic jazz of the 1920s through the 1940s-artists like Jelly Roll Morton, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, etc. Additionally, we include some popular music (played by jazz artists but not written by them or for them) from that era as well as some New Orleans tunes and an occasional original. We sprinkle the set with both interesting and funny stories. Humor and personal warmth are a big part of our show. We like to connect with the audience on a very real, friendly, down to earth and warm way. I’d hate to think that anyone in the audience would feel awkward about approaching us after a concert and talking about anything: music, sports, their dog, how much their parents loved this kind of music (we get that a lot–it’s great!)
What else do you have coming up?
We tend to keep our touring fairly limited, so there’s nothing much scheduled that’s coming up soon. I’ve written two full-length ballet scores. Neither involves Guy, but my score for Septime Webre’s “The Great Gatsby” ballet will be performed for two weeks each with the Cincinnati Ballet (November) and the Kansas City Ballet (May, 2026). It looks likely that it will also be performed by the Atlanta Ballet in the fall of 2026.
It’s 90 percent period music performed by my group, the Blue Syncopators. It’s a seven-piece band with two singers. I both play and conduct. We’ve performed it over 60 times throughout the US- also in Hong Kong and Shanghai
Guy Van Duser and Billy Novick perform at 8 p.m. on Saturday, September 20 at Boulevard Music. More info on the show at boulevardmusic.com.
Elsewhere this week
Culver City’s music venues have a full calendar of entertainment over the next four weeks. For the Cinema Bar, that includes the Hot Club of Los Angeles (every Monday), Open Mic Night every Wednesday, Jim Doyle, The Potential Suitors, Sons of the Engineers, Los Microwaves, and more. For more information, go to thecinemabar.com.