Album Notes

In 1987, after spending a summer session studying with the likes of Dave Holland, Pat Labarbera, Steve Coleman, Muhal Richard Abrams, George Russell, and Kenny Wheeler at the Banff School Jazz Workshop, (where my ass was soundly kicked!) I was inspired to write some music and form a band.
Returning home to Vancouver, B.C., Canada, I called up some of my favourite musicians, started playing some gigs, and The Creatures of Habit were born. By 1989, the nucleus of myself on tenor saxophone, guitarist Ron Samworth (who I met at Banff), and drummer Don Powrie (who I played with in VEJI-The Vancouver Ensemble Of Jazz Improvisation-lead by pianist/trombonist Hugh Fraser) were joined by the brilliant young Ross Taggart on piano & tenor saxophone, and a friend from my earliest playing days, bassist Rene Worst, who was already quite well known as cofounder of the fusion band, Skywalk. It was this group of Creatures that managed to win the Grand Prix at the 1990 CBC/Alcan Jazz Competition held during the Montreal Jazz Festival.
The recording on this disc is the winning set from the competition; recorded by CBC Radio Canada and released on Justin Time Records as, “Creatures of Habit-Live in Montreal”. Even though long since discontinued as product, I felt the music to be still valid and decided to repress the CD and re-release it in 2007 as a celebration of 20th anniversary of the formation of the band. Check out my website www.billrunge.com for more info about me and my music.