Live Music for Silent Film

The UVic JCM presents original live soundtracks for silent films in addition to the big band music of Dave Holland and others. All proceeds will benefit the Blues for Eric Scholarship Fund. “Blues for Eric” generates scholarship funds in the name of Eric LeBlanc and in support of the jazz offerings at the UVic School of Music.

About “Blues for Eric”

For almost a year, Victoria blues musicians and fans have been celebrating Eric LeBlanc’s contribution to the local music scene with a series of Blues for Eric benefit concerts.

For 33 years LeBlanc was one of the world’s great disc jockeys, serving up an authoritative, weekly radio show on University of Victoria’s tiny CFUV-FM. Listeners all over the world listened to Eric’s Let the Good Times Roll on the web. LeBlanc also co-authored Blues: A Regional Experience with Australian writer Bob Eagle in 2013 and taught courses in the history of jazz and blues at Victoria Conservatory of Music. When Eric died of cancer, friends and fans who missed his raspy, Quebecois-accented radio voice, deep knowledge of the blues, and warm and generous personality established the Eric LeBlanc Memorial Scholarship at University of Victoria, for students in the school’s jazz program.

Any music fan who listened to Eric’s radio show knows that he was one of the best radio disc jockeys in the world. Period! He was that good. For over three decades Eric’s weekly Let the Good Times Roll on University of Victoria’s CFUV was blues heaven for music fans both locally and around the world on the internet.

Eric’s love of the blues began during his boyhood in Montreal. He and his brother would travel to New York City to buy obscure recordings to play at their Montreal dance club and later on Eric’s first show on McGill University’s radio station. Eric was a self-taught blues scholar and co-authored Blues, A Regional Experience with Australia-based Bob Eagle in 2013. He also taught courses in the history of jazz and blues at Victoria Conservatory of Music. In addition to his long-running Let the Good Times Roll, for a decade Eric also hosted Rollin’ & Tumblin’, an acoustic blues program on CFUV featuring his large, personal collection of seminal country blues recordings. Eric’s collection of thousands of recordings of blues, gospel, rhythm and blues, do-wop and harmony groups, jump blues and jazz was donated to CFUV at his death in 2015. Eric’s library of over 300 music-related books was donated to University of Victoria Library.

Read about Eric’s book, “Blues: A Regional Experience”

Donate online
Along with the billing information, follow these steps to designate your donation to the “Eric LeBlanc Scholarship”:
-Under “Donation Information”, select “Designation”, then select “Other” which brings up a blank box.
-Fill in the blank box to the right of “Other” with “Eric LeBlanc Scholarship”
-Fill in the required additional, payment and billing information which brings you to the bottom of the page.
-“Tribute Information”, select “Type” ~ “In Memory Of”, then next to “Name” enter “Eric LeBlanc Scholarship”

Donate by cheque or cash:
Make a donation by contacting Joe Blake at joeblake@shaw.ca. Joe will be pleased to assist with your donation made by cheque or cash.
Cheques are payable to the University of Victoria with a note designating Eric LeBlanc Scholarship.