Multi-award-winning saxophonist and composer Perpetual Awele Atife, known as Perpie, is presenting Roots in Motion: A JazzTale Project at Grace Presbyterian Church this month. The immersive concert blends jazz, Western classical and African musical traditions with poetry and storytelling, exploring themes of love, community and hope. Perpie & her One Village Orchestra will perform exclusive new compositions that will later be recorded for her upcoming album.

Perpie has become one of Calgary's leading live music artists, known for sold-out performances at venues including the Canadian Jazz Festival and Studio Bell Performance Hall. Her previous concert series, Ije Live, ran successfully in Canada and the UK from 2021 to 2024. The saxophonist says her work centres on community and creating spaces where healing can happen through art.

The recipient of multiple honours including the YYC Music Award for Jazz Recording of the Year and the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, Perpie fuses jazz, soul, classical and African indigenous traditions in her compositions. Her sound draws from influences ranging from Fela Kuti to Dolly Parton, shaped by African folk and gospel traditions that she views through a modern lens.