Toronto-born bassist Kieran Overs has been active on the Canadian music scene since 1970, first on guitar and electric bass, and for the past 34 years on acoustic bass.
Overs holds an Honours Diploma from Humber College, a B. Mus. from Humber/BCOU and an M. Mus. from McGill University (Montreal). He has also studied privately with renowned Danish bassist Neils-Henning Orsted-Petersen and arranger Rick Wilkins. He has toured internationally with Moe Koffman/Dizzy Gillespie, Jane Bunnett, Sophie Milman, Carol Welsman and Emilie-Claire Barlow, among others. Having worked in Toronto as a sideman with such artists as Zoot Sims, Chet Baker, Bill Charlap, Harold Mabern Jr., Carol Sloane/ Bill Mays, Brian Dickinson, Pat Labarbera, Alex Dean and Kirk MacDonald, Overs has established a solid reputation in Canadian jazz. Overs is currently a member of The Nancy Walker Quartet, Ted Quinlan Trio and Inside Out (with Lorne Lofsky and Barry Romberg). To his credit Overs has 4CDs as leader/producer and more than 80 as a sideman. He was one of only 8 jazz artists selected to represent Canada on the 4CD/50-artist box set “Here and Now – A Celebration of Canadian Music “, produced by the Canada Council to commemorate the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations (released world-wide in October 1995). A profile of Overs’ career can be found in Mark Miller’s book “The Miller Companion to Jazz in Canada”.
Overs’ Eleven represents the most completely conceived band Keiran has assembled. Going with the philosophy of a “core group” he has Nancy Walker’s quartet (Ethan Ardelli – drums, Nancy Walker – piano and Ted Quinlan – guitars) at the heart of the band along with Alex Dean and Pat Labarbera, on sax’s, Kevin Turcotte, trumpet and William Carn, trombone. The band features Bruce Cassidy on flugel, trumpet and EVI (electronic valve instrument).
The music is layered, complex and infinitely listenable. This is the best that Canada has to offer and this big band should not be missed. Here is the band at the Rex Hotel back in 2008. If you have not seen or heard an EVI, Bruce Cassidy plays a blistering solo on this unusual instrument at about the eight minute mark.
- Kieran Overs – bass
- Nancy Walker – piano
- Barry Romberg – drums
- Ted Quinlan – guitar
- Alex Dean – tenor & soprano sax, bass clarinet, flute
- Pat LaBarbera – tenor & soprano sax, alto flute
- Kelly Jefferson – tenor & soprano sax, bass clarinet
- Jon Challoner – trumpet, flugelhorn
- Bruce Cassidy – trumpet, flugelhorn, EVI
- William Carn – trombone
- Mike Murley – tenor sax
