Live Music at The Jazz Room
Featuring International jazz acts that play the world’s top clubs (the Saturday program features artistic direction from Mark Kelso).
Please note that only Grand River Jazz Society events are shown below
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Oliver Whitehead is a guitarist and composer, originally from England, who has worked mostly in Canada. His jazz album “Free For Now” was nominated for a Juno Award as Best Jazz Album of 1985. Oliver Whitehead is a guitarist and composer. His compositions include works for orchestra, choir and chamber groups, as well as music for TV, radio, theatre and ballet. He has performed at major jazz festivals including Montreal and Detroit. His recordings include a Juno nominated jazz album. He currently performs with many jazz groups and singers in London
Hilary Welch has the influences of early Sarah Vaughan and the powerhouse 60’s soul singers. Hilary showcases her range through the performance of beloved jazz standards and the re-imagination of popular music. The time Hilary spent studying Jazz at the University of Toronto under Canadian greats Phil
Nimmons, Alex Dean and Kirk MacDonald and vocalist Heather Bambrick instilled a great respect and love for the genre. Hilary credits performance opportunities with members of the renowned New York Voices, Oscar Peterson and Peter Appleyard as major influences on her performance.
Personnel:
Oliver Whitehead (guitar)
Hilary Welch (Vocalist)
Barry Usher (saxophone)
Larry Ernewein (bass)
Rob Larose (drums)
“Canadian jazz singer Caity Gyorgy, in addition to having a warm voice and swinging phrasing, is a skilled songwriter whose originals sound as if they are from the 1950s with more modern lyrics”
– Scott Yanow, Downbeat
While having a beautiful voice is plenty to recommend any singer, also knowing how to use it in the myriad ways that Caity Gyorgy does puts her high up the list of young singers to watch.
– Cathy Riches – WholeNote
Caity Gyorgy (pronounced like George) is a twice JUNO Winning Toronto and Montreal based vocalist, composer, and lyricist who is known for singing bebop and swing music. Being called one of JazzFM91’s 8 Canadian Women in Jazz You Need to Know, Caity has performed at popular clubs and jazz festivals across Canada including the Toronto Jazz Festival, the Calgary Jazz Festival, the Medicine Hat Jazz Festival, and the Jazz Bistro in Toronto, Upstairs Jazz in Montreal, and Frankie’s Jazz in Vancouver. Caity has worked and recorded with many luminaries in the Canadian jazz scene including Allison Au, Pat LaBarbera, Jocelyn Gould, Don Thompson, Christine Jensen and Virginia MacDonald.
She is also an avid writer and composes songs in the style of the Great American Songbook. Her compositions have been sung by other vocalists around the world, and she was recently crowned the Grand Prize Winner of the 2021 John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the Jazz category for her song “Secret Safe”. “Now Pronouncing” was selected as CBC Music’s Top 15 Canadian Jazz Albums of 2021. This album recently became the Vocal Jazz Album of the Year at the 2022 JUNO awards. Her next album, entitled “Featuring”, will be released on La Reserve on November 4th, 2022 and features many great Canadian jazz musicians as guest soloists on each track.
Personnel:
Caity Gyorgy-vocals
Jacob Wutzke-drums
Thomas Hainbuch-bass
Anthony D’Alessandro-piano
Check out: “Robbin’s Nest” “My Cardiologist” Live off the Floor “Tea for Two” “Mean to Me” Live off the Floor “JunoFest Showcase 2022”
This performance is part of the WOMEN IN JAZZ series, sponsored by DIVA INTERNATIONAL, makers of the Diva Cup.
“I’ve seen a lot of guys play Sinatra. Adam’s the best” – QUINCY JONES
Born in Kapuskasing, Adam James obtained his bachelor of music degree from McGill University in jazz studies which prepared him to be ready when Frank Sinatra’s family asked Adam to play the role of the legendary crooner in the first musical about his life following his passing in 1999. Adam then shared the stages with Ray Charles, Tony Bennett and Liza Minnelli while he was living in Montreal. With New York calling, Adam studied jazz singing with Mark Murphy and performed in one of the longest running off-Broadway shows of all-time, Our Sinatra. National tours and symphony pops shows took him to California where he made his home in the hills of Hollywood where he spent his time and creative energies performing, co-writing and co-producing music for The Olympics, TV and films.
Personnel (last time):
Check out: “The Way You Dance Tonight” “What a Wonderful World” “Song for a Winter’s Night”
Web site: www.adamjames.us
Toronto jazz scene since 1969. He first came to prominence with Time Warp in the early 1980’s
with his solid tone and deep blues influences. His style ventures to soulful Coltrane-inspired
tenor playing and can also step outside to play magnificently in free and experimental jazz
contexts. Bob leads his own quartet and has also played with everyone of note on the Toronto
Jazz scene including Tenor Madness, Richard Underhill, Bill King’s Saturday Night Fish Fry,
The Wayne Gilpin Singers, Jim Galloway, The Jive Bombers, and with visiting international
stars such as Natalie Cole, Tony Bennett and Gladys Knight.
The Bob Brough Quartet opened for The Herbie Hancock All Star Band on Opening Day at the
2004 Ottawa International Jazz. Bob’s recordings can be heard frequently on Canadian and
international radio stations.
Bob continues to excite and amaze audiences with his big rich tone and deeply emotional
interpretations of standard and original compositions. He is a major player in a number of busy
local Toronto ensembles. The Barbara Jordan Swing Septet, The Peter Hill Quintet, The Jive
Bombers, The George Koller Quartet, The Laura Hubert Band, The Greg Pilo Quartet, and the
annual Christmas concert with The Wayne Gilpin Singers, are just some of the established
groups and organizations for which Bob Brough fans can experience his unique and passionate
style of jazz and blues.
On December 3rd 2023, Bob was presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award from The
Toronto Musicians Association.
photo credit: Gary Taylor
Juno Award winning Stretch Orchestra routinely traverses a wide gamut of musical styles—from jazz to rock to folk—often within a single tune. Their eclectic approach reflects the diverse musical background of each member of the group. Individually, Kevin Breit, Matt Brubeck, and Jesse Stewart have entertained the multitudes in many ports and have performed/recorded with the likes of Tom Waits, Norah Jones, Sheryl Crow, k.d Lang, Hugh Laurie, Roswell Rudd, Pauline Oliveros, and William Parker among others. Together, they form one of the most musically adventurous, exciting, and tallest trios around.
Personnel:
Kevin Breit-guitar
Matt Brubeck-cello
Jesse Stewart-drums
Check out: “Ottawa Jazz Festival” “At the Record Centre” “Stretch Orchestra”
Photo Credit: Graham Powell
This performance is part of the WOMEN IN JAZZ series, sponsored by DIVA INTERNATIONAL, makers of the Diva Cup.
“Mario Bakuna, a sparkling guitarist, plays with palpable feeling – his virtuosic fluency on the fretboard is controlled and flourishes are perfectly placed. His voice has a texture like heavy cloth” – Songlines Magazine
Mario Bakuna is a London-based Brazilian composer, arranger, singer and guitar player, with twenty years of professional experience. A graduate of the Free University of Music in Sao Paulo, Brazil, he studied with musicians such as Olmir Stocker, Roberto Sion and Roberto Bomilcar (the pianist who played with Frank Sinatra during his visit to Brazil). In Brazil, Mario Bakuna has played alongside the trombonist Itacir Bocato, guitarist Renato Consorte, and pianist Nelson Aires, to name a few.
Mario Bakuna’s study focuses on the development of a music repertoire inspired by the greats of Afro-Brazilian Music, Samba, Jazz and Bossa Nova. In addition to developing new arrangements of music by enshrined Brazilian artists as Tom Jobim, Dorival Caymmi, Paulo Moura, and João Donato, in recent years he has been working on reinterpretations of Samba Jazz: a musical genre that emerged in Rio de Janeiro in the 1950s and was led by musicians like Luiz Eça, Tamba Trio, and Edson Machado. Their repertoire was based on Brazilian Standards with more sophisticated harmonies inspired by the Post-Bossa Nova movement.
Mario widely performs in Europe at distinguished venues and festivals alongside artists such as Jean Toussaint, Liam Noble, Ricardo dos Santos, Edmundo Carneiro, Cacau Queiroz, Alain Jean Marie, Dudu Penz, and Filó Machado.
The concerts of his albums ‘Where Rio de Janeiro Meets Bahia’ and ‘Brazilian Landscapes’ toured 18 European countries, Brazil, Madagascar, and Azerbaijan, with sold-out concerts and great acclaim.
Lineup:
Mario Bakuna on acoustic guitar and vocals
Roberto Occhipinti on bass
Mark Kelso on drums
Juan Carlos Medrano on percussion
Check out: “Melancia” “Aqui, Oh” “Live in Budapest”
Originally from Victoria BC, pianist and composer Kate Wyatt is now considered one of the top tier jazz musicians in the city of Montreal. She has been praised as having “musical ideas and a style of playing and writing that is on par with the current jazz piano elite: Mehldau, Yaron Herman, Shai Maestro, Fred Hersch.”, and has been hailed as “one of the top artists of Montreal, Quebec, or even Canadian jazz.” (Cardin/Brunet, panm360.com).
In July 2022 Wyatt released her debut album “Artifact” to excellent critical reviews. leading a quartet whose effortless chemistry fosters deep interaction and high intensity. As one reviewer described, “Artifact is filled with melody, spirit, and a joy for playing together that brings the listener hope. This album is a gem. Highly recommended!!” (Richard Kamins, Step Tempest)
She has a passion for improvisation and innovation, and strives for a high level of sensitivity and interaction in her performances. Her music has been recognized with awards from the Canada Council for the Arts, FACTOR, and the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. She has recently been asked to join the faculty at JazzWorks Canada.
Personnel:
Check out: “Succession” “Artifact” “Going to the Sun”
This performance is part of the WOMEN IN JAZZ series, sponsored by DIVA INTERNATIONAL, makers of the Diva Cup.