“Dánae Olano represents the future of the music…” — Felix Contreras, National Public Radio

Dánae Olano is a contemporary Cuban piano master, carving her own musical path while exploring the legacy of the giants of jazz music. Born in Havana, Cuba and now based in Toronto, she has recorded and toured internationally and is a founding member of Jane Bunnett & Maqueque.  She has earned a Juno Award  (in 2015 in the Best Jazz Album category with Maqueque)  and a Grammy nomination for the album Oddara .She is the band’s pianist and also sings, composes, and arranges for this renowned ensemble. She has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious jazz clubs, including Birdland, The Blue Note and Bimhuis as well as at top festivals such as the Monterrey, Newport and Saratoga Jazz Festivals in addition to Jazz al Parque in Bogota, Colombia. In 2018 she shared stage with pianists Jason Moran, James Francis, Booker T. Jones and Jane Bunnett as part of NPR’s “A Jazz Piano Christmas”, which was hosted by Felix Contreras at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.  She also performs regularly with Best World Music Juno Award winners OKAN and salsa star Marta Elena. Her debut album with her piano trio was co-produced with Cuban piano legend Hilario Durán.

Personnel: 

Danae Olano-piano
Amhed Mitchel (drums)
Roberto Riveron (bass)

Check out:  “Concerts East”      “Live at Lula Lounge”     “Descarga”   “Jane Bunnett & Maqueque Featuring Danae Olano at Jimmy’s Jazz and Blues Club”

More at: laolanopiano.com

This performance is part of the WOMEN IN JAZZ series, sponsored by DIVA INTERNATIONAL, makers of the Diva Cup.

“Virginia MacDonald is going to turns some heads – she is a powerful new voice in the Canadian scene!” Mike Downes – Juno Award-winning bassist and composer

“Virginia MacDonald is one of the new, upcoming jazz musicians that is hitting the music scene today. Her playing and improvising skills are top-notch, and from the composing that I have heard from her, she is headed to break new ground in this genre of music.” Shelly Berger – Juno Award-winning bassist and composer

Juno Award-winning clarinetist Virginia MacDonald and her quartet will be playing a selection of standards and original music from her upcoming debut album to be released on Cellar Live in 2025. The quartet features Toronto-based pianist Eric Liang and drummer Morgan Childs, and is rounded out by NYC bassist Mark Lewandowski (Wynton Marsalis, Cyrus Chestnut, Joe Chambers).

Check out: “Joe Magnarelli Quintet @ Unterfahrt; Firm Roots Munich”     “Centerpiece”     “Up High Down Low”     Interview with Virginia      “Amypookie”

This performance is sponsored by DIVA INTERNATIONAL, makers of the Diva Cup,  for the” Women in Jazz Series”

Join us for an evening of the sounds of Motown, featuring the rhythm, melodies and heart of the music that shaped a generation.

The Usual Suspects is comprised of some of Canada’s finest session musicians, who are no strangers to the Jazz Room. The band keeps people of all ages grooving through a shared love of the timeless music of the 70s, 80s and 90s. From festivals to theatre and club stages around the world, playing behind artists of all kinds, look close and you just may find …The Usual Suspects.

Chris Rouse is a recording/performing artist-singer-songwriter-producer, inspired by classic funk, soul, R&B, rock and pop artists of all genres, most notably Stevie Wonder and Prince. Chris tours North America as lead singer with Classic Albums Live: Prince & The Revolution  – Purple Rain and Bob Marley’s – Legend Album.

Personnel

Chris Rouse – Vocals/Keys       

Jeff Eager – Guitar/Vocals

Alyssa Dupuis – Bass/Vocals

Astrid Ripepi Keyboards/Vocals

Adam Bowman – Drums/Samples

They will be playing Vocal Bebop and Hardbop, heavily inspired by the Nancy Wilson and Cannonball Adderley Album. It will all be swinging music and mostly standards with a couple of originals. This band sets out to uphold the tradition of the music while bringing their own unique voices and experiences to the table as a younger generation of bebop lovers.

Tymish Koznarsky is a gifted jazz musician from Toronto, Canada. His mastery of the bebop style has had a major influence on the jazz landscape. Koznarsky is renowned for his nuanced and quick-witted improvisations, which take listeners on an engrossing voyage through the diverse and intricate realm of jazz. Koznarsky creates a tapestry of sound that captivates audiences by deftly combining difficult harmonies and complicated melodies with his quick fingers dancing across the keys. His work, with its contagious energy and improvisational flexibility, perfectly captures the essence of bebop. His performances demonstrate his love and devotion to the genre as he deftly maneuvers through intricate melodic landscapes, captivating his audience.

Ale  Avery Nuñez, is a 23 year old award winning vocalist, arranger, songwriter and bandleader based in Toronto, Canada.  Growing up on jazz and soul, Ale’s voice is timeless with a tone that is uniquely her own and a delivery that leaves audiences hanging on to every note. Her influences range from Sarah Vaughan, Carmen Mcrae, Nat King Cole, and Etta Jones .  Ale’s original music hybridizes genre and styles like jazz, folk, pop and soul and is vulnerable and honest. Although Ale has just received her Bachelor of Music degree from Humber College in Toronto, she has been making her mark performing and creating a buzz in music scenes near and far over the past few years.  You can often see her perform at venues such as the Rex, and The Jazz Bistro, as well as Canadian Music Incubator events.  Ale was named “Artist of the Year” by the Toronto Undergraduate Jazz Festival in 2023 and 1st place recipient of the Etobicoke Jazz Festival’s Doc Awards in 2022.  Most recently Ale was selected to participate in JazzFM91’s 2024 Discover Women in Jazz series and the TD Markham Jazz Festival. Ale looks forward to releasing her original music soon and continues to work towards recording an album of beloved Jazz standards she has arranged.

Personnel: 

Check out Tymish: “Martha’s Prize @The Jazz Room”     “Jeannine @ The Jazz Room”

Check out Ale: “Blow Top Blues-JazzFM”   “Stars Fall on Alabama-Live at Django NYC with Benny Benack III”

Concert will feature a mix of standards and originals, and even a couple of Paul Simon tunes.

Originally from Qualicum Beach, B.C., bassist Pat Collins moved to Toronto in 1988 and has become one of the more active bassists on the Canadian Jazz Scene.  Pat has performed with such legendary musicians as Oscar Peterson, Joe Henderson, Dizzy Gillespie, Herb Ellis, Jimmy Cobb and Lee Konitz.  He has also performed with legendary Canadian musicians as Moe Koffman, Rob McConnell, Ed Bickert, Peter Appleyard and Don Thompson.

In January, 2005, Pat released his first CD as a leader, on Cornerstone Records, entitled “In the Moment” featuring some of Canada’s premier jazz musicians, Mike Murley, Reg Schwager and Barry Elmes. The CD has received rave reviews, including “In the Moment is a CD that’s very easy to like”, (Richard Bourcier, JazzReview.com), and “This is a classy contribution to the jazz canon”, (Geoff Chapman, Toronto Star). The Pat Collins Quartet was nominated for a 2005 National Jazz Award as “Acoustic Group of the Year”, “Album of the Year” in 2006, and Pat was nominated as “Acoustic Bassist of the Year” in 2005 and 2006.

In May 2020, Pat released his second CD as a leader.  It’s a trio recording featuring two of Canada’s premier jazz musicians, Tom Szczesniak on accordion, and Reg Schwager on guitar. The album is entitled, “Time Well Spent” and features compositions by all members of the trio, as well as tunes by Paul Simon and Michel Legrand.

Personnel:

Pat Collins-bass
Reg Schwager-guitar
Tom Szczesniak-accordion

www.patcollinsbass.com

Check out:   “Time Well Spent”   “Back Country”

Recognized as “one of the leading jazz musicians in Europe today” (Jazzthetik, Jazz Magazine), pianist Anke Helfrich’s style is characterized by sound sensuality and swinging virtuosity. Nominated for the 2024 German Jazz Prize and the 2024 German Jazz Critics Award, her newest album, “We’ll Rise,” has been hailed for “soaringly beautiful … finely crafted pieces,” (BR2 – Radio), “sophisticated, technically masterful improvisations” (Jazzpodium), and the transformation of “cutting-edge ideas into rousing music” (NDR – Radio)! Inspired by women pioneers in art, science and sport who have courageously defied convention, Helfrich’s “dazzling” tribute album creates intimate portraits through fine declamation, the earthy-spiritual tones of the didgeridoo, and the “moving and gripping music of her outstanding trio” (SWR2 – Radio)

We are delighted to present this trio prior to their concert at the Ottawa Jazz Festival on Friday!

Personnel:

“Supported by :

1. Initiative Musik
2. Bundesbeauftragten für Kultur und Medien (BKM)
3. Jazzverband Baden-Wurttemberg

By age 33, Emmy-nominated Trumpeter and Vocalist Benny Benack III has already become a leading voice in Jazz for his generation, while his trademark ebullience onstage assures his audiences he’s got “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” still to come! His sophomore album sharing that title featured the likes of bass luminary Christian McBride and drummer/producer Ulysses Owens Jr. and even achieved viral online fame w/his vocalese rendition of “Social Call” ft. Veronica Swift that’s been transcribed and covered by singers around the world. He has crooned his way to millions of more listeners alongside groups such as the Grammy-winning “8-Bit Big Band” and YouTube sensation “Postmodern Jukebox”. His third solo album aptly titled “Third Time’s the Charm” ft. fellow stars Emmet Cohen, Peter Bernstein, and Chad LB was released in June 2023 and quickly ascended to #2 on the JazzWeek International Radio Charts.

His double-threat credentials were first apparent when he was a finalist in the Thelonius Monk Competition on trumpet, and then won Third Place in the 2021 Sarah Vaughan Vocal Competition, but his status as a leading voice on both was recently cemented in the 2023 Downbeat Magazine Critics Poll, where he appeared in two categories: The #2 Rising Star Male Vocalist and #15 Rising Star Trumpet. His global recognition has been bolstered by the recent advent of live-streaming concerts, both through his weekly residency at Smalls Jazz Club, as well as frequent appearances at fellow young lion Emmet Cohen’s “Emmet’s Place” online series. He has emerged from the pandemic as one of the most in-demand touring artists in the Jazz world, headlining clubs and festivals internationally with his unique brand of indefatigable panache on full-display wherever the music takes him next.

Anthony D’Alessandro is a pianist, composer, arranger, and bandleader based in Toronto, Ontario. His own bands have been showcased in many notable venues and festivals across Canada including the Jazz Bistro, the Toronto Summer Music Festival, the Jazz Sudbury Festival, and the Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar, among others. He regularly performs alongside a who’s who of Canada’s great jazz musicians including Neil Swainson, Reg Schwager, Caity Gyorgy, Kevin Turcotte, and Ernesto Cervini, and has worked with NYC based musicians such as Benny Benack III, Alexander Claffy and Joe Farnsworth.

Anthony’s music has also taken him throughout the United States and Europe including performances at festivals in Iowa, Florida, New York City, and composition at the Casalmaggiore International Music Festival in Casalmaggiore, Italy. In 2023, Anthony toured Canada from coast to coast with two-time JUNO winning vocalist Caity Gyorgy. Anthony’s debut full length album Searchin’ will be out in April 2024 featuring original music presented by an all-star cast of NYC’s Benny Benack III, Caity Gyorgy, Ernesto Cervini, and Neil Swainson.

Personnel:

Anthony D’Alessandro-piano
Benny Bennack III-trumpet and vocals
Jonathan Chapman-bass
Ernesto Cervini-drums

Check out: “The Golden Mean”     “Third Time’s the Charm”      “At Birdland NYC”