Matt Lagan is a highly sought after saxophonist and composer, has been recognized as an Emerging Jazz
Artist by the Toronto Art’s Council and is the 2017 winner of the Hnatyshyn’s Oscar Peterson Award. He frequently tours across the globe as a member of the iconic Shuffle Demons.
James Fernando has been ailed as a “prodigiously gifted compose rand virtuoso pianist,” (World Music Report) He is currently a Strathmore Artist in Residence. The Baltimore-based Fernando first encountered Matt Lagan in 2017 while recording an album in Toronto, and the two immediately had a personal and musical rapport.
Their recent CD, “The Grind”, is the result of an international collaboration during the pandemic. Preparations for the August 2021 recording in Toronto included zoom rehearsals and the exchange of ideas and recordings over email. Lagan and Fernando composed all of the pieces.
