“Yes, guitarist Kevin Breit, cellist Matt Brubeck and drummer-percussionist Jesse Stewart are decidedly tall drinks of water, and together they have cooked up a refreshing new spin on the jazz-rock-world-groove vibe.” – Josef Woodard, Jazz Times In addition to being perhaps the tallest band in Canada (average height =6’5”), Stretch Orchestra is also one of …
“The saxophonist/banjoist’s Down Home is three parts roots music, two parts jazz, one part blues, mixed on a country porch, and, pardon the cliché, it cooks.” – Mark Corroto, All About Jazz (Read Terry Pender’s interview with Petr Cancura right here!) Born in Eastern Europe, brought up in the wilderness of the Great White North, …
Take one listen to the joy and energy of this unpredictable band and try not to get caught up in the excitement. Boom Crane’s rough-and-tumble interplay meets in a place where everything is an option. They veer happily between wide open jazz, the swing tradition and heavy grooves. A trio of long time musical …
Joe Sullivan comes from the Northern Ontario town of Timmins. He grew up in a large Franco-Ontarian family, where music was a part of daily life. He began his formal training on piano and later, at the age of fifteen, started playing the trumpet. During his youth, he led an active musical life that included …
The Big Band Theory had its genesis in Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, without any clear idea where this project might end up. And… WOW! what an explosion of sound when seventeen of Kitchener-Waterloo’s (and beyond) most talented jazzers showed up for that first rehearsal in October 2011. (See our news item about this band HERE!) The band’s …
“two young masters creating dialogues of mesmerizing possibilities.” – Eliseo Cardona. YEP is a highly creative collaboration between two innovative musicians. Each one an imaginative composer, Ehud and Haruka have created, during the past few years, a unique interaction on stage. Their performances have been described by listeners as “captivating” and “fascinating.” The music is …
Norbert Kogging is an unexpected pleasure – a Dutch jazz singer with very American Sinatra-like phrasing and a voice that would not be out of place in a Broadway musical. His music, affectionately described as singer-songwriter jazz, is inspired by artists like Brad Mehldau, John Mayer and David Linx. The songs are intimate, distinct and …
“(Pete Mills) lets you know that straight ahead jazz is alive and well, juiced up even, in the hands of a younger generation” – All About Jazz “Your playing is wonderful and your writing is superb. I love it.” -Jimmy Heath. Toronto native and Ohio resident Pete Mills plays in the straight ahead, post …
“Andrea Marcelli’s music is vibrant and thought-provoking as today’s events” – Wayne Shorter “..Marcelli’s compositions transcend simple melody, transporting the listener to places known and unknown, eliciting hidden emotions” – John Kelman www.allaboutjazz.com Italian drummer Andrea Marcelli plays drums the way Gary Burton plays vibes – music filled with air and space – a European …
“If ever somebody sounded like Art Tatum, it’s him” – Barry Harris “My jaw dropped when I heard him play piano” –Kurt Rosenwinkle “When he first started hanging at Smalls, he’d just sit at the piano and play, and there’d be about 10 piano players gathered about him. Everyone was scared to death to play,” …
