Blog Archive

                                                            Photographs were taken by Meghan Smith / Awkward Arts Co. Bassist Mark Godfrey is quickly becoming one of the new faces in Canadian jazz.  Hailing from …

Continue reading

Francesco Cafiso was born in Sicily.  He was successful musically from a young age: he played duets with pianist Franco D’Andrea at the 2002 Umbria Jazz Festival, toured Europe with trumpeter Wynton Marsalis at the age of 14, made his playing debut in the United States in 2004 and the following year recorded the album …

Continue reading

  Three strong women plus a pianist born on International Women’s Day take the stage for the long-awaited release tour of Fawn Fritzen’s “How to Say Sorry and Other Lessons“. This musical tour de force fuses this Yukon-based singer songwriter truth bombs with the harmonic richness of jazz. Co-written with her life partner, JUNO-winning pianist and composer David Restivo, the album explores themes …

Continue reading

  Robert Fekete is a Canadian Jazz pianist who has been performing throughout the province of Ontario with various artists for the past 36 years. He is a graduate of the Master of Music degree from the University of Toronto. Robert is a composer with two self-titled releases: “Ternary”, and “Transition”, and has composed for …

Continue reading

“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 …

Continue reading

Between Art Blakey’s 6 member Jazz Messengers and the stylings of the modern 18 piece big band sits the idea of a jazz collective. From the imagination of Oliver Nelson, Art Pepper, Gil Evans, Carla Bley and others, the concept of a medium-sized jazz ensemble was inspired as a harmonically intimate yet stylistically impactful musical experience for both …

Continue reading

Photo Credit: Summer Leigh Jessica Lalonde partners with Juno award winning pianist Adrean Farrugia to bring a magnetic approach to classic jazz and fresh twists on popular modern day classics. Recently listed by Jazz FM91 as one of “8 Canadian Women in Jazz You Need to Know”, Jessica Lalonde has spent her life exploring music …

Continue reading

  Wild Blue Herons (WBH) are the magnetic husband-and-wife duo of Bill Sample (piano/keys) and Darlene Cooper (vocals). They embrace a broad sound from groove oriented jazz with a pop/gospel twist, to intimate ballads by the great ladies of jazz. Bill’s emotional, playful and meticulous accompaniment added to Darlene’s “rich stunning vocals, where every note …

Continue reading

A unique blend of Swing, Gypsy, Bebop and more, Charlotte McAfee-Brunner and her Fireflies will take you on a toe-tapping journey to their favorite places. Exciting bebop Clarinet, swinging Trombone, firey gypsy Guitar and engaging basslines come together in a beautiful way you might not expect. Bandleader, trombonist and vocalist Charlotte McAfee-Brunner interprets the lyrics …

Continue reading

 Photo credit: James Rhodes The Karl Silveira Quintet is a contemporary jazz ensemble that features the original music of Karl Silveira. The music is influenced by many of his musical heroes including Thelonious Monk, Lennie Tristano, Mark Turner and Wayne Shorter. Karl is also inspired by contemporary visual art and aims to create an introspective …

Continue reading