The Yamaha All-Stars is a star-studded jazz quintet that was put together by Yamaha Canada Ltd
for a promotional video shot at the Rex Hotel & Blues Bar back in November of 2024. The
group featured a who’s who of the Canadian jazz scene – Robi Botos on piano, Mark Kelso on
drums, Mike Downes on bass, Tara Davidson on saxophones and rounded out by guitarist Ralf
Buschmeyer on guitar. The group played compositions by all 5 musicians which created a
unique blend of sound and style. Mark Kelso decided this group was too good to only play that
one time, so he decided to continue the group and named it after the company that has supported
these players for so many years. For this concert, the incredible Luis Deniz will be playing
saxophones. The awards and recordings between these 5 musicians are too numerous to mention,
but their names should already be known to you. Look forward to an incredible night of
musicianship and performance with the Yamaha All-Stars.
Personnel:
Mark Kelso-drums
Mike Downes-bass
Luis Deniz-saxophone
Ralf Buschmeyer-guitar
Robi Botos-piano
