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Aretha Tillotson

Aretha Tillotson is a Canadian bassist, band leader and composer.As a jazz musician, Aretha has played across North America with Kris Davis, Francesca Remigi, Allan Chase, Josh Rosen, and Jeff Antoniuk. In 2023, she performed as a member of Ingrid and Christine Jensen’s quintet, and recorded her first album in March for a release in October. As a session musician, Aretha and has toured with Universal artist Mick Flannery, she has worked as touring/resident bassist on the Broadway rendition of SIX. She will continue her work with SIX as the bassist for Mirvish Theatre’s residency in Toronto.

Aretha was honoured to receive a presidential scholarship in 2020 to attend Berklee's Global Jazz Masters program, receiving an individual mentorship with John Patitucci as well as studying with Linda May Han Oh, Joe Lovano, and Danilo Perez., she received her Masters of Music in 2022 Summa Cum Laude in jazz performance.

Aretha resides as faculty as a bass/masterclass professor at MacEwan University, splitting her time between Edmonton, Toronto, and Boston.

Aretha Tillotson: Sad Junie (to Highway Jake)

by John Chacona
December 11, 2025

the average fan living south of the 49th Parallel knows anything about jazz in Canada, it might begin and end with Oscar Peterson and Diana Krall. Yes, Toronto is emerging as a great jazz city and there are all those players from Nanaimo, but in between, nothing, right? Bassist Aretha Tillotson is here to explode that notion (politely, of course; she's Canadian). Her second release, wryly entitled Kinda Out West, is a valentine to the prairie provinces by way of ...

Radio & Podcasts

New Music From Tillotson, Christelis, Eckemoff, Torres & More

by Bob Osborne
December 4, 2025

This episode includes recent studio releases, live recordings, and archival material spanning solo, trio, and large ensemble formats. The programme features work from Canada, the UK, the US, the Netherlands, and Israel, with contributions structured around ballad forms, extended improvisation, rhythmic studies, and ensemble arrangements. Albums range from self-released projects to material issued by independent jazz imprints.Playlist Aretha Tillotson “Lullaby To Those Before" from Kinda Out West (Bent River Records) 00:00 Harry Christelis “Explorations Of One's Self Inside ...

Album Review

Joel Jeschke: Time & Place

Read "Time & Place" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
January 5, 2025

Joel Jeschke, a versatile Canadian drummer from Edmonton, Alberta, has made a name for himself across multiple genres, from rock to jazz. Having performed and recorded with numerous artists including rock bands like Royal Tusk and Whale and the Wolf as well as modern jazz artists such as Aretha Tillotson and the Stephanie Urquhart Quartet, Jeschke now turns his attention to his debut album as a composer and bandleader, Time & Place. This album proves he is not just another ...

Album Review

Francesca Remigi: The Human Web

Read "The Human Web" reviewed by Troy Dostert

by Troy Dostert
June 13, 2022

Drummer Francesca Remigi describes herself as a “polyhedric" percussionist, and a careful listen to her sophomore release, The Human Web, indicates that the adjective is entirely apt. Possessing not only impressive technique but also undeniably ambitious compositional abilities, Remigi's many-sided creativity is amply manifest on the eight far-ranging pieces on this endlessly surprising, and often stirring, album. Remigi has broad conceptual interests here, with particular emphasis on social media's detrimental impact on self and society. It's a multifaceted ...