Results for "Canada"

Francois Bourassa

François Bourassa—now with ten albums of original music under his belt—has become an ambassador for Canada’s thriving jazz community at an international level. A paragon of both consistency and evolution, he continues to seek out new challenges for himself, his colleagues, and his growing community of listeners. On April 16, 2021, Bourassa released his first solo piano album L’Impact du silence and is releasing “Swirl”, a new live album with his Quartet on July 7th, 2023.

Bourassa’s talent was initially recognized by the Festival international de jazz de Montréal in 1985, kickstarting his trio’s recording and performing career throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. In 1996, Bourassa’s trio joined forces with saxophonist and flutist André Leroux. Bourassa’s eponymous quartet has been a staple of Montreal’s artistic landscape for 25 years. The band features founding bassist Guy Boisvert, longtime saxophonist André Leroux, and Guillaume Pilote as the most recent addition.

Bartosz Hadala Group Releases 'Three Short Stories'

April 30, 2020

Polish-Canadian pianist and composer Bartosz Hadala is thrilled to announce the release of his new jazz album, Three Short Stories, the highly- anticipated follow-up to his critically- acclaimed and successful debut jazz album, The Runner Up (featuring Randy Brecker & Antonio Sanchez). Three Short Stories invites the listener to share Hadala's deeply personal journey through a ...

L’Équipe Spectra cancels the 2020 International de Jazz de Montréal

April 14, 2020

Due to the coronavirus pandemic and following the measures imposed by government authorities, which include cancelling non-essential activities and restricting entry of non-residents to the territory, L'Équipe Spectra announces that the 2020 editions of Les Francos de Montréal (scheduled for June 12) and the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal (scheduled for June 25) will not ...

Dominique Fils-Aimé: Princess of Peace

by Kevin Press
March 24, 2020

Montreal's Dominique Fils-Aimé is two albums into a trilogy exploring African American music and culture. Stay Tuned! is a smooth-as-silk jazz vocal disc with broad appeal. It was shortlisted by the 2019 Polaris Music Prize selection committee, and named jazz album of the year at the ADISQ First Gala, a Quebec-based industry event.Her debut, ...

Matthew Steckler

Born: July 4, 1974

Matthew Steckler, aka Matty Stecks, performs and composes in several musical settings internationally. Since Fall 2017, he is on the faculty in Jazz & Contemporary Popular Music at the renowned Brandon University School of Music in Canada. Primarily a saxophonist/woodwind specialist, he also performs on vocals, keyboards, percussion and electronic media, bringing a dynamic, holistic approach to the live musical experience. His Musical Tramps project on Ropeadope Records features Canada’s Keith Price, Eric Platz, Matt Kozicki and special guests, and is a research-based exploration in jazz, popular, film and electroacoustic music idioms. As a composer and bandleader, Matthew has been recognized for his seminal work with the projects Dead Cat Bounce and Persiflage (Innova and Cuneiform labels), which made Best CD lists in Downbeat & Jazz Times, and earned commissions from Chamber Music America, Meet the Composer and American Composers Forum

Trumpeter Lina Allemano branches out

by John Eyles
March 8, 2020

Nowadays, Canadian-born-and-educated trumpeter, composer and bandleader Lina Allemano commutes between Toronto and Berlin, as she has flourishing bands in each location. In Toronto, her acoustic Lina Allemano Four released its first album in 2003, on her own Lumo records, and has had a stable line-up of trumpet, alto sax, bass and drums since 2005, which has ...

Tom Foster

Born: March 6, 1956

Tom Foster attended North Texas State University majoring in percussion and Jazz Education. He has appeared in many television, radio, and theater performances and has performed on a variety of recordings including film scores (Bye Bye Blues), albums, and jingles.

Tom toured Canada and Europe with the Edmonton Jazz Ensemble (EdJE), winners of the 1988 Alcan Jazz Competition, and toured Japan and mainland China in 1983 with the Tommy Banks Quintet.

He has performed with a host of notable international musicians including:

Pepper Adams, Sonny Stitt, Mose Allison, Art Farmer, Nat Adderley, Kenny Wheeler, Red Holloway, Frank Foster, Gene Bertoncini, Mark Murphy, Herb Ellis

Florian Hoefner

Born: August 29, 1982

Born and raised in Germany, trained in New York City and now based in Canada, Juno Award-winning jazz pianist and composer, Florian Hoefner, draws from a myriad of influences that culminate in his unique brand of modern jazz. Praised as a “composer-bandleader of insightful resolve” by the New York Times and a “harmonically daring pianist … reaching toward new sonic territory” by Downbeat, Florian Hoefner continues to make waves as an inventive creator and performer of exciting contemporary jazz. 

He has released 6 albums under his own name and many more as a sideman. “First Spring,” the debut album with his Canadian trio with Andrew Downing on bass and Nick Fraser on drums has received 2 East Coast Music Awards in 2020 and was nominated for a 2021 JUNO in the category “Jazz Album of the Year: Group.” The trio released its sophomore album, “Desert Bloom” on June 3rd 2022 on Alma Records. It was nominated for 2 East Coast Music Awards and won a Juno Award in 2023. As a touring artist he has played at venues and festivals on 5 different continents and has worked with artists including Kurt Rosenwinkel, Jerry Bergonzi, Norma Winstone, Joe LaBarbera and Seamus Blake. He is the winner of 2 ASCAP Young Jazz Composer Awards and the Stingray Rising Star Award at the Montreal Jazz Festival.

Suresh Singaratnam

Suresh Singaratnam is a trumpeter of uncommon breadth - unique not only for the small crowd he inhabits as a virtuoso of both classical and jazz styles but also for the continuity and clarity of his voice across both idioms. When he began to study the trumpet at age nine, it never occurred to him that he might have to choose between the two. Torontonian by way of Zambia (where he was born) and the U.K., Singaratnam boasts a background that defies classification as nimbly as his artistic taste. In eighth grade he asked a music teacher if she knew of anyone who played both jazz and classical trumpet at a high level and she steered him to Wynton Marsalis, two of whose records he promptly went out and bought

New Orleans’ Next Great Big Thing! Quiana Lynell To Play Toronto's George Weston Recital Hall

December 14, 2019

TO Live presents “New Orleans’ next big thing”—Quiana Lynell—at the George Weston Recital Hall on February 15, 2020. Part of TO Live’s “Jazz at the George” series, all tickets are $35 and are available online at meridianartscentre.com, by calling 416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754, or in person at select TO Live box offices. Winner of the prestigious Sarah ...