Results for "Canada"

Philippe Massé

Born: January 20, 2000

Philippe Massé is a Montreal jazz double bassist and composer who incorporates elements of Middle Eastern, Latin and sometimes metal music, creating his own unique style. 

Philippe studied at Cégep Marie-Victorin and Université of Montréal, where he was mentored by Pierre-Alexandre Maranda, Sébastien Pellerin and Frédéric Alarie. In 2020, Philippe founded his trio with the aim of pushing back the boundaries of Modern Western jazz, incorporating elements of Oriental music to create a unique musical style close to his idols.

It wasn't until 2023 that he formed his final trio with university colleagues Sacha Desjardins on the piano and Alexandre Massé on the drums, resulting in his first album, Le vent, to be released in 2025. 

Holly Cole: Kiss Me Quick

by John Chacona
February 4, 2025

Hands up everyone who thinks there should be more vibes solos on Elvis Presley covers. Though press materials don't credit the player, they identify Kevin Breit as the guitarist (was there any question?) on this Western Swing-flavored chart of the 1961 Doc Pomus / Mort Shuman song. Holly Cole sings it with just the right proportion ...

Brûlez les meubles: The Guitar and Bass Duo Who Threw Away the Script

by Lawrence Peryer
January 7, 2025

The name Brûlez les meubles carries a wry irony. While it literally means “burn the furniture" in English, the Québec duo playfully inverts the common French phrase “sauver les meubles" (preserve the essential). This tension between preservation and reinvention defines their artistic approach, especially on their latest album Folio #5 (Tour de Bras/Circum-Disc, 2024).

Stefan Smulovitz: Painting Music, Making Light

by Lawrence Peryer
December 20, 2024

Stefan Smulovitz sits in his Roberts Creek studio, studying a delicate watercolor painting of circles and mountain forms. A gong rests nearby, ready to echo the round shapes that dance across the page. This is how “The Pier," the opening track of his album Bow & Brush (RedShift, 2024), came to life, finding musical gestures within ...

Dan Fortin Built 'Cannon' From the Bass Up

by Lawrence Peryer
November 16, 2024

Bassist Dan Fortin recorded much of his album Cannon (Elastic Recordings, 2024) in a Calgary condo during the early months of the pandemic, armed with just an electric bass guitar. What started as sketches for a solo record evolved into a series of remote collaborations with musicians across Canada, including saxophonist Karen Ng, vibraphonist Michael Davidson, ...

Brent Jarvis

Born: April 10, 1978

Brent Jarvis is a Canadian jazz pianist and composer.

Following in a tradition of lyrical, dynamic, and rhythmically complex piano players; Brent’s work has been described as: “captivating... a collaboration between the sensual and the intellectual... music that sparks the senses and transcends genres” (Laura Fernandez - JAZZ.FM91 Toronto), and "romantic but never cloying” (Katie Malloch - CBC Jazz Beat). Brent studied music at the University of Toronto (BMUS JAZZ Performance) and musicology at the University of Victoria (MA Musicology), and is now a professor in the Music Department at Vancouver Island University and was Chair of the department from 2022 to 2024.

Joel Jeschke

Born: April 24, 1995

Joel Jeschke is a sought-after drummer and band member across multiple genres, from rock to jazz. Having performed and recorded with countless artists including rock bands such as Royal Tusk (MNRK Records) and Whale and the Wolf, to modern jazz  artists; Aretha Tillotson, Stephanie Urquhart Quartet and Brett Hansen. Joel now turns his attention to his debut album as a composer and bandleader on “Time & Place”.

Joel's debut album, "Time & Place" is a study in balance, asymmetric time signatures gently tempered by an unpronounced visceral pulse and manic dissonance consoled by yearning melodies

Shawn Mativetsky: A Tabla Adventure Through Temporal Waves

by Lawrence Peryer
October 19, 2024

D.D. Jackson: I Call

by John Chacona
October 15, 2024

"I Call" is a poem about the immigrant's dilemma of identifying with two places but fully inhabiting neither, using the refrain, “a place that doesn't exist" to name this condition. Yet Quebec-born Toronto poet Choucri Paul Zemokhol's family came to Canada from the Middle East, a place that, even in the interval since the poem's publication ...

Brett Hansen

Born: May 21, 1993

Brett Hansen is a Canadian guitarist/composer/producer based in Edmonton. He has recorded on dozens of albums across many genres. Brett has shared the stage with the likes of Robi Botos, Gil Goldstein, PJ Perry, Mallory Chipman, the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra, and many others. He is an active sideman having opened up for bands such as Blue Rodeo, AQUA, and Blue Oyster Cult.

On his debut album Confluence, guitarist Brett Hansen and his band weave their way through twelve original compositions, traversing folk inspired melodies, sprawling ambience, gentle ballads, and rock inspired epics