Results for "Instrumental Jazz"

Nancy Walker

Nancy Walker Biography

Pianist and composer Nancy Walker has been recognized with honours Canada-wide, including the Montréal Jazz Festival’s Grand Prix de Jazz, the National Jazz Awards Keyboardist Of The Year Award, a JUNO nomination for Instrumental Album Of The Year, and an induction into the Mississauga Music Walk Of Fame. A dynamic improviser, an artful composer and a responsive accompanist, Nancy has been praised both for her work as a solo artist and as a musical collaborator. As a side player she can be heard on a wide range of recordings, by artists from saxophonist Kirk MacDonald to vocalist Emilie-Claire Barlow to children’s entertainer Raffi. More recently she can be heard on the 2024 recording Here’s To Life by John Neudorf (on which she was both pianist and co-producer), and Sarah Jerrom’s 2025 JUNO-nominated Magpie.

Andrea Zacchia

Andrea Zacchia, born in 1984, is a jazz guitarist and composer who seamlessly blends melodic sensitivity and innovative sound research. He honed his craft at the University of Music in Rome and Fonderia delle Arti, developing a distinctive musical language that effortlessly spans modal jazz, post-bop, and contemporary influences. As a leader, Zacchia has two albums to his name and a track record of diverse collaborations. He has graced stages and studios alongside esteemed musicians and has collaborated with diverse  Italian brands of music gear.

Sugar Bomb

Active since: 2023

Sugar Bomb is an instrumental groove jazz trio formed in 2023 in Asheville, NC. 
Known for their dynamic range in taste and performance, they are often described as modern, playful, and refreshing. The trio consisting of Jacob Bruner (keyboards), Eli Kahn (bass/guitar), and Joe Enright (drums) draw from a wide range of influences spanning classical and jazz to fusion, hip hop, and electronic music. Often categorized as jazz for simplicity’s sake and perhaps highlighting their love for improvisation, Sugar Bomb creates a genre-defying kaleidoscope of musical expression through sensitive, yet high-energy performance and composition.

Carlos Alberto Jiménez

Born: April 13, 1978

Jazz guitarist and composer, Carlos Jiménez is a sought-after musician and educator on the Montreal jazz scene. He has shared the stage with some of the most expressive names of Canadian jazz. His versatility and ability to play multiple styles on both electric and classical instruments has made him a first-choice guitarist for many recording and touring projects. Along with his work as a sideman, Carlos Jiménez has produced and released four albums as a leader and has been involved in a variety of productions ranging from jazz, Brazilian music, and popular music. A recipient of both composition and recording grants, in 2009 he received a studying grant from the Canada Council for the Arts to study with American guitarist Adam Rogers, in New York

Stabe Wilson

Stabe Wilson: A Saxophonist Extraordinaire

Passionate, soul-stirring, and eclectic—these adjectives perfectly capture the essence of saxophonist Stabe Wilson's musical journey. Hailing from Oakland, California, Stabe's love affair with the saxophone began at the tender age of ten. By eleven, after a captivating performance at his father's church, he knew his calling was to share his extraordinary talent with the world. 

Stabe honed his craft studying music at Chabot Community College, College of Alameda, and San Francisco State University. At the College of Alameda, he had the privilege of being part of the Big Band under the legendary jazz pianist Bill Bell, which further shaped his musical foundation.

Serra Bilgincan

Born: March 10, 1998

Born in Istanbul in 1998, I attended high school at Üsküdar American Academy, and completed my undergraduate education in architecture at the University of the Arts London: Central Saint Martins.

In my dissertation titled “Space and Sapiens: A Comparison of Philosophical Approaches to the New Cognitive Approaches to Space,”  I compared philosophical propositions regarding the
human-environment relationship with the findings of cognitive sciences. I explored how the combination of the two disciplines could lead to a more
human-centered design.

Since 2020, I have been working as an independent designer and artist. In my work, I follow emotionally provoked intellectual interests—ranging from the origins of life, ancient lives of Homo sapiens, evolution, and the first land settlements, to the agricultural and industrial revolutions, and the inner landscapes of modern humans. My intention is often to weave poetic dialogues between science, philosophy, anthropology.

James Robert Murphy

When exposing the lives of others, we reveal our own fractured personality. When you try to be honest about your take on other people, your own weaknesses and insecurities emerge for all to inspect." This is regarding my embellished memoir, My Life Before I Decided To Commit Suicide.

I have earned an MA from the University of Oklahoma in Administrative Leadership and a BS from the State University of New York with a concentration in Arts Management. I am the principal founding member of the New York State Blues Festival, serving as festival director from 1992-2003, and again in 2013-2014. I co-founded the Syracuse Guinness Irish Festival, serving as festival director from 1999-2003. Both of these community events continue to be popular in Syracuse, NY. 

Ronald Wayne

Ronald Wayne was born in Los Angeles and was raised a mile from Disneyland. Ronald was in a unique place at a unique time in music history. Hendrix, Joplin, The Birds, The Doors, Cream, The James Cotton Blues Band, and Buddy Rich were all there in southern California. But there was one act that stood out, Albert King, BB’s brother, played blues with several sets of jazz. The Hammond B3 player was doing things that The Dave Clark 5 wasn’t, and Ronald fell in love with that instrument and started a lifelong affair with the B3 and jazz. 

His first real band, Summerstock, really wanted to get a gig at Disneyland. Back in the day, they had a stage that came up out of the ground with a band playing. Very cool! But it was 1967, and Disney did not allow any long or facial hair at that time for that wholesome look, so he set out to take the ultimate photo to submit for the job. Hair pinned behind their heads, clean shaven wholesome fellows all. 

Ludwik Konopko

Born: December 7, 1970

Ludwik Konopko - Polish guitarist and composer. He was born in Lviv and has been living in Poland since 1991. He had his first public appearance as a guitarist at the age of 19, when he performed in an orchestra at the Lviv National Philharmonic. In 1989 he co-created his first band Tea Fan Club (TFC), which is still considered today a legendary musical project in Ukraine. In 1999 he created the band Cocotier together with Andrzej Krośniak and in 2002 Ludwik Konopko founded his own Acoustic Travel Band. Both groups performed all over Europe for several years and participated in many musical festivals

Pernille Bevort

Born: April 13, 1966

Pernille Bévort
 - Tenor, soprano and alto saxophone, flutes, clarinets, band leader and composer. 

Danish saxophone player Pernille Bévort has always been a unique person on the Danish jazz scene.
She sets her own marks and stands proudly for her musical conviction. She is known for her intense and creative saxophone playing with everything from duos and trios to big bands. In her music you constantly sense a clear and distinct direction; beautiful sonic timbres, exciting rhythmic and melodic progress and – above all – excellent solos.

Pernille Bévort is a graduate of the Rhythmic Music Conservatory in Copenhagen, Denmark (1989-1993). After completing her degree, she has become increasingly in-demand as a member of various jazz ensembles in Denmark and Sweden.Apart from working with small ensembles, Bévort has performed with several professional Big Bands in Denmark during the last decades: The Ernie Wilkins Almost Big Band, Kroner's New Music Orchestra, The Danish Radio Big Band and the Aarhus Jazz Orchestra (Klüver's Big Band) among others.
As a member of The Ernie Wilkins Almost Big Band and as a frequent substitute with other professional big bands, she has performed with many international artists.
Among these are: Randy Brecker, Tony Coe, Putte Wickman, Tim Hagans, John Scofield and Richard Bona.Since 2015 Pernille has been a regular member of the Swedish Monday Night Big Band in Malmö and from 2016 she has been playing several projects with another Swedish Big Band: the Bohuslän Big Band in Gothenburg. (One of the tours with BBB was in oct. 2017 with Maria Schneider).
She is also part of the new Danish 13-piece ensemble MALUBA with Marilyn Mazur, Fredrik Lundin and Kasper Bai as the 3 co-leaders and composers. This group had its debut during the Jazz festival in Copenhagen 2017.Since 1995 she has been leader of several diverse ensembles.
At present these include her trio, Bévort 3, and the septet Radio Bévort.

Four years in a row (2020-2023) Pernille has been nominated for a Danish Music Awards Jazz within different categories (Composer of the Year, Album of the Year, Cross-aesthetic Album of the Year).