Results for "Toronto"

Fred Spek

Born: 1959

After hearing Boots Randolph and Louis Jordan on the cab radio, this ex 18-wheel truck driver ditches the stress of the road and picks up a saxophone. Lack of formal musical training can't stop a good guy from succeeding by being "bad". If Tiny Tim could do it, why not him and so Fred Spek trades the gear-shift for the wood-wind. He now leads and writes for his zany bachelor-pad lounge quartet CaMp CoMbO. Sax/singin', organ, guitar and drums.

Ilana Waldston

Born: May 25

Ilana Waldston is not just a singer but a consummate storyteller, bringing her extensive theatre training into the world of jazz music. Whether she’s breaking your heart with a beautiful ballad, moving you out of your seat with a swinging standard or tickling your funny bone with the unusual comedic songs for which she’s best known; an evening with Ilana and the Jazz ‘n’ Laughs Band is a guaranteed good time. Her debut album, “I Could Laugh Out Loud”, was released to wide acclaim. An eclectic collection of songs, Ilana’s deft touch on vocals, with stunning arrangements played by some of the finest musicians in the country, make listening to the album a journey to remember.

June Garber

Born: March 29

From the early age of four June Garber dreamed of a life on the stage, but her parents had conflicting ideas. Born in Johannesburg, South Africa, it wasn’t until she came to Canada in 1975 that she was able to pursue her career as a singer and an actor. As an actor, June performed in theatres across Canada, and her stagecraft is still evident in her singing performances today. Watching June sing, you feel as if she is singing directly to you. Her sheer joy at being on stage envelopes you, pulls you close and encircles you with her warmth! Every song that she chooses to sing connects to a base truth within – so there is never any artifice

Rebecca Hennessy

Born: 1982

Rebecca Hennessy is an award-winning Canadian trumpeter, vocalist, composer and bandleader. As a leader and co-leader, Rebecca has released eight albums to date and has toured Mexico, Panama, Sri Lanka, Europe, USA and extensively in Canada. She has also performed and recorded with internationally recognized artists including Adele, Ron Sexsmith, Andy Kim, Owen Pallett, Broken Social Scene, Feist, Ab Baars and Ken Vandermark. Her most recent album, All The Little Things You Do, is a beautifully written, performed and produced album that features Kevin Breit, Michael Herring, Tania Gill and Dave Clark as the band

Myriad3

Myriad3 was an accident. Chris Donnelly, Daniel Fortin, and Ernesto Cervini had never played together until a few substitutions and a twist of fate put them on stage together for the first time in late 2010. Since then, the trio has been making music in every jazz club in the Greater Toronto Area. The band is a true collective. Each member acts simultaneously as a leader and a sideman. They play mostly original music that features different aspects of jazz improvisation, ensemble playing and contemporary composition. Myriad3 is modern jazz, meets classical, meets pop, meets Oscar Peterson. In November 2012, Myriad3 released their debut album, Tell on Universal/Alma Records. FRENCH TRANSLATION: Myriad3 n’était pas fait exprès

Derek Gray

Born: October 24, 1989

At 22 years-old, Derek Gray has established himself as an up-and-coming drummer and percussionist on the Canadian music scene. In the spring of 2011, Derek completed a Bachelor of Contemporary Music Degree at Humber College where he studied with Mark Kelso. In addition, Derek played drums in the school’s flagship ensemble, the Humber Studio Jazz Ensemble, directed by Denny Christianson. As a member of this ensemble, Derek performed with legendary bassist Dave Holland in March 2011. In Toronto, Derek works extensively as a bandleader, composer, and sideman performing regularly with a variety of projects, including Tesseract, Gray Matter (a quintet that he co-leads with his brother, bass player Justin Gray), and Monsoon (an Indo- Jazz ensemble). In 2008, Derek founded the Hand Drumming in the Schools program in which he voluntarily travels to schools in the greater Toronto area and facilitates hand-drumming workshops for students of all ages

Sound Convincer

Born: February 19, 1968

Laura Marks

Laura Marks sings with the same quiet intensity and sensuality that informs her paintings. Her cool, restrained style draws the listener into a shared intimacy. Coming from an artistic family, she has been singing all her life and was exposed to classical music, jazz, folk, rock and blues at a very early age. Over the last few years Laura has performed jazz and Latin music at various clubs around Toronto including The Rex, The Reservoir Lounge, Hugh’s Room, Lula Lounge, The Trane Studio, 120 Diner, Jazz Bistro, Music In The Atrium, The Kingston House, Free Times Café, Mandy's Bistro, Ten Feet Tall and the Emmet Ray

Melissa Lauren

Born: July 24, 1980

Melissa Lauren is an accomplished young singer and songwriter making her mark in the Toronto music scene. With a strong influence in jazz and blues, Melissa has developed an original style of her own melting together old school sounds with modern flare. Melissa’s latest album, “The Other Side”, will be released in March and is a collection of original compositions and standards. A tribute to the jazz and swing sounds that shaped her musical style, the album offers a variety of classic sounds, mixed with modern pop sensibilities. The singer’s love for swing and jazz music started when she started performing with the Toronto All-Star Big Band; she continued singing with them until 2004

Andrew Boniwell

Born: January 28, 1955

Andrew has been a professional piano player on the Toronto jazz scene since 1980. A frequent participant in the Downtown Toronto Jazz Festival he has also appeared at the Distillery Jazz Festival, JVC Jazz Festival, Guelph Jazz Festival and the Barrie Jazz Festival. Andrew has performed with the Juno award-winning contemporary jazz orchestra NOJO, and plays with many of Toronto's finest jazz musicians including Richard Underhill (JUNO winner 2003), Mike Murley (multiple JUNO winner), Kevin Turcotte, Michael Occhipinti (NOJO), Barry Romberg and Quinsin Nachoff (now based in NYC). Andrew newest project is his quintet, Andrew Boniwell and The Uncertainty Principle