Formed during covid quarantine, the Daniel Hersog O Canada Jazz Orchestra is poised to release their first digital video. This video is a remotely recorded and filmed performance of Hersog’s new arrangement of O Canada.
Hersog’s 17-piece ensemble is rife with Juno Award winners, Canadian jazz heavy weights, and even a recipient of the Order of Canada. There are musicians representing all ten Canadian provinces. Formed with the intention of showcasing the comaraderie that exists amongst Canadian jazz musicians in these difficult times, this ensemble delivers a world class, high energy, and infinitely swinging performance of the Canadian National Anthem.
Hersog is currently receiving significant airplay, and international media attention for his newly released album Night Devoid of Stars on the Cellar Music Label.
Daniel Hersog’s O Canada Jazz Orchestra
Christine Jensen – BC/QC ; Remi Bolduc – QC ; Phil Dwyer – BC ; Joel Miller – NB/QC ; Ben Henriques – BC ; Mike Herriott – NL ; Brad Turner – BC ; Bria Skonberg – BC ; Al Muirhead – AB
William Carn – ON ; Dale Sorensen – PEI ; Andrew Jackson – NS Sharman King – BC ; Jocelyn Marie Gould – MB Amanda Tosoff – BC/ON ; Gent Laird – SK ; Mark Kelso – ON
Audio and Video Edited by Ben Henriques
*** BIOs ***
Daniel Hersog
Born in 1985 and raised in Vancouver and Victoria, Hersog has become a vital voice as a trumpeter, composer and arranger. He has toured North America leading large ensembles with such notable musicians as Terry Clarke, Kevin Turcotte, Remy Le Boeuff, Billy Buss, Stuart Mack, Jason Palmer and Kim Cass, as well as Brad Turner, Noah Preminger and Frank Carlberg. Hersog is often featured at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, in addition to performing regularly in his hometown at Frankie’s Jazz Club and Pat’s Pub. As a sideman, he performs with the Vancouver Legacy Jazz Orchestra, Jaelem Bhate Jazz Orchestra, Super Trumpets and Sonny’s Cousin.
A 2016 graduate of New England Conservatory, Hersog won the school’s prestigious Gunther Schuller Medal. He studied with a who’s who of jazz at NEC. Composition teachers included Carlberg, John Hollenbeck, Dave Holland, Ken Schaphorst and Rakalam Bob Moses; he studied trumpet with masters John McNeil, Ralph Alessi and Steve Emery. An instructor himself now, Hersog teaches jazz trumpet at Capilano University, where he also writes for the school’s big band and leads a trumpet ensemble.
*** trumpets ***
Bria Skonberg
Described as “one of the most versatile and imposing musicians of her generation” (Wall Street Journal) she recently sang the music of Aretha Franklin alongside Michelle Williams of Destiny’s Child, played with U2 at the Apollo, sat in with the Dave Matthews band, was a featured guest with Jon Batiste and performed the Star Spangled Banner at Madison Square Garden for a NY Rangers game. A bandleader since her teens, Bria has performed festivals and stages the world over, including New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Monterey Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, and over a hundred more. In 2016 Bria released her debut LP on Sony Masterworks which won a Canadian JUNO award and made the Top 5 on Billboard jazz charts; her music has over 10 million streams on Spotify. A 6x Downbeat Rising Star, further accolades include the Jazz at Lincoln Center Swing Award, Best Vocal and Best Trumpet from Hot House Jazz Magazine and Outstanding Jazz Artist at the Bistro Awards. The “shining hope of hot jazz” (NY Times) has been at the forefront of a revival of classic American music as both a performer and educator, programming concerts and workshops for students of all ages. She has been on faculty at the Teagarden Jazz Camp (2008- present) and Centrum Jazz Camp, performs outreach on behalf of Jazz at Lincoln Center, is currently developing educational activities for the Louis Armstrong House Museum and co-directs the New York Hot Jazz Camp she co-founded in 2015. In 2018 Lincoln Center sought out her leadership for a tribute to the first integrated all female big band, the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, which launched her acclaimed group Sisterhood of Swing. In 2019 she was a featured member of Monterey Jazz Festival on Tour for 26 dates alongside Cecile McLorin Salvant, Christian Sands, Melissa Aldana and Jamison Ross. Bria is a member of the Town Hall Ensemble, an all star cast directed by Steven Bernstein that celebrates the cultural and musical history of New York city.
She tours constantly bringing her own signature sound of fiery trumpet playing and smoky vocals together with storytelling and adventurous concoctions of classic and new.
Originally from the small town of Chilliwack, British Columbia, Bria studied jazz and performance at Capilano University in Vancouver while balancing a full road schedule with two bands. After graduating she traveled extensively, performing in China, Japan and throughout Europe as a featured artist. When she wasn’t traveling, Bria was honing her chops with Dal Richards, Vancouver’s King of Swing. Playing BC Place Stadium at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver capped off this exciting period, with Bria featured at the Paralympics opening ceremony for over 50 000 people. Seeking new challenges, Bria moved to New York city in September of 2010. Upon arrival she went to jam with friends in Washington Square Park and an hour into playing world renowned trumpeter Wynton Marsalis stopped to listen. He gave her a thumbs up.
Al Muirhead
People aspire to be master of many skills and Al Muirhead is one who has accomplished this dream and has no plans of slowing down. Whether it is playing a sweet and melodic trumpet solo, composing and arranging for a big band, small ensemble or orchestra, performing one take sessions on recordings or mentoring young musicians, Al is an inspiration in the Canadian music scene and is known as the “Elder statesman of Jazz Trumpet in Alberta”.
Al has recorded as a sideman on 26 albums and recently released his first solo album featuring himself and old friend Tommy Banks called ‘It’s About Time’. The critically acclaimed album received a JUNO nomination in 2016. Al and Tommy began their friendship when they were 15 and have remained friends and colleagues to this day. As a special guest, Al features Juno winning saxophonist and Order of Canada recipient PJ Perry. All three musicians are featured on Al’s sophmore album ‘Oop!’ released in early 2016.
The lists of musicians with whom Al has performed with speak highly of his skill. Dizzy Gillespie, Guido Basso, Tommy Banks, Diana Krall, Paul Anka, Rosemary Clooney, Frank Mills & P.J. Perry top the lists. In 2008 Al had the honor of recording “All the Stars aren’t in the Sky” with the all-star ensemble; Ted Godwin, Tommy Banks, Ryga Campbell, George Koller and Blaine Wikjord. This limited release is just a sign of things to come for Al.
Throughout the span of Al’s career he has had many milestones and accomplishments that have helped form him to be the musician he is today. Al was a trumpet player in the Regina Symphony, Assistant Conductor with the Regina Police Boy’s Band and opened Arcade Music in Calgary in 1966, which is now known as St. John’s Music. In the 70’s Al was the Music Director for the CBC television show “On Stage” and he toured Japan with the Frank Mills Orchestra. He performed in the 1988 Olympics under Tommy Banks and toured Hungary, Germany and Switzerland with the “New Orleans Connection” Dixieland Band. In the 90’s Al had already been the music director for the Calgary Stampede Youth Talent Show for a decade and continues to hold this position today. He mentored many young musicians, one being Johnny Summers who now leads the Calgary Jazz Orchestra that Al performs in and writes arrangements for. Today Al remains active in the music scene as a performer, clinician, adjudicator, arranger and studio recording artist.
Al has lived through many decades of the music scene and has stories you could listen to for hours. You can listen through his words or the supreme level of musicianship that comes through his trumpet playing. Al is a delight, a rare gem and has a story to be heard.
Mark Herriott
Canadian trumpeter, Mike Herriott, a respected multi-instrumentalist in both the classical and jazz genres, is in demand as a lead trumpeter, jazz improviser, orchestral soloist, bassist, arranger and composer. He has toured extensively through North America and South East Asia and has shared the stage with a host of luminaries, including Maynard Ferguson, Rob McConnell, Doc Severinsen, Arturo Sandoval, Michael Buble, Slide Hampton, Kenny Wheeler, Phil Nimmons, Maria Schneider, Seth MacFarlane and more.
His recording career is diverse, including CDs, radio, television and film soundtracks including the Canadian Brass (JUNO nomination 2011), the Vancouver Winter Olympics Opening and Closing Ceremonies (EMMY WINNER 2011), Michael Bublé, Jann Arden, Paul Brandt, and for Warner, Universal, Sony, Disney, CBC, CTV, and NBC.
As soloist, Mike has performed with the symphony orchestras of Victoria (BC), Vancouver, Calgary, Windsor, Newfoundland, Mississauga, Kingston, Okanagan, Chilliwack, as well as with a number of big bands including Prime Time (Calgary), Hard Rubber Orchestra (Vancouver), Monday Night Big Band (Victoria), Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, Ron Paley Big Band (Winnipeg), University of Sherbrooke Big Band, Jazz East Big Band (St. John’s), the Rolf Becker Big Band (Shanghai), and the JZ Big Band (Shanghai).
He is currently in demand in the studio, in concert, and in the orchestras of musical theatre productions in Toronto. He has toured extensively with a number of musical ensembles as well as with shows such as: West Side Story (Western Canada), 42nd Street (China), Swing! (Japan), Chicago (USA and Canada), Come Fly Away (USA, Canada, Japan), Return to Grace (Thailand, Canada), Jersey Boys (Toronto), Cats (Toronto), Anything Goes (Toronto), Aladdin (Toronto), Wicked (Toronto), and Kinky Boots (Toronto). Also, throughout the year, Mike is often invited to perform as lead trumpet for symphonic pops shows and has appeared in this role with the Vancouver Symphony, Victoria Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Hamilton Philharmonic, and the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa.
Mike has several recordings under his own name, and with New York-based guitarist Sean Harkness in the Harkness-Herriott Duo (H2). November, 2013, brought the release of the Mike Herriott solo CD entitled Off the Road, featuring Mike on a variety of musical instruments and including special guest, 10- time Grammy winner, Arturo Sandoval. His solo album, Isn’t Life Grand, is Mike’s 7th recording as leader/composer/multi-instrumentalist and was released in 2016.
Brad Turner
Brad Turner (M.Mus., University of North Texas, 1992) is a trumpeter, pianist, drummer and composer who is one of Canada’s most in-demand and highly esteemed jazz musicians.
After receiving his Master’s degree in Jazz Performance from the University of North Texas in 1992, Turner returned to Vancouver, and was hired as an instructor of trumpet at Capilano University (then Capilano College).
He has performed and/or recorded with such artists as Joe Lovano, Bill Frisell, Kenny Wheeler, John Scofield, Michael Moore, Reneé Rosnes, Harold Mabern, Jimmy Greene, Ingrid Jensen, Peggy Lee, Dave Douglas, Mike Murley, Seamus Blake, Kenny Werner, Mino Cinelu, Roy McCurdy, Russell Malone and Ernie Watts. Turner’s groups have opened for McCoy Tyner, Roy Haynes, Wayne Shorter, Clark Terry, Diana Krall, Ahmad Jamal and Tony Bennett.
As a leader, Turner has released ten albums, eight as a trumpeter with the Brad Turner Quartet, and two as a pianist with his trio. As a founding member of the multiple juno award winning group Metalwood, he has released six albums.
*** saxes ***
Christine Jensen
Montreal-based saxophonist and composer Christine Jensen has been described as, “an original voice on the international jazz scene… [and] one of Canada’s most compelling composers,” by Mark Miller of the Globe and Mail. According to Greg Buium of Downbeat Magazine, “Jensen writes in three dimensions, with a quiet kind of authority that makes the many elements cohere. Wayne Shorter, Maria Schneider and Kenny Wheeler come to mind.” After a performance at the 2006 Montreal International Jazz Festival, Scott Yanow wrote, “She’s rapidly developing into a major force … as a player and as a writer.”
Jensen is equally at home performing in small and large ensemble settings. Her latest opus, Treelines – The Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra on Justin-Time Records, won her the 2011 Juno Award for Contemporary Jazz Album of the Year, along with Quebec’s Opus Award for jazz recording of the year. Downbeat magazine described it as“…a stunning orchestral debut… ****1/2 stars”. She recently performed at various jazz festivals across Canada as well as at Dizzy’s Jazz Club-Lincoln Center in New York with this ensemble. “Jensen’s formidable orchestra is the glistening sunlight, the tranquility and force of the ocean, and the majestic trees that her music imagines.”-Jazz Times
In a review of Nordic Connect concert at the Rex in Toronto, J.D. Considine of the Globe and Mail described the quintet as: “evoking the lean, cerebral drive of Miles Davis’s classic late-sixties quintet.” He praised the “dynamism and originality of the playing,” and noted that in Christine’s performance style, “ideas mattered more than dazzle.”
Jensen took up roots, leaving Nanaimo for Montreal to get her first degree from McGill University in jazz performance in 1994. She followed this up by completing her Master’s in Jazz Performance in 2006. Christine has honed her skills as a saxophonist under the tutelage of an impressive list of leading musicians including Pat La Barbera, Kenny Werner, Jim McNeely, Remi Bolduc, Dick Oatts and Steve Wilson.
As an adjudicator, clinician, and instructor at McGill, she is influencing the next generation of composers and players. In her travels abroad, she has shared her love of music and invaluable experience with young jazz enthusiasts around the world, from Norway to Peru, Turkey to Montreal, and back home on the West Coast. She has always been active in jazz education, leading clinics and workshops and adjudicating. Over the years, she has collaborated with a diverse array of musicians, including Geoffrey Keezer, Lenny, Pickett, Brad Turner, Karl Jannuska, François Théberge, Gary Versace, Donny McCaslin Steve Amirault, Franck Amsallem, in addition to her long-term musical relationships with sister Ingrid and partner, saxophonist-composer Joel Miller.
Jensen performs and records regularly with her sister Ingrid — they have played together all over the world from Seattle’s Jazz Alley to New York’s Museum of Modern Art, from an SS Norway Jazz Cruise to a tour of Japan in 1997. “There’s definitely yin and yang in our approach. We come from different educational backgrounds in our later periods,” she says. “But we come from thesame place, we grew up together, and there’s a spiritual part of the playing that we’re able to connect like no one else can.”
Noted for her ability to transfer the intimate sound of a quartet into larger ensembles, Jensen’s music has been performed by ensembles around the globe, including the Frankfurt Radio Big Band, Germany; the UMO Big Band, Finland; and the McGill Jazz Orchestra, Montreal. She was honoured with an Opus Award for Jazz Concert of the Year in 2006, from the Quebec Council for the Arts, for leading the 18-member Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra, with special guest Donny McCaslin.
In 2002, Jensen was awarded a six-month composition residency in Paris at the Québec Studio in the Cité Internationale des Arts, sponsored by the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec. Upon her return to Canada, she toured extensively with her quartet, reworking the material that resulted in the recording, Look Left. The strong rapport among band members (pianist Dave Restivo, bassist Fraser Hollins, drummer Greg Ritchie, and frequent guest guitarist Ken Bibace), combined with their shared musical influences, has allowed her music to continually evolve along with her voice as a composer through her original repertoire.
Christine Jensen was born in Sechelt, British Columbia, in 1970, growing up in Nanaimo among some of Canada’s finest musicians, including Phil Dwyer, Diana Krall, blues guitarist, David Gogo, and her sister Ingrid. Her pianist/mother raised her daughters on music, exposing them to everything from Chopin to Broadway to Big Bands. Jensen’s first love was the piano, developing an individual style influenced by two greats: “I freaked out over Oscar Peterson and … Bill Evans was a big epiphany when I was a teenager, as a musician who created an impressionistic sound.”
Once she started studying the saxophone at age 12, she quickly grew to love it as she realized that she could create her own voice through that instrument.
The past few years have kept Jensen busy on the international stage, taking her music to India, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Denmark, Mexico, Sweden, Turkey, and Haiti. In 2007, she performed with her quartet at Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center, as well as at Burlington’s “Discover Jazz” Festival. Jensen is frequently heard across the country live in concert on CBC radio and Radio-Canada’s Espace-Musique
Phil Dwyer
On Dec. 30, 2013 Phil Dwyer was appointed as a Member of the Order Of Canada. He was cited for “his contributions to jazz as a performer, composer and producer, and for increasing access to music education in his community.” In January 2015 he was recognized by the Royal Conservatory of Music as an Honorary Fellow. These distinctions arise from an illustrious thirty year career collaborating with a storied roster of great musical artists, crossing stylistic and geographic borders. Phil has appeared on ten Juno Award-winning recordings, and over thirty nominated recordings. He is also a recipient of the prestigious K.M. Hunter Prize, for excellence in the arts.
Phil is a practicing lawyer, with Merrill, Long & Co. in Nanaimo, B.C. , having studied law at the University of New Brunswick and University of Victoria. Phil is a litigator, appearing regularly in Provincial and Supreme Courts. He is a long-time mental health advocate, and is currently a member of the Law Society of British Columbia mental health task force. Prior to being called to the bar he gained valuable experience in Toronto, participating in a pilot project with social services agency Sound Times and Legal Aid Ontario and assisting noted activist lawyer Peter Rosenthal. He remains active as a performer, teacher, recording artist, curates “Phil Dwyer’s Jazz Canada” for CBC Radio Music, and is a partner in SeaWind Musical Instruments
Ben Henriques
Julian Award Nominee and saxophonist Ben Henriques has performed with Joe Lovano, Ben Monder, Jim McNeely and more. Having cut his teeth in the Montreal jazz-scene for the past decade, he has made Ladysmith, BC, his home where he performs and teaches. Ben has released two albums, both of which have received critical acclaim; “The Responsibility Club” and “Captain Awesome” and both feature his original compositions which are a blend of jazz vocabulary mixed with Ben’s unique twist. Ben spends most of his time at Vancouver Island University where he teaches woodwinds, improv, theory, composition and arranging.
Rémi Bolduc
Playing that is both intense and under control, breathtaking precision, magnetic stage presence, refreshing original compositions: that’s the formidable package offered by Rémi Bolduc, one of Canada’s best jazz saxophonists. Acclaimed at the most important venues from New York to Paris by way of Geneva, Tokyo and Beijing, Rémi Bolduc captivates the audience with the dazzling virtuosity and stunning maturity that have made him a most accomplished musician.
With his band, the Rémi Bolduc Jazz Ensemble, he composes and plays numbers that convey his formidable energy and spontaneity, allowing his organic sound to breathe freely. Versatile and dynamic artist, Rémi Bolduc performs regularly with some of our most renowned jazz musicians such as Kenny Werner, Ben Monder, Seamus Blake, Lorraine Desmarais, Vic Vogel, Thom Gossage, Ralph Bowen, Jerry Bergonzi and others. He teaches saxophone, improvisation and ensemble classes at Montreal’s McGill University. Rémi Bolduc plays on a Selmer saxophone and Rico reeds.
Joel Miller
Winner of the 2013 Juno Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Recording, Montreal saxophonist Joel Miller marries his awe-inspiring technique and boundless sense of musical adventure with a pop musician’s desire to make music that moves people. His compositions are inspired by the melodic simplicity and emotional depth of American folk music, and they’ve been praised by Downbeat as “passionate and creative, melodic yet exploratory.” His free-spirited eclecticism has been equally lauded by the magazine for “illustrating the cross-pollination emblematic of the Montreal jazz community.” Dave Douglas calls Miller “a breath of fresh air and one of the great pleasures of the Montreal scene.”
*** trombones ***
Dale Sorensen
Dale Sorensen is a passionate performer and promoter of Canadian music, who has premiered more than 20 solo trombone pieces and dozens of chamber works and recorded an all- Canadian CD of music for trombone. He is also the founder and artistic director of PEI’s contemporary music ensemble eklektikos. In addition to his frequent solo recitals, Dale has performed as soloist with the Windsor Symphony, the PEI Symphony, and the Acadia University, UPEI, and University of Toronto Wind Ensembles. As an orchestral musician, Dale performas regularly with the Charlottetown Festival Orchestra, Symphony Nova Scotia and the PEI Symphony, has held positions as Principal Trombonist with the Windsor Symphony, Second Trombonist with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, and has freelanced with groups such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony, Orchestra London, Winnipeg Symphony, National Ballet of Canada, and Opera Atelier in a 3-week, 8-city tour of Japan. He can be heard on CD recordings with the Elora Festival Orchestra and Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, the Windsor Symphony, and Symphony Nova Scotia.
A dedicated teacher, Dale has taught at four Atlantic Canadian universities: the University of Prince Edward Island, Dalhousie University, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Mount Allison University. He continues to teach privately and adjudicate at music festivals throughout the Maritimes and in Ontario. For the 2019-2020 school year he has been appointed Assistant Professor of Brass at UPEI.
A graduate of the DMA program in performance at the University of Toronto, Dale’s dissertation project was an annotated bibliography of Canadian solo trombone music, soon to be available in a searchable internet database. The summer of 2019 marked Dale’s 30th season performing with the Charlottetown Festival Orchestra in PEI, where he lives off-the-grid with his wife and two children in their summer home in DeSable.
Sharman King
Bass trombonist Sharman King (BMus’70) has enjoyed a long and varied career in Western Canada. While attending UBC he was a member of the legendary Cave Theatre Orchestra house band under Fraser MacPherson. After graduating from The University of British Columbia in 1970 Mr. King joined the Buddy Rich Orchestra. While with “Buddy’s Band”, Mr. King toured 34 states and performed at the Newport, Monterey and Concord Jazz Festivals.After a year playing tuba in a sing-along band in the “Your Father’s Mustache” club, Mr. King joined the faculty of The University of Calgary where he taught Music Theory and Stage Band. The U of C Stage Band featured performances with jazz notables Woody Shaw, Oliver Gannon and Ian McDougall and is believed to be the first “for university credit” stage band course in Canada.
While in Calgary Mr. King joined the Edmonton Symphony as bass trombonist and started an association with Edmonton’s Tommy Banks which continues to this day. On his return to Vancouver Mr. King joined the faculties of The University of British Columbia (trombone and stage band) and Capilano College (trombone and “the business of music”) and resumed his playing career. He is currently bass trombonist of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra and was previously bass trombonist of the CBC Vancouver Orchestra. Mr. King has been privileged to perform with singers Diana Krall, Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra, Sarah Vaughan, Paul Anka, Jack Jones, Tom Jones, Ray Charles, Burt Bacharach and Luciano Pavarotti. He has appeared in over three hundred television programs in international distribution, including MacGyver, the ITV “In Concert” series, the Tom Jones series, the Paul Anka series, Celebrity Review with Tommy Banks and numerous CBC-TV series. Mr. King is proud to have been a part of many CBC jazz radio shows with prominent Canadian musicians including Tommy Banks, Bobby Hales, Ian McDougall, Dave Robbins, Ray Sikora, Rob McConnell, Guido Basso, Moe Kauffman and Fred Stride.Mr. King is also active in “legitimate” and theatre music. He has been a member of the Vancouver Opera Association Orchestra since its inception in 1977, and has performed extensively in the Queen Elizabeth Theatre orchestra pit for many ballet and musical theatre companies, including Les Miserables, Phantom of the Opera, West Side Story, Hello Dolly and Miss Saigon. Sharman King was the founder and President of Book Warehouse, B.C.’s popular chain of discount bookstores. He is currently active as a board member of The National Youth Orchestra of Canada, Turning Point Ensemble, EasyPark, Downtown Vancouver Association, Performing Arts Lodge, Canadian Music Centre and the UBC Library Advisory Committee. He is Vice-President of the Vancouver Musicians’ Association and is a member of the Audit Committee for Vancouver Opera. He is also a voting member of the Academy of Recorded Arts and Sciences.
Sharman King has performed on numerous Juno award winning recordings, most recently Changing Seasons with Phil Dwyer and Mark Fewer (Best Contemporary Jazz Recording, 2012) Also, in 2012 Sharman King was honoured to receive both the Mayor’s Award for Business and the Arts and a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson is an acclaimed Juno-nominated, ECMA award winning, trombonist and composer based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His versatility and unique sound have made him one of the Maritimes first- call players. He is an artist constantly exploring new sounds and not afraid to blend genres. Jackson keeps a busy playing schedule with many groups spanning a variety of styles: Rock and pop groups: Roxy & The Underground Soul Sound, Transatlantic Zodiac Ensemble, Erin Costelo, Unidentified Funk Object, as well as jazz and funk: The New Bridge, Anteater, The Chronos Band, The Blakey Project. Andrew has also established himself as a prominent part of the Canadian improvised and new music scene, performing with many nationally and internationally renowned artists including: Jerry Granelli, Pierre-Yves Martel (MTL), Phillipe Lauzier, Trevor Watts (UK), Veryon Weston (UK), Evan Parker (USA), Upstream Music (NS) and SuddenlyListen. Jackson is also an emerging composer and arranger, having completed works for orchestra, chamber ensembles and big band.
Andrew holds a Bachelor of Music from the Humber College, where he had the opportunity to study with some of the finest musicians in the country, including Al Kay, William Carn, Pat Labarbera and Mike Downes. While attending Humber, Andrew had the opportunity to perform with a “who’s who” of jazz such as Chris Potter, John Clayton, Terence Blanchard, Bob Mintzer, and with legendary bassist Dave Holland
William Carn
Trombonist William Carn has emerged as one of Canada’s leading contemporary jazz trombonists and composers. He has performed and taught internationally as well as throughout Canada.
Most recently, he was nominated for 2018 Juno Award for “best traditional jazz recording”. Other nominations include a Down Beat Magazine Rising Star award in 2015 as well as Juno nominations for “best traditional jazz recording” for his debut CD, Other Stories and most recently, for his work with co- leader, saxophonist Tara Davidson and the debut recording of the Carn Davidson NINE. As a bandleader, William currently leads several groups; the William Carn Quintet, his quartet Run Stop Run and his co-lead chamber nonet, the Carn Davidson NINE. All bands feature some of Canada’s finest musicians.
He has performed and recorded with international jazz artists including Rob McConnell, Danilo Perez, Joel Frahm, Miguel Zenon, Randy Brecker, David Binney, Kenny Wheeler, Ingrid Jensen, Mike Murley, Tim Hagans, Barry Harris, Carla Bley, Steve Swallow, Maria Schneider, Vince Mendoza, Don Braden, Tara Davidson, Hilario Duran, Emile-Claire Barlow, Dionne Taylor, Andrew Downing, Jim McNeely, and John Clayton.
William also enjoys a diverse freelance career and is a regular member of the Stratford Shakespeare Festival orchestra. Studio and concert engagements have included Aretha Franklin, Elton John, Paul Anka, Feist, Johnny Reid, Sarah Slean, Janelle Monae, Royal Wood, Hawksley Workman, Michael Kaeshammer, Noel Gallagher, Melissa McClelland, Luc Doucet, Emily Haynes, Kathleen Edwards, Jon Secada, Peabo Bryson, Sheena Easton, Christopher Cross, Jill Barber, Matt Dusk, Sophie Millman, Jeff Healy, Colin James and David Clayton-Thomas.
William has also been featured on over 200 commercial recordings as a performer. William is proud to be a Rath Trombone Artist. He is a faculty member at the University of Toronto Jazz Studies program, Humber College Music program, the National Music Camp and the Ottawa JazzWorks Jazz Camp.
*** piano ***
Amanda Tosoff
Amanda Tosoff is a B.C.-raised Toronto-based pianist, composer, and bandleader, with five albums to her credit. Along her fascinating career path, Amanda has performed with such internationally recognized artists as Ingrid Jensen, Emilie-Claire Barlow, Phil Dwyer, Christine Jensen, Brad Turner, Kelly Jefferson, and Jodi Proznick. She has also opened for jazz legends Bobby Hutcherson, Renee Rosnes, Oliver Jones, and Brazilian singer Luciana Souza, and her groups have recorded for CBC Radio programs Hot Air, Tonic, Jazz Beat, and Espace Musique’s series, Portraits Jazz.
Tosoff has earned critical kudos, the respect of her peers, and such prestigious awards as the CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award at the 2007 Vancouver International Jazz Festival and the General Motors Grand Prix de Jazz at the 2009 Montréal Jazz Festival. In 2010, her quartet was awarded a full scholarship to attend the Banff Centre Winter Workshop, and in 2011 Tosoff received a Canada Council grant to live and study in New York City. Most recently, she was awarded a graduating scholarship – given out to promising graduates – after completing her Master’s degree from the University of Toronto.
Over the course of four earlier albums, Tosoff has established herself as one of the most exciting new talents on the Canadian jazz scene. On her latest release Words she takes an adventurous leap beyond the confines of conventional jazz. She has taken poems and lyrics that possess a personal resonance for her and framed them in original new compositions that utilize vocals for the first time (sung by highly- regarded singer Felicity Williams of such bands as Hobson’s Choice, Broken Social Scene, and Bahamas). The result is an eclectic collection thatincorporates elements of pop, art song, classical, folk and jazz.
Words will introduce Tosoff to a wider audience of music lovers, but she has long impressed jazz critics and aficionados with her earlier albums, all primarily featuring original compositions. Her first two records, 2006’s Still Life and 2008’s Wait and See, appeared on noted Vancouver label Cellar Live, while 2010’s Looking North was released on Amanda’s own imprint, Oceans Beyond Records. In 2013, she put out her first live recording, Live at the Cellar, also on Oceans Beyond.
*** guitar ***
Jocelyn Gould
Jocelyn Gould is an accomplished guitarist, vocalist and bandleader. Originally from Winnipeg, Canada, she grew up singing every chance she got, and became enthralled with the guitar as a teenager. She cites Grant Green, Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery and Joe Pass as primary influences of the instrument. After completing her Masters Degree in Jazz Studies at Michigan State University in 2018 and shortly after winning 1st place in the Wilson Centre International Guitar Competition, Jocelyn relocated to New York City.
Jocelyn maintains an active international performance career, including performances at the St. Lucia Jazz Festival, the Detroit Jazz Festival and the TD Toronto Jazz Festival. She has performed with Grammy nominated vocalist Freddy Cole, Trumpeter Etienne Charles and DownBeat Rising Star trombonist Michael Dease. She is featured on Michael Dease’s record “Never More Here”, Diego Rivera’s album “Connections” and Randy Napoleon’s album “Common Tones”. Jocelyn’s debut recording, ‘Elegant Traveler’, was released in March 2020.
In fall 2019, Jocelyn began a position as professor and “Head of Guitar Department” at Humber College in Toronto, where she teaches courses, private lessons’ and managed the guitar department. Jocelyn is currently gearing up for a fall 2020 European tour with International Guitar Night, as well as a 2021 Jazz Festival tour as a leader.
*** drums ***
Mark Kelso
Originally hailing from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Canadian drummer Mark Kelso has made Toronto, Canada his home for quite some time. Not only is he a skilled musician who plays drums and percussion, but he is also a singer, producer, composer and band leader as well. Mark has also been the Head of the percussion dept at Humber College in Toronto since 2005.
Mark’s ability to play a wide variety of musical styles has helped him become one of Canada’s most sought after drummers. An allaround player, he has worked/recorded with a wide array of artists such as Pat Metheny, Donny McCaslin, Laila Biali, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Michael Bublé, Changuito, David Clayton-Thomas, Holly Cole, Larry Coryell, Eliana Cuevas, Paquito D’Riveria, Hilario Duran, David Foster, Dave Grusin, Herbie Hancock, Olivia Newton John, Molly Johnson, Chaka Khan, Pat LaBarbera, Donnell Leahy, Natalie MacMaster, Bob Mintzer, Peter Murphy (Bauhaus), Donny Osmond, Danilo Perez, Chris Potter, Jovino Santos Neto, NOJO, Bonnie Raitt, Maria Schneider, John Scofield, Ron Sexsmith, Mike Stern, Soul Stew, James Taylor, Susan Tedeschi, Ian Tyson, Gino Vannelli, Carol Welsman and his own Juno award nominated band, The Jazz Exiles. Mark runs “Groovy Drums Studio” where he records drum tracks for many artists around the world. To date he has played on over 285 recordings.
Aside from playing many TV and radio jingles and movie soundtracks Mark has also been featured in Drums ETC, Canadian Musician,Drumhead, Drum Scene and Modern Drummer magazines. Mark has also been a featured clinician/performer at the Montreal Drumfest, IAJE, Musicfest, KOSA, Percussive Arts Society, Regina Drum Festival, The Stickman drum experience, Whack Bam Thudd festival, Victoria Drum Festival and the Cape Breton Drum Festival.
Mark recently released his first instructional drum DVD entitled, “Musician First, Drummer Second” to great acclaim.
Mark endorses and is a featured clinician for Yamaha Drums, Paiste Cymbals, Evans Drumheads, Headhunters drumsticks and Plunge Audio in-ear monitors.
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