2017   Performers

Jazz   Overture   -   Alex   Dean   Quartet

He is Grammy-and-Juno winning Canadian reed royalty. Saxophonist Alex Dean has shared stages with legends across the musical spectrum from the Boss Brass, Mel Torme, Gil Evans and Kenny Wheeler to Aretha Franklin, Natalie Cole, Ray Charles and the Toronto Symphony…and that barely scratches the surface.  His unique contributions to jazz as a recording artist, educator, clinician, and artistic director are as significant as they come.  And if you are lucky enough to see it…when Alex Dean, in the middle of a ripping tenor solo removes his glasses, wipes his brow, and lets fly with yet another chorus…you could be forgiven for exhaling slowly and staring in wonderment at what you have just witnessed.

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Laila   Biali  

Awards and international attention are the “new” normal for this uniquely-talented, Juno-nominated pianist and vocalist. Awards  include SOCAN’s Composer of the Year, and the National Jazz Awards’ Keyboardist of the Year. Outside Canada, where she’s firmly established herself as one of the country’s favourite performers, she’s been a hit on elite stages like Carnegie Hall, Tokyo’s Cotton Club, and the North Sea Jazz Festival.  She has toured with Grammy winners Chris Botti , Paula Cole, and Suzanne Vega, and recorded with Sting.  DownBeat called her 2013 recording “Live in Concert” one of the best albums of 2013.
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Jobim's   World   -   Gord   Sheard   &   Luanda   Jones

“I am a Brazilian music freak.” So says Gord Sheard himself about what he calls his musical obsession.  And that’s precisely why we’ve engaged one of Canada’s greatest  pianists to feature the music of Jobim. But his career has been decidedly multidimensional.  Not just a performer, he is a composer, a producer, a studio musician; his wide-ranging musical collaborations and associations go from Manteca to Rita McNeil, from Liona Boyd to John Macleod’s Rex Hotel Orchestra to touring with superstar flugelhornist Chuck Mangione back in the 80s.

The return of Rio-born Luanda Jones (much too late for many) to our festival was a foregone conclusion after her last appearance in 2010 with Guido Basso. Steeped in the traditions of Bossa Nova, samba, and jazz in addition to a wide range of other genres in a Brazilian musical family, much of her professional career has unfolded since emigrating to Canada in 2006. The world, increasingly, is the stage for what’s been described as her sweet, suave, and captivating voice. 
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One ecstatic fan poetically described Reg Schwager’s guitar-playing as “dripping with richness and gold” during his last performance at our festival in 2015.  He’s a four-time National Jazz Award guitarist-of-the-year who has toured Canada and the world with the very best - George Shearing, Diana Krall, Peter Appleyard and Rob McConnell.  An artist of wide-ranging ability, he has appeared on more than 80 recordings, and is an accomplished composer and arranger for string orchestras and big bands.

Jazz   Masters   of   the   Highest   Order

When we say jazz masters of the highest order, that is precisely what we mean.

Guido Basso - flugelhorn 
Order of Canada, Grammys, Junos, a resume that stretches credulity.  Flugelhorn Master. “Minister of Romance.” Long-time part of our Festival family. Period.

Phil Dwyer - tenor saxophone
Order of Canada, Junos, Royal Conservatory of Music Honorary Fellow, composer, arranger, producer, clinician, and…freshly-minted lawyer! Produced Canadian Songbook show on our main stage in 2013, and was a featured performer at our kickoff Jazz Overture in 2016. 

Dave Young - bass
Order of Canada, multiple Junos and National Jazz Awards, and five years a member of Lenny Breau’s quartet. Performance partner and friend of Oscar Peterson, who said: “Dave Young is one of the most talented bassists on the jazz scene…” 

Terry Clarke - drums
Order of Canada, Juno winner, six-time National Jazz Awards drummer-of-the-year. Versatile? A long and varied resume includes the Boss Brass, Rob McConnell’s Tentet, and a lengthy association with Don Thompson and Phil Dwyer…AND…five years with the huge pop act the Fifth Dimension in the 70s. 

Robi Botos - piano
We consider Robi part of the Festival family for his many incredible performances on our stage over the years.  Botos fans and fans-in-waiting will be able to catch this exciting JUNO winner on two occasions this year. With the 'Jazz Masters' on Saturday, Aug. 19 and on Sunday, Aug. 20 with the Brian Barlow Big Band.

The   Brian   Barlow   Big   Band   with   Heather   Bambrick

Ticket-buyers tell us that Big Band Sunday nights are now the cornerstone of our week-long programming.  We’ve shone bright light on the music of Benny and Basie, the Boss Brass and the Duke, and many others for audiences who can’t seem to get enough.  So in 2017…not only is Canada 150 years old, but it’s a big year in jazz for 100th birthdays. Brash Buddy Rich, John “Dizzy” Gillespie, “Lady” Ella Fitzgerald and Thelonius Monk were all born 100 years ago this year…and all of them left a big band legacy that still resonates richly. So if you’re throwing a “Birthday Bash” that tips the hat to bold and brazen drummer Buddy, then the magnificent 17-piece ensemble led by Canada’s number one drummer/arranger is the only way to fly. The music of Ella Fitzgerald? The immensely-talented Heather Bambrick is your singer. Thelonius Monk? Robi Botos will do it like no other. 
We also guarantee the safety of patrons and band members, who may be familiar with the Rich legacy of flagrant firings and cussing out colleagues, or Dizzy Gillespie’s 1939 spitball-and-knife fight with Cab Calloway. While Calloway had to finish that show with a little blood on his white suit, the Barlow band - its leader, and the musicians - promise  to stick to the music. 

​The Brian Barlow Big Band
John Johnson, Vern Dorge, Alex Dean, Perry White, Bob Leonard (saxophones)       
Jason Logue, Steve Crow, Blair Yarranton, Brad Eaton (trumpets)                                                                                      
Russ Little, Kelsley Grant, Zachary Smith (trombones)                              
Michele Gagnon (French horn)                                                      
Robi Botos (piano)
Scott Alexander (bass) 
Brian Barlow (drums)

Heather Bambrick
Talent, creative energy, and an engaging stage presence have propelled this award-winning singer to the forefront of vocal jazz in Canada and beyond. Also a respected educator and broadcaster, Heather is a favourite of listeners as a long-time host on Toronto’s JAZZ-FM. The Festival is especially proud to present Heather with Brian Barlow and his band, a nuanced collaboration honed very recently by half-a-dozen appearances at this year’s Toronto Jazz Festival.  ​

2016   Performers

 Jazz   Overture   -   Mark   Eisenman   Trio   with   Phil   Dwyer

Mark Eisenman

Born in New York City, Mark has made Toronto his home since 1972 and has become one of Canada’s most sought-after pianists.  The long list of top international and Canadian jazz artists he has performed with includes Ed Bickert, Nat Adderley, Sam Noto, Rob McConnell, Ruby Braff and Mark Murphy.  

​Originally from Canada’s west coast, Phil Dwyer burst on the jazz scene in Canada and internationally in his late teens as a saxophone prodigy.  By his early 20s he was, according to former Globe and Mail journalist Mark Miller, “startling jazz audiences with his unprecedented command of both tenor saxophone and piano” and his “extraordinarily authoritative playing….set the country on its ear.”
In 2013 he was made a Member of the Order Of Canada, 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 come after an illustrious thirty-year career which has crossed stylistic and geographic borders, and included collaborations with a storied roster of great artists.

Emilie-Claire   Barlow

Emilie-Claire Barlow

She is nothing short of a Canadian vocal jazz jewel, continuing to dazzle the world.  Her energetic live performances and unique recordings thrill sold-out audiences from Tokyo to Montreal. The latest accolade: a 2016 JUNO win, her second, for best vocal jazz album - Clear Day. 

Emilie-Claire leads her stellar band through innovative arrangements of American-Songbook treasures, rhythmic bossa novas and elegant, poignant ballads. 

Critics, peers and audiences everywhere are captivated not only by a voice of unforgettable beauty, but also by a relaxed and polished demeanour, and a just-right sense of humour.

Guido   Basso   &   Friends

Guido Basso

Jodi Proznick

Bernie Senensky

A long-time resident of the County, Guido is no stranger to PEC Jazz Festival audiences, and we are privileged to claim him as the festival’s artist-in-residence. Mastery of the flugelhorn makes his name synonymous with that instrument across the jazz world, as multiple Junos, Grammys, and the Order of Canada will attest.  Thirty years a member of Rob McConnell & the Boss Brass - the greatest big band of its time - a small sample of artists with whom he’s shared a stage includes Diana Krall, Ella Fitzgerald, Woody Herman, Benny Goodman, Ellington, Basie and Sinatra.  

Mike Murley
Since moving to Toronto from his native Nova Scotia, Mike has forged a career that covers all the stylistic bases.  His many recordings include those with top Canadian jazz artists such as Ed Bickert, Guido Basso and the late Rob McConnell, and he’s also collaborated with David Braid, David Occhipinti and the multi-Juno Award-winning electric jazz group Metalwood.  

Jodi Proznick
The festival is thrilled to welcome back Vancover-based, Juno-nominated bassist, composer, bandleader and educator Jodi Proznick.   She has won numerous National Jazz Awards, including Bassist of the Year in ’08 and ’09.  Jodi will be performing on several occasions during the festival; at the After-Hours Jam Session, in a duo with Robi Botos, and with Guido Basso at the Regent Theatre.

Bernie Senensky
Winnipeg-born Bernie Senensky, many times a Juno nominee, is recognized as one of Canada’s premier jazz pianists.  The list of his performance collaborations reads like a Hall of Fame tour:   Joe Pass, Zoot Sims, Moe Koffman, Clark Terry, Randy Brecker and George Colman.   Recordings include New Horizons from 1999, which features trumpeter Eddie Henderson and saxophonist Kirk MacDonald.  His  2011 album Invitation featured bassist Gene Perla and drummer Ben Riley.

Dave Laing
In the rich Montreal jazz scene, Dave is one of the most ‘in-demand’ drummers.  A member of McGill University’s faculty since 1990, he’s performed with Ranee Lee, Remi Bolduc, Lorne Lofsky, Don Thompson, Benny Golson, Slide Hampton and Oliver Jones, among many others.

Dave Laing

Mike Murley

Robi   Botos    &   Jodi   Proznick

Robi Botos

The Prince Edward County Jazz Festival is thrilled to present the winner of the 2016 Juno winner for best solo jazz album (Movin’ Forward).  We consider Robi part of the Festival family for his many incredible performances on our stage over the years.  Botos fans and fans-in-waiting will have numerous opportunities to catch Robi’s soulful, engaging playing this year; with Guido Basso & Friends, in a duo performance with Jodi Proznick, and at the always-popular, After-Hours Jam Sessions.

Joe   Sealy   &   Jackie   Richardson   -   'Africville   Stories'

Jackie Richardson

Joe Sealy

A dazzling performer, Jackie Richardson possesses a powerful and supple voice that is a perfect match for her one-of-a-kind stage presence.  A body of work covering four decades has produced a roomful of nominations and awards - Juno, Gemini, Jessie, Bessie and Maple Blues recognition in addition to a Canadian Black Achievement Award for the Arts.  Among the many she’s worked with are Ray Charles, Doug Riley, Anne Murray, Oliver Jones, The Nataniel Dett Chorale and the National Arts Centre Orchestra.

Joe Sealy has enjoyed a highly successful career as a musician, composer, recording artist and radio broadcaster.  As a pianist, he has toured with Blood Sweat and Tears and performed with such artists as Joe Williams, Milt Jackson, Veronica Tennant, and Timothy Findlay.   Joe and his longtime music partner Paul Novotny have also created a unique-sounding jazz duo and released four CD’s, garnering two Juno nominations. 

In the late 1990’s Joe wrote and recorded the Africville Suite, in honour of his late father who was born in the area of Halifax called Africville.  It was Canada’s oldest black community before it was destroyed in the late 1960’s.   Africville Suite received a JUNO Award in 1997, and inspired Ron Foley MacDonald of The Halifax Daily News to write: “This may be the most important jazz album released in Canada this year.”  Joe has presented Africville Stories across Canada as well as in Denmark, Norway and the USA.

The   Brian   Barlow   Big   Band   &   Alex   Samaras

Brian Barlow Big Band

It has become a tradition at the PEC Jazz Festival to finish off the week with a big band.  In recent years, the Brian Barlow Big Band has locked down this spot on our stage, and audiences are telling us to keep it that way.

The most exciting big band in the land - made up of some of the finest soloists and ensemble players in jazz today - is led by drummer, arranger, and producer Brian Barlow.  He is one of Canada's most recorded musicians, performing on more than 500 albums.  For the past 13 years he has been the Creative Director of the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival. 
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Toronto based vocalist Alex Samaras is quickly developing into one of Canada’s leading vocalists in the jazz and new music scene.  Known as a “singer’s singer” within the Toronto vocal community, he studied at the University of Toronto and Banff, and has also worked in New York City. 

The Brian Barlow Big Band:
John Johnson, Colleen Allen, Alex Dean, Perry White, Bob Leonard – saxophones
Jason Logue, James Rhodes, Blair Yarranton, Alexander Brown – trumpets
Russ Little, Kelsley Grant, Alexander Duncan – trombones
Michele Gagnon – French horn
Robi Botos – piano, Scott Alexander – bass, Brian Barlow - drums






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2015   Performers

Jazz   Dinner   with   The   Bob   DeAngelis   Quintet

Bob DeAngelis

One of Toronto’s most versatile performers, Juno winner Bob DeAngelis is considered one of Canada's busiest and most accomplished bandleaders and freelance musicians.  Festival fans still talk about his incredible performance on clarinet at last summer’s “Benny Goodman at Carnegie Hall” show at the Regent Theatre. From duos and trios all the way to swingin’ big bands, he’s entertained presidents, prime ministers, and members of the Royal Family.  The DeAngelis quintet’s “hot” and “cool” swing and jazz usually starts the toes tap pin’ and the fingers snappin’. 

Joining Bob will be John MacLeod on cornet, Robi Botos on piano, bassist Jodi Proznick and Brian Barlow on drums.

Miles   Davis'   "Kind   Of   Blue"   
with   Steve   McDade,   Remi   Bolduc,   Jodi   Proznick,   David   Restivo,   
Ian   Wright   &   Eli   Bennett

Steve McDade

Remi Bolduc

Eli Bennett

One of the world’s “go-to” jazz trumpeters, Steve McDade has a collection of Junos and Grammys over the last three decades as a result of his participation in groups like Manteca, and Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass.  He’s shared stages with the likes of Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, Diana Krall, and has been recorded on a hundred albums.  Add in hundreds of radio and TV jingles, programs, and stage credits like Miss Saigon, Les Miserables, and Chicago….well, that doesn’t cover the half of it!

Last year’s festival-goers were particularly riveted by the alto saxophone playing of one of Montreal’s finest, Remi Bolduc, whose role in re-creating Dave Brubeck’s Time Out album and Paul Desmond’s Take Five was a show-stopper.  A Charlie Parker devotee and multi-award winner, Remi is a professor of jazz at Montreal’s McGill University.

Eli Bennett was the Festival’s Rising Young Star winner in 2010, and was recently similarly recognized by the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences. He’s a two-time winner of the Canadian CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award, and he won the 2012 Vancouver Mayor's Arts Award.  For two years in a row, he performed at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.  He’s also a 2012 Leo Award nominee for his additional music score for Nash – a documentary on the life of basketball legend Steve Nash. 

A Vancouver-based, Juno-nominated bassist, composer, bandleader, and educator, Jodi Proznick has earned a reputation as one of Canada’s finest jazz artists. She has won numerous National Jazz Awards, including Bassist of the Year in ’08 and’09. Her group, the Jodi Proznick Quartet, was awarded the Acoustic Group of the Year and Album of the Year in ’08.  She’ll be performing throughout the festival: at the opening Jazz Dinner, with the Bob DeAngelis Quintet, and at the Miles Davis Kind of Blue show with trumpeter Steve McDade.  She’ll also play after-hours jam sessions and the Sunday morning Jazz Mass.

David Restivo is a three-time National Jazz Award winner (pianist of the year), and is  well-known for his work with Rob McConnell's The Boss Brass and Tentet, the Mike Murley Quintet, and legendary songwriter Marc Jordan.  He co-leads his own quintet, is a member in about ten more, and teaches at Humber College.  David will join Guido Basso, Shakura S’Aida, and Neil Swainson on stage on Friday, Aug. 14 at the Regent Theatre.

Ian Wright was the Festival’s 2011 Rising Young Star winner.  Born in Belleville and now based in Toronto, Ian has performed locally, nationally and internationally with various groups and artists including: Autobahn, I Double You, Hawksley Workman, Kellylee Evans, David Occhipinti Trio, Nancy Walker Quintet, Shannon Gunn Quartet, Mara & The Marigold, CADE, Midcoast, and the Andrew McAnsh Quintet. 

Ian Wright

Guido   Basso   and   Shakura   S'Aida

Guido Basso

Shakura S'Aida

The Prince Edward County Jazz Festival is proud to consider its long association with Guido Basso (the festival’s artist-in-residence) a part of its DNA. The background: multiple Grammys, Junos, an Order of Canada membership, thirty years and thirty recordings as a charter member of Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass; a teen-aged career that began with crooner Vic Damone on a two-year international tour, and led to three years on the road with Pearl Bailey and her bandleader/husband, drummer Louis Bellson.  He’s performed and recorded with them all: Sinatra, Fitzgerald, Gillespie, Herman, Goodman, Ellington, Basie, Ellington, Rich, Krall, and so many more. Canada’s undisputed Minister of Romance on the flugelhorn will play at the Jazz Dinner kickoff and in his own main-stage show with vocalist Shakura S’Aida.

A truly international artist who calls Canada home, Shakura S'Aida was born in Brooklyn, raised in Switzerland, and is a long-time resident of Toronto.  She’s appeared in New York’s famed Apollo Theater, and in the past two years alone, her soulful voice has delighted audiences from the Caribbean to Moscow, from Dubai to Romania, from Macedonia to Austria…to name just a few!  Possessed of a rare ability to connect with audiences, she is featured with the legendary Guido Basso on the main stage Friday Aug. 14. 

A frequent performer and warm friend of the festival, Robi Botos once opened for Oscar Peterson (his former mentor), and his stock as an elite, internationally-renowned jazz artist has been climbing ever since.  The proof: a 2007 National Jazz Award for Keyboardist of the Year, 2007 NOW Award for Best Jazz Artist and first place prizes at the 2008 Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition and 2008 Great American Jazz Piano Competition. Most recently, Robi was awarded the 2012 TD Grand Jazz award at The Montreal International Jazz Festival. 

A regular fixture on the Toronto jazz scene with a resume that includes Rob McConnell, Moe Koffman, George Shearing, Lee Konitz, Slide Hampton, and many more…Neil Swainson leads his own quintet and lists more than a dozen other elite jazz groups he’s a member of.  He’ll be playing in the Regent Theatre show on Friday Aug. 14 featuring Guido Basso, Shakura S’Aida and David Restivo.

Tribute   to   Billie   Holiday
Marika   Galea   Quartet

Marika Galea

Marika Galea is last year’s winner of the Festival’s Rising Young Star award, and has established an impressive cross-border career as she studies at Boston’s Berklee College.  Since enrolling there, she’s performed everywhere from the desert of Santa Fe to Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola in New York, and has earned recent recognition for her role as a side-woman with the Cyrus Chestnut Trio. Marika will lead her own quartet in a Tribute to Billie Holiday at 2:00 p.m. on Sat. Aug. 15 at St. Mary Magdalene Church in Picton.

Oliver   Jones   Quartet

Oliver Jones

Oliver Jones - maybe Canada’s most beloved jazz musician - was inspired early in his six-decade career by the great Oscar Peterson. Admired throughout the world, he is an officer of the Order of Canada, a Governor General’s Performing Arts Award winner, (Canada’s highest arts honour), and a two-time Juno award winner. He “retired” in 2000, but still does about 20 shows a year.  He’ll lead a quartet that includes Chet and Jim Doxas in his own main stage performance on Sat. Aug. 16 at the Regent Theatre.

Now based in New York, Montreal born-and-raised musician Chet Doxas has firmly positioned himself as a standard-bearer for the new generation of tenor saxophonists. He can be heard on more than a hundred albums, and has shared studios and stages with a wide range of musicians including Guido Basso, Maria Schneider, Joe Lovano, Sam Roberts, Rufus Wainwright, and Oliver Jones.

Fifteen years into his career as a mainstay on the Montreal jazz scene, Jim Doxas has appeared on about a hundred albums and performs over 200 concerts a year. That includes almost 70 with the revered Oliver Jones, working as his drummer since 2004.  Also a teacher at McGill University, he launched Blind Leap, his first album as a bandleader, in 2014.

Brian   Barlow   Big   Band 
"The   Best   of   The   Best"

Brian Barlow

Over the festival’s 15 years, Sunday nights and big band music have become an almost indispensable tradition.  From the music of Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass, to Benny Goodman, to Duke Ellington and Count Basie…the Festival is pleased to present a “best of the best” on Sunday, Aug. 16 at the Regent Theatre.  The Barlow outfit is home to some of the world’s best jazz musicians…some having actually played in the bands whose music will be showcased on this night. 

2014   Performers

Jazz   Gala   with   Guido   Basso   and   Russ   Little

Guido Basso

Russ Little

The Prince Edward County Jazz Festival's artist-in-residence, Guido Basso, began his career as a teenager when he joined crooner Vic Damone on a two-year international tour. Then, three years on the road with Pearl Bailey and her bandleader husband, drummer Louie Bellson. As one of the world's favourite flugelhorn/trumpeters, he has performed and recorded with names like Sinatra, Fitzgerald, Gillespie, Herman, Goodman, Ellington, Basie, Ellington, Rich, Krall, and so many more. And all of that woven in with three decades and thirty recordings as a charter member of Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass, which earned no fewer than three Grammy awards (17 nominations!) and three JUNOs. Also the winner of two JUNOs on his own, Canada’s Minister of Romance on the flugelhorn became a member of the Order of Canada in 1994. 


There’s not much more you can do in a trombone career than Russ Little has. Born in Toronto, and returning there after a few years in Jamaica, he was a founding member of the brass-rock band Lighthouse WHILE he played prominent roles with the big bands of Count Basie and Woody Herman. In the ‘70s, he moved into composing, arranging, and conducting for most of the major TV networks, NFL Football, and SCTV, where he worked closely for many years with John Candy, Martin Short, and Eugene Levy. A much sought-after session musician through all of it, he’s produced four widely-acclaimed solo CDs over the last decade; Snapshot (2005), Footwork (2006), On the Shoulders of Giants (2008), and Slow Burn (2011). 

Tribute   to   dave   brubeck
Remi   Bolduc   Quartet

Dave Brubeck (1920-2012), was quite possibly the world’s best-known jazz pianist. His long-time playing partner in the Dave Brubeck Quartet - alto saxophonist Paul Desmond - wrote the melody for one of the biggest jazz recordings of all-time, Take Five. It was part of the Brubeck quartet’s landmark album titled Time Out. 
Remi Bolduc is one of Montreal’s top saxophonists, and in this tribute to Brubeck, his quartet will perform Time Out in its entirety. He'll be joined by Fraser Hollins, said by Don Thompson to be one of Canada's greatest bassists; drummer Dave Lang, and pianist Francois Bourassa (2007 winner of the Oscar Peterson Award for his contribution to Canadian jazz). 

Remembering   Jim   Hall
with   Reg   Schwager,   lorne   Lofsky,   David   Occhipinti   &   Rob   Piltch

Lorne Lofsky

David Occhipinti

As a jazz guitarist, the late Jim Hall (1930-2013) was considered by many the greatest of all time. The Prince Edward county Jazz Festival is proud to present a unique and fascinating tribute by Canada’s jazz guitar royalty. 

Lorne Lofsky - A mainstay of the Toronto jazz scene since the 1970s, Lorne’s resume includes long quartet associations with Oscar Peterson, saxophonist Kirk Macdonald and guitarist Ed Bickert. He’s also appeared with Chet Baker, Bob Brookmeyer, Pepper Adams, Carl Fontana, and many more. 

David Occhipinti – Multi-JUNO nominations, a veteran of the Toronto jazz club circuit and international tours, David studied with Jim Hall himself, who described his student this way: “His writing is unique; his playing is completely original and stunning. I just wanted to keep listening…his music is an absolute work of art!" 

Rob Piltch - Rob’s resume is as deep as it is long: a short summary of musical stops includes Blood, Sweat & Tears, Kim Mitchell, Guido Basso, Rob McConnell, Emilie-Claire Barlow, the Alastair Kay Quartet, film, television, solo recordings and sideman to many leading artists. He shares a 1993 JUNO award with bassist Dave Young and saxophonist Phil Dwyer. 

Reg Schwager - A four-time National Jazz Award guitarist-of-the-year, Reg has toured extensively across Canada and worldwide with George Shearing, Diana Krall, Peter Appleyard, Rob McConnell and many others. He appears on over eighty recordings, and his wide-ranging abilities have also led to big band and string orchestra compositions and arrangements. 

Reg Schwager

Rob Piltch

Renee   Rosnes   Quartet

Widely acclaimed as one of the most important jazz pianists, Renee was born in British Columbia and moved to New York in 1986 where she very quickly began working with the 'who's who' in American jazz, including Wayne Shorter, James Moody, George Benson and Jimmy Heath. When not touring internationally with her own group, she is a member of bassist Ron Carter's group, Foursight Quartet. Renee has released 12 solo albums and amassed 4 JUNO Awards. Not given to hyperbole, the New York Times says simply of her: “She’s a virtuoso...but a quiet one.” 

Gershwin   In   Blue   -   An   Evening   of   George   Gershwin
with   David   Braid,   Jackie   Richardson   &   The   Brian   Barlow   Big   Band

David Braid

Jackie Richardson

 Maclean’s Magazine refers to him as “a genius to call our own.” A double JUNO winner, pianist David Braid has been quietly carving out an impressive international reputation with a one-of-a-kind freshness and creativity. Gershwin in Blue - an all-Gershwin evening with the Brian Barlow Big Band - will feature David playing the eternal Rhapsody in Blue on the 90th anniversary of its inaugural performance in 1924. The Barlow band, comprised of Canada’s finest musicians, will accompany David with a special big band arrangement created specifically for this performance. 

A dazzling performer, Jackie Richardson possesses a powerful and supple voice that is a perfect match for her vibrant, and engaging stage presence.  The awards and nominations for Jackie's four-decade-long body of work include JUNO, Gemini, Jessie, Bessie and Maple Blues awards along with a Canadian Black Achievement Award for the Arts.  She has performed and recorded with countless musicians and ensembles, including Ray Charles, Salome Bey, Doug Riley, Celine Dion, Anne Murray, Oliver Jones, Guido Basso, The Nathaniel Dett Chorale, The Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the National Arts Centre Orchestra.

2013   performers

JAZZ   GALA   WITH   THE   DIXIE   DEMONS
Wednesday   August   14

The Dixie Demons first got together in 1984 and have played steadily for almost three decades in engagements throughout Ontario and New York State. The Demons are co-led by clarinetist Ross Wooldridge and trombonist and founder Dan Douglas.  They are joined by Steve Crowe on trumpet, Doug Burrell on tuba, Phil Disera on banjo and Chris Lamont on drums.  They have two CD's to their credit:  'Live at the Rex' and 'Fossil Fuel'.  

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OSCAR   pETERSON's   NIGHT   TRAIN  
WITH   DAVE   YOUNG,  ROBI   BOTOS,  TERRY CLARKE,   Warren   Stirizinger   &   
KEVIN   TURCOTTE
THURSDAY   AUGUST   15

Dave Young

Robi Botos

It’s been nearly six years since “the Maharajah of the keyboard” (as Duke Ellington referred to Oscar Peterson) passed away. The legacy: an astounding eight Grammy awards in the 60-year career of a musician described by most of his contemporaries as the greatest jazz pianist who ever lived.

Three of Canada’s finest musicians, all of whom had a relationship with Oscar, will resurrect the memory of the legendary Oscar Peterson Trio and its recording of the 1962 album Night Train - one of Peterson’s most commercially successful recordings. Bassist Dave Young was a musical colleague and a long-time friend; pianist Robi Botos was mentored by and opened for Peterson, and drummer Terry Clarke recorded with him.

In the second half of the show, trumpeter Kevin Turcotte and guitarist Warren Stirizinger will turn the trio into a quintet to explore more “Aspects of Oscar” – the title of the group’s concert series that recalls Peterson’s regular championing of the twentieth century’s greatest songwriters.

Toronto-based and Winnipeg-born multiple-award-winning bassist and composer Dave Young is, without a doubt, one of Canada’s most valuable and beloved musical exports.  The list of musicians with whom Dave has shared the stage is a virtual “who’s who” of international jazz, including the late Oscar Peterson.

Born in Hyiregyhaza, Hungary, Robi Botos moved to Toronto in 1998.  Since that time he has been featured with many of Canada’s foremost jazz artists.  In 2004 he won the first and public prize in the Montreux Jazz Festival solo piano competition.  The jury members included Quincy Jones, Michel Camilo and Gary Burton.  Robi has been a frequent visitor to the County and we are proud to consider him part of the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival family.  

THE   JENSEN   SISTERS
FRIDAY   AUGUST   16

CHRISTINE   JENSEN

INGRID   JENSEN

The Jensens - trumpeter Ingrid and sister saxophonist Christine - grew up in a music-saturated British Columbia home where Mom exposed them to everything from Chopin to Broadway to big bands. Although both have earned wide individual acclaim, the Jensens have collaborated and played together all over the world…Seattle's Jazz Alley, New York's Museum of Modern Art, as well as international tours and cruises.

After earning a master’s degree in jazz performance from McGill, Christine carved out a career in small and large ensembles. Her quartet has performed at Dizzy’s Club at Lincoln Center, and she’s frequently heard live in concert on CBC radio and Radio-Canada's Espace-Musique. In recent years, her music has taken her to India, Peru, Argentina, Chile, Denmark, Mexico, Sweden, Turkey, and Haiti. 'Treelines - The Christine Jensen Jazz Orchestra' won 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.” Also a composer, she contributed compositions to her sister’s debut album, Vernal Fields (Enja Records), which won a JUNO.

A graduate of Boston’s Berklee School, Ingrid’s trumpet career has delivered her from the subways of New York City to a JUNO award and sharing stages with the likes of the Grammy award-winning Maria Schneider Orchestra. A wide-ranging list of musical collaborations and projects includes Saturday Night Live, The Playboy Jazz Festival with the Bill Cosby All-Stars, trumpeter Terence Blanchard, bassist Ron Carter, piano virtuoso Mulgrew Miller, and the Grammy-winning saxophonist Kenny Garrett. Recent gigs and recordings include The Mosaic Project with Terri-Lynn Carrington, Esperanza Spaulding and Geri Allen, and her sister’s Juno-winning Christine Jensen Orchestra.  Ingrid’s fifth small group CD, At Sea, also produced a JUNO award. Ingrid is artist-in-residence on the trumpet faculty at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. She conducts master classes, clinics, and workshops around the world.

THE   CANADIAN   SONGBOOK
WITH   PHIL   DWYER,  LAILA   BIALI,  GUIDO   BASSO,  ROB   PILTCH,  GEORGE   KOLLER   &   DAVIDE   DIRENZO
SATURDAY   AUGUST   17

Phil Dwyer

Laila Biali

'The Canadian Songbook' re-invents the music of various Canadian songwriters – the obvious, from Neil Young to Joni Mitchell to Leonard Cohen to Gordon Lightfoot – to the lesser-known songwriters such as francophone indie act Karkwa. In past performances, Dwyer’s new takes on familiar songs have included everything from a jazz waltz for Randy Bachman’s She’s Come Undone, to a post-bop makeover of Ian Tyson’s Four Strong Winds, and lots in between!

Fresh off his second career JUNO win for contemporary jazz album of the year (Changing Seasons), saxophonist/pianist/composer Phil Dwyer caught the jazz world’s attention as a 17-year-old saxophone player in Fred Stride’s West Coast Jazz Orchestra. A career with roots in Vancouver, New York, Edmonton, Toronto and now back on Vancouver Island, it also includes performances on JUNO-winning albums by Hugh Fraser, Don Thompson, Guido Basso, Joe Sealy and Molly Johnson.

Award-winning Canadian Jazz pianist, vocalist and songwriter Laila Biali has toured with Suzanne Vega, Chris Botti and Paula Cole and recorded with and supported Sting.  Her latest recording, Tracing Light, received a JUNO nomination and her most recent release, Live in Concert, recorded in February 2012 at the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, captures the spirit of live performance so essential to Jazz.  Laila is also a member of the all-female New York based quartet Rose & the Nightingale.  Her accolades include "SOCAN Composer of the Year" and "Keyboardist of the Year" at Canada's National Jazz Awards. She currently splits her time between New York City and Toronto.

The Songbook quintet includes Canada’s Order of Canada flugelhorn master and Festival Artist-In-Residence Guido Basso, bassist George Koller, guitarist Rob Piltch, and drummer Davide DiRenzo.

BENNY   GOODMAN   AT   CARNEGIE   HALL
AN   ALL-STAR   BIG   BAND   RE-CREATION   OF   THE   HISTORIC   1938   concert  

January 16, 1938. Carnegie Hall, New York City.  Jazz - the devil’s music - invades the hallowed home of classical concerts. That very week, the King of Swing, Benny Goodman, worried it would be a disaster. It would, however, turn out to be the most important jazz concert of the twentieth century.  Now, 75 years later, the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival is proud to present a re-creation of this revolutionary moment in jazz history.  The small ensemble and big band Carnegie Hall music of legends such as Goodman, Harry James, Gene Krupa, Lionel Hampton, Teddy Wilson and Count Basie will ring out again, performed by a great big band full of world-class Canadian jazz musicians.

Bob DeAngelis (clarinet)
Barbra Lica (vocal)
Guido Basso (trumpet)
John Johnson, Michael Stuart, Colleen Allen, Matthew Woroshyl (saxophones)
Jason Logue, John MacLeod, Chase Sanborn, Blair Yarranton (trumpets)
Al Kay, Russ Little, Kelsley Grant (trombones)
Bernie Senensky (piano)
Michael Francis (guitar)
Steve Wallace (bass)
Frank Wright (vibes)
Brian Barlow (drums)

2012   PERFORMERS

Barley   days   jazz   barbecue
Wednesday   August   15

 Guido   Basso  

As a teenager in Montreal, Guido Basso’s professional career began in dance and show bands. In the late fifties, he hit the road with Vic Damone, Pearl Bailey and her husband/bandleader, Louis Bellson. Since then, he has fashioned an Order-of-Canada career not only as a jazz trumpeter and bandleader, but also as the world’s unchallenged master of jazz ballads on the flugelhorn. The Basso theory: one attacks the trumpet, and makes love to the flugelhorn. He recorded an incredible 30 albums with Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass, and won a 2004 JUNO award in the traditional jazz category for his recording Lost in the Stars.

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Russ   little

Russ Little’s career as one of the world’s premier jazz trombonists began before he graduated from high school, where he was mentored by George McRae. A founding member of the Canadian rock orchestra Lighthouse, his career wove its way through the bands of Woody Herman and Count Basie, and the Boss Brass. A conductor, composer, and arranger for all of Canada’s major TV networks, he then wrote and conducted for NBC, ABC, NFL Football, and the SCTV comedy series. A succession of internationally-acclaimed recordings resulted in a National Jazz Award as trombonist-of-the-year in 2007, and another nomination in 2008. And he still plays with Lighthouse!

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Emilie-Claire   Barlow
Thursday   August   16

Emilie-Claire Barlow – as captivating and evocative a chanteuse as she is - is much more than that. An accomplished arranger and interpreter, she is the product of an exceptionally talented jazz family. Encouraged to sing early and often, she also learned to play piano, clarinet, cello and violin. A flourishing radio and television voice acting career began at the age of seven. Children of the 90s (and their parents!) may know her as Sailor Mars or Venus in the hit children’s TV show Sailor Moon. The singing accolades: four Juno nominations arising from eight albums since 1998, and the National Jazz Awards’ vocalist-of-the- year in 2008. Joining Emilie-Claire will be Davide DiRenzo - drums; Bill McBirnie - flute; Kelly Jefferson - saxophone; Mark Kieswetter - piano; Ross MacIntyre - bass; Reg Schwager - guitar; William Sperandei - trumpet.

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Louis   Hayes   and   the   Cannonball   Legacy   Band
Friday   August   17

Described by his own musicians as a “legitimate” legend, drummer Louis Hayes counts Oscar Peterson, John Coltrane, Sonny Rollins and J.J. Johnson among those he’s played with. But his most famous boss may well have been the popular 60s blues and soul-jazz saxophonist Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, who died of a stroke at the age of 46 in 1975. He’s been leading the Cannonball band since the late 90s, but never stops breathing new life into Adderley’s music that crossed into the popular consciousness 45 years ago. The quintet showcases some of New York’s hottest players – Vincent Herring on alto sax, Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, Rick Germanson on piano and Richie Goods on bass.

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Tribute   to   George   Shearing
with   Don   Thompson,   Reg   Schwager,   Neil   Swainson,   Bernie   Senensky   &   Terry   Clarke
Saturday   August   18

Born in 1919, British pianist George Shearing was the youngest of nine children, and would play the piano eventually for three presidents after emigrating to the U.S. in 1947. His quartets and quintets were so popular that two of his standards – September in the Rain, and Lullaby of Birdland – sold in the million-copy range, a huge success for jazz recordings. A collaboration with Mel Torme resulted in two Grammy awards in and 1983 and 1984; major influences were Teddy Wilson, Fats Waller, and the Glenn Miller reed section. He died in February 2011.

This all-Canadian tribute led by Don Thompson on vibes features Bernie Senensky on piano, and musicians who, like Thompson, played with Shearing’s band: Neil Swainson on bass, Terry Clarke on drums, and Reg Schwager on guitar.

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Boss   Brass   Reunion
Sunday   August   19

For thirty years, the Boss Brass, led by the legendary Rob McConnell, set the big band jazz standard in Canada and well beyond. Described by Mel Torme as one of the best bands he ever worked with, the “Brass” wowed not only fans but also the best jazz musicians everywhere. Awards piled up: three Grammys and five Junos, and lots of nominations. McConnell, revered as “a true renaissance man in the genre of jazz,” passed away on May 1, 2010, at the age of 75. This performance is the first Boss Brass “reunion” since; the musicians are all former members of the band.





Conductor/arranger: Rick Wilkins
Saxes: John Johnson, Vern Dorge, Alex Dean, Pat LaBarbera, Bob Leonard.
Trumpets: Dave Dunlop, Steve McDade, Guido Basso, John MacLeod, Jason Logue.
Trombones: Al Kay, Russ Little, Bob Livingston, Colin Murray.
French horns: James MacDonald and Gary Pattison.
Piano: Don Thompson.
Bass: Steve Wallace. Drums: Terry Clarke. Percussion: Brian Barlow. Guitar: Reg Schwager

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