Duncan Hopkins has been working at the highest levels of jazz for almost thirty years. In that time he has worked with such luminaries as Diana Krall, Norma Winstone, Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass, the Canadian Jazz Quartet, Sheila Jordan, Mark Murphy to name but a few. He has toured extensively and can be heard on over fifty albums, numerous CBC, BBC and NPR recordings. His new recording “Who Are You? The music of Kenny Wheeler” on TPR records has received high praise here and abroad:

 “Who Are You? sits with the very best of them. The music is excellent ….but it is the depth of sound that Duncan Hopkins’ melodic bass brings to a number that pulls everything together.” Simply Jazz Talk U.K. June 1st, 2023

“An extraordinary celebration and tribute of Kenny Wheeler’s legacy, Who Are You? The Music of Kenny Wheeler is a treasure for jazz connoisseurs and highly recommended for personal and public library music collections”. James A Cox Midwest Book Reviews May 2023

“Hopkins’ seamless counter melodic flow beneath
Speake and Iles is reminiscent of the late Bill Evan’s sideman Scott La Faro…”John Fordham, The Guardian, UK. 

 ‘(Duncan’s) strength’s lie in his writing and sense of textural organization, which show him willing to stretch, push or otherwise challenge style and format.’ Globe and Mail 

Personnel:

Duncan Hopkins-   Bass

Ted Warren-  Drums

Ted Quinlan-Guitar

Brian Dickinson-piano

Check out:

“C Jam Blues” with The Canadian Jazz Quartet

“On Green Dolphin Street” with John Sherwood

As a passion project to expand the horizons of small group jazz in the London area, Seth McNall initially formed his Sextet as an avenue to perform the music and arrangements of the late Joe Edmonds, a mentor to countless musicians around Southwestern Ontario. Since then, the Seth McNall Sextet has evolved into a working group that is dedicated to performing original music and arrangements written by the group members themselves. Truly a collective pursuit, the band carries on the tradition of bebop, cool, and hard-bop jazz with a focus on improvisation and creativity.  With an ear to the past and an eye on the future, the Seth McNall Sextet takes audiences on a journey to what “jazz” means today.

Personnel:  
Seth McNall – Trombone  
Barry Usher – Saxophone
Ron Walker – Trumpet
Nevin Campbell – piano
Kim Ladd – Bass
Ian MacKay – Drums

Check out:  “Dundas Place 2022”

Check out their website

Laureate of the 2020–2021 Radio-Canada Revelation Award in Jazz, Carl Mayotte is one of the most popular young bassists and jazzmen in Quebec and across Canada. Having started his professional career at the age of 16 and completed a master’s degree in jazz performance at McGill University, he has been noticed for his virtuosity and versatility by several musicians and critics – from Alain Caron to Bass Magazine. He recently released a third album, Escale, which won the 2022 Félix Award (Quebec’s equivalent of the GRAMMYs) for Jazz album of the year. In the summer of 2022, he also created a new jazz camp at Kamouraska, bringing together musicians of all ages and levels. The young musician is committed to making jazz more accessible and to bringing it back to the forefront of the music scene.

Carl Mayotte and his group deliver a magical concert where solos and virtuoso flights follow one another as in an action film that would keep you awake on the end of your chair. One of the great goals of the young jazzman is to democratize jazz by creating a concert where communication and the exchange of energy with the public are essential. Sometimes complex, melodic or even nostalgic, the music played by Revelation Jazz Radio-Canada and its band leaves no one indifferent.

Personnel (last time):

Carl Mayotte-bass
Gabriel Cyr-guitar
Damien-Jade Cyr-saxophone
Francis Grégoire-keyboard
Stephane Chamberland-drums

Check out:  “Grand Prix”     “Pop de Vile Vol 1”

Personnel:

                                                                        Photo credit to: Nadezhda Hope Boginya of Pure Muse Portrait

One of Tim Moher’s earliest and most significant musical influences was Paul Desmond.  Tim was introduced to him when his highschool friend gifted him The Duets album for his 16th birthday.  Throughout his musical career, Tim would often receive compliments from musicians and audience on how his tone is similar in quality and style to Paul Desmond.  Paul was born on November 25th, 1924. To celebrate his 100th birthday Tim gathered a terrific group of musicians to mark Paul’s life in music. This tribute to Paul and the many musicians who he performed with him throughout his career includes Dave Brubeck, Jim Hall, Ed Bickert, Gerry Mulligan and Chet Baker. This is a concert you won’t want to miss.

Personnel:

Check out:    “Fragile”     “TM Jazz”     “Blue Bossa”

Born into a musical family, Frank became a first call drummer in Hungary at an early age. He worked and recorded with Hungary’s most well known musicians including Szakcsi, Tony Lakatos, Robert Lakatos, Gabor Gado. Frank studied at the Ferenc Liszt Academy of Music with Gyula Kovacs and Ivan Nesztor. After leaving the school in 1991, Frank won first place in the “Krakow International Jazz Competition” in Poland. He has played on the main stages of European jazz festivals. In 1998 Frank Botos immigrated to Canada. Shortly after arriving in Canada with his brother Robi Botos, (winner of the “Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition 2005″), Frank and Robi became well established in the Toronto jazz scene as “The Botos Brothers”. They soon released their independent CD featuring Pat LaBarbara, Don Thompson and Attila Darvas, which has received extensive airplay. Frank continued his professional development in Canada by studying with renowned jazz educator Jim Blackley. Since then, Frank has worked with such international and local stars as Bela Fleck and Jean Luc-Ponty (Toronto International Jazz Festival main stage 2005), Avishai Cohen (Hungarian Jazz Festival 2005),Sonny Fortune(Hungarian Jazz Festival 2006), Mario Rodrigues, Joe Sealy and Paul Novotny (Du Maruier International Jazz Festival Toronto 1999), Dave Young, Pat LaBarbara, Don Thompson, Kirk MacDonald, Mike Murley, Michael Stewart,Phil Dwyer, Hugh Fraser, Jake Langley, Steve Wallace, Bernie Senensky,Stan Fomin, Shawan Nykwist, Neil Swanson, Gene Dinovi, David Braid, Lorne Lofsky, Shelley Berger, Nancy Walker,Mike Downs, and Kirk Lightsey to name few.

Personnel:

Ferenc Botos-drums
Robi Botos -piano
Daniel Barta-saxophone
Christopher Parnis-bass

Check out: “Softly as in a Morning Sunrise”   “Fly Me to the Moon”    “Jazz Panorama”

Velvety-voiced pianist Elizabeth Shepherd arrived on the international scene in 2006 when her debut album Start To Move was voted one of the top jazz albums of the year by the listeners of the influential Gilles Peterson Show on BBC Radio Worldwide. Since then, the Montreal-based soul-jazz innovator has established herself as one of the most alluring and imaginative artists on the scene today. Elizabeth has been hailed as “a jazz virtuoso blessed with a pop sensibility”, praised by critics worldwide for her arrestingly original writing and soulful delivery.

For her 7th album, ‘Three Things‘, Elizabeth Shepherd has created a collection of songs that bring together soulful jazz sounds and synth-based electronica. Created during lockdown, it is an ode to life, joy and resilience, and combines samples, lyrical pop and her trademark brand of soul-jazz alongside a stellar cast of musicians, to bring us her catchiest and most hip work to date. The album drops February 24, and she will be debuting it at the K-W JazzRoom as she launches her cross-Canada release tour.

Here she is with Shine On doing John Lennon’s “Across the Universe”.  (We apologize for Gomeshi at the beginning and end,  but  it is a lovely video….)

Personnel:

Singer-songwriter Sammy Jackson (BMus, HBA) is quickly becoming one of Canada’s top
vocalists, with a personal style that deftly blends jazz, pop, and R&B. With a resume that boasts
a  JUNO Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year, collaborations with top artists such as Barbra Lica, Robi Botos, Rich Brown, and Larnell Lewis, and performances at some of Canada’s most prestigious venues, including the Glenn Gould Studio, Koerner Hall, the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, and Westben. Jackson
consistently captivates audiences with her singing, compositional accomplishments, and
collaborative creative spirit. Her latest EP – the JUNO-Award winning “With You” – is a
sophisticated, intelligent, heart felt portrait of a musician coming into her artistic prime, and
features some of the top young musicians in Canada.

Personnel:

Voice – Sammy Jackson
Guitar – Tom Fleming 
Piano – Chris Pruden 
Bass – Mark Godfrey 
Drums – Ian Wright 

Check out:  “With You“      “Take Me Back”

This performance is part of the WOMEN IN JAZZ series, sponsored by DIVA INTERNATIONAL, makers of the Diva Cup.