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Susana Williams is a musician, producer and composer based out of the Sunshine Coast in British Columbia. Her musical career began in Caracas, Venezuela at the age of 13 as the lead singer for a local band, singing everything from folk music to rock and roll while writing her own music and learning to play drums, congas and guitar. In 1998 Susana left Venezuela and immigrated to Canada. As a vocalist and percussionist, her credits include several Vancouver International Jazz Festivals, the Victoria Jazz Festival, and the 2010 Winter Olympics. She has shared the stage with internationally award-winning artists Arturo Sandoval, Poncho Sanchez, Johnny Rivera, Adonis Puente and Alex Cuba. Susana can be regularly seen performing in and around British Columbia with the largest Latin-Jazz music orchestra in western Canada, Goma Dura, with the legendary Latin band Rumba Calzada and as a solo artist.

Website: www.susanawilliamsmusic.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/susanawilliamsmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/susana_abreu_williams/

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Drawing inspiration from the free-thinking poets, lyricists and progressive social commentators of yesteryear and now, Urban Bandscape artistically addresses the challenges of being human and understanding our ever-changing world. They do this through thought-provoking words and music, spanning from traditional and standard jazz to jazz-funk-rock fusion, free-jazz and improvised soundscapes.

Website: http://bradmuirhead.com/urban-bandscape
YouTube: https://vimeo.com/774474870

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Omianan’s omnivorous alt-jazz appetite feeds on indie rock, pop, prog, free improv, and blues. Vancouver players Jesus Caballero drums, Thomas Hoeller guitar, Nikko Whitworth bass, and Sara Kim vocals bring together wistful lyrics, knotty interlocking rhythms, and loose free-time melodies. Their challenging and enchanting debut album Paper Dream was released in February 2022, and the band was nominated for Global Artist of the Year by the Western Canadian Music Awards!

Website: https://omianan.bandcamp.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/omianan/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omianan.band/

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An up-and-comer from the West Coast, Feven Kidane is a true powerhouse when it comes to music. Drawing from her East African roots and dedication to Afro-American CLassical Music ("jazz"), her musical voice is spiritually intelligent, both compositionally and instrumentally. She finds inspiration in the works of Woody Shaw and Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah, wishing to herald the valley between Diaspora (re)connection and ancestral tradition on the trumpet. Her band is made up of Cole Woodland on bass, Todd Stewart on drums, and Chris Fraser on keys.

Website: https://suoniperilpopolo.org/artists/feven-kidane
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fei.ven.key.DAH.nei
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehabeshaman/?hl=en

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Exceptional jazz is made when masters come together to create a sound greater than the sum of its parts. The Perpetual Jazz Trio is a professional band fashioned after the great jazz groups of the mid-twentieth century. Formed by Yohaan Gandevia on piano, David Marfleet on acoustic bass and Em McArthur on drums; this trio features a well-rounded repertoire of standards complemented with fresh arrangements and creative improvisation.

Website: https://emmcarthur8.wixsite.com/perpetualjazztrio
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=10008057777515
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perpetualjazz/?hl=e

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Serengeti is a Vancouver-based afro soul band that features a fusion of a wide range of influences from Marvin Gaye to Fela Kuti. When you listen to Serengeti you will hear elements of funk, latin, soul, R&B, afro beat, and more! Formed in late 2019 by Sade Awele, Kaitie Sly and Amine Said, Serengeti is a multicultural group that will be sure to get you moving!

Website: https://www.serengetimusic.ca/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/serengetimusiccollective
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/serengeti.music/

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RazzMaJazz Ensemble is a popular and entertaining band that performs traditional New Olreans style jazz creole, dixieland and blues style music. The ensemble started its musical journey performing on a riverboat on the Fraser River in 1998 and has since played at many festivals, conferences, special events and dance halls.

Made up of top professional jazz musicians, this highly entertaining and energetic six-piece band features multiple horns plus the banjo, tuba and drums. They perform acoustically to lead an entourage of people as they stroll around an event or perform as a headliner act on a stage.

Website: www.razzmajazz.ca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RazzMaJazzFriends/

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Noxious Obs Society Band is a young, high-energy street band with many influences, made up of current and former students of New Westminster Secondary School. This New Orleans meets Klezmer-Balkan Brass band is a mobile unit that entertains at the drop of a hat. Expect the unexpected!

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Milan is currently in grade 11 at Lord Byng Secondary in the Byng Arts Band program. His main instruments are drum kit, hand percussion, bass, and symphonic percussion. He began studying drums when he was four years old. For five years he studied Cuban, Brazilian, and West African music at School of Groove. Through this program he was the conga player in an ensemble called The Cubanos. He travelled to Santiago de Cuba three times to study Cuban Son. He was introduced to jazz in grade six through a trio called The Time Turners, a band class led by Cole McBride. He has formed three different bands, all of which perform professionally. Jorg and Borg’s Homespun Elf Band, The Boytles, a Beatles tribute band, and the jazz duo Murphy and the Cats. He has studied jazz at the VSO Summer Jazz Camps, and the Victor Wooten Bass Camp. His goal is to become a professional musician and composer.

"Musical goals in the near future are to keep learning and studying as much as I can. I want to take as many workshops and see as many live performances as possible. My focus will be studying jazz drumming, and continuing my piano and theory study. Eventually I would like to study jazz piano and learn to play the organ. I want to continue to perform and learn new repertoire, evolving as a musician and a performer with my different bands and at school in my different musical ensembles. I intend to join choir next year to practice singing and to learn more breathing and vocal techniques to grow as a singer. One of my aims is to put my musical and producer skills to work by leading a major fundraiser for my school music program with my Beatles band playing alongside the Lord Byng Symphony. I am excited to arrange and transcribe the scores and to experience a different side of the Beatles repertoire. I will continue to enjoy performing and creating music as my job, finding new events and festivals to perform at, to raise funds for a new drum kit and post secondary education and travel. I will be preparing for post secondary school applications to study music performance. Several schools I am considering are the Jazz/Composition program at Capilano University, and/or Berklee, with the potential of studying jazz at a one year music program called Toneheim in Norway first (Berklee and Norway a dream pending fundraising). Looking to the far future, I seek to become an accomplished professional musician and would dream to do a masters degree in the US studying jazz composition and composition for film and tv. I want to have a diverse career in several areas of the music industry as a performer, composer and band leader."

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A restless innovator known for viscerally exciting sets - Argentinian pianist and composer Gabriel Palatchi will bring you on an eclectic music journey with his original blend of genres such as latin jazz, tango, funk, middle eastern and more! For the past eight years, Gabriel has been performing at major international music festivals, touring throughout Mexico, Canada and Europe. His music is broadcast across radio stations all over the world from Alaska through to South America, Europe, the Middle East and Australia. His music has been reviewed and featured on Rolling Stone Magazine, Latin Jazz Network, Ejazznews, All About Jazz, Jazz Caribe, The Toronto Star, Salsa Son Timba Colombia, Newstime South Africa, and Inside World Music, among many others.

Website: https://gabrielpalatchi.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=680663440
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gabrielpalatchi/?hl=en

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Since 2010, Mark Crissinger has been building a solo career, playing 120 shows a year on Vancouver Island and beyond. He has released six studio albums, three live albums, and been nominated for a Maple Blues Award. His music can be heard around the world on blues radio programs and the Stingray blues channel.

Website: http://www.markcrissinger.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mgcrissingermusic

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Over the last 60 years, Irish-born, Canadian-raised Oliver Gannon has been a first-call musician in Vancouver, performed at many of the world’s top jazz festivals, and toured Europe and the former USSR. He has recorded many esteemed projects with other acclaimed musicians, including for the Concord and Cellar Music labels. His playing and records have been showered with positive recognition, including being named Canadian Jazz Guitarist of the Year, taking home a Juno award, and earning rave reviews from publications such as Downbeat. A lifetime of hard work, innovation and talent recently saw Oliver recognized with one of the highest honours: the prestigious Order of Canada. It is awarded to those who make a major difference to Canada through lifelong contributions in their field of endeavour.

Bill Coon is a Juno nominated guitarist, composer and arranger previously located in Montreal and living in Vancouver. British Columbia. He is on the faculty at Capilano University in North Vancouver, teaching composition, arranging, jazz history, small and large ensembles and jazz guitar.

Website: https://olivergannon.com/ http://www.billcoon.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ogannon1 https://www.facebook.com/bill.coon.18
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coon_bill/

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His name is Doc Fingers, but you can call him Doc. It was in the early 1970s, during a stint with the Ronnie Hawkins Band that Bruce Gallagher acquired that handle. They initiated him as a “Doctor of Fingerology” and ever since he’s been known as “Doc.”

Website: https://sites.google.com/view/docfingers/home
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063506022419

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Caity Gyorgy (pronounced George) is a two-time Juno Award-winning Canadian vocalist who is known for singing bebop and swing music. She has performed at popular clubs and jazz festivals across Canada and the USA and has worked and recorded with incredible musicians and groups including Christine Jensen, Pat LaBarbera, Jocelyn Gould, Ira Coleman, Allison Au, Bryn Roberts and Postmodern Jukebox, to name a few.

In addition to performing, Caity is also an avid writer and composes songs in the style of the Great American Songbook. Her compositions have been sung by other vocalists around the world, and she has released several albums of original and standard music. She was also recently named the Grand Prize Winner of the 2021 John Lennon Songwriting Contest in the Jazz category for her song "Secret Safe”.

Instagram: @caitygyorgy
Facebook: Caity Gyorgy Music
TikTok: @caitgyorgy
Twitter: @caitygyorgy
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@caitygyorgyjazz/videos
Website: caitygyorgy.com

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Wild River Singers is a 12-person Pow Wow drum group that plays at many local and regional Pow Wow events including the well known Kamloopa. Wild River Singers will be joined by a family of two generations of Pow Wow dancers.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/744578616021998/media

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Discovery is the beauty of music. It reveals itself in layers. Such is the evolution of 2020 JUNO Award-winner, Celeigh Cardinal. With a confident voice and boundless energy, Cardinal owns a stage, connecting deeply with her audience through humour, passion and love. Whether sweetly strumming an acoustic guitar or leading her talented band, she commands our attention. Her singing is rich and deep with a burnished maturity and a nimble technical virtuosity that wraps itself around notes with a purr, a snarl or something in the middle. With two full-length albums completed, and a future release in the planning stages, Cardinal is poised to expand her profile which already includes awards from the 2020 Juno Awards, the 2018 Western Canadian Music Awards, multiple Edmonton Music Awards, and recently she received two nominations for the 2020 Western Canadian Music Awards for Indigenous Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year.

Website: https://celeighcardinal.com/home
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/celeighcardinalmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/celeighcardinal/?hl=en

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CURTIS CLEAR SKY Anishinaabe and Nitsitapii is the lead vocalist / emcee of his band Curtis Clear Sky and the Constellationz. Based out of Musqueam, Squamish and Tsliel Waututh territory in Vancouver they released the album Indigifunk in 2019. The band captivates audiences with their funky rhythms, thundering percussion, blasting horns, soulful harmonies, dicing and slicing DJ with empowsering lyrics that gratify your soul.

Curtis was given a title as a Messenger of Truth by the United Nations in June 2006 at the World Urban Forum in Vancouver. The music is a blessing and has opened many beautiful opportunities and has taken Curtis abroad to Aotearoa-New Zealand.

“The very act of existing as an Indigenous person coming into this world is an act of revolution and survival in face of the historical violences perpetuated upon us,” said Curtis Clear Sky. “The beautiful miracle and spiritual experience of our continued existence, and my participation in it, is to bring messages of healing, empowerment and spiritual renewal through music. For my people, but also for all people seeking healthy outcomes based upon foundational teachings of caring for our world and for each other.”

You can find Curtis Clear Sky and the Constellationz music on all streaming platforms, connect on social media and learn more at:

Website: www.constellationz.com.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CurtisClearSkyConstellationz
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/curtisclearsky/

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Alvin Brendan has been quickly crafting a strong identity for himself as a jazz musician in Vancouver. Despite his youth, he has been fortunate enough to land many performance and recording opportunities with Vancouver’s best. Alvin attributes his cool and sophisticated sound to his learning from his local heroes Bill Coon and Ron Samworth, as well as having the opportunity to learn from internationally-acclaimed legends Peter Bernstein and Lorne Lofsky. In combining his love for early Jazz/Swing music with his contemporary influences, Alvin always aims to create a statement that adheres to a rich musical tradition while being exciting and fresh. Alvin was the recipient of the 2020 ‘Rising Star Jazz Musician Award’ by the Fort Langley Jazz & Arts Festival

Website: http://alvinbrendan.wixsite.com/music
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/alvinbrendanmusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alvinbrendan/?hl=en

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Enthrallingly eclectic, this new collaborative Indo-Jazz fusion quartet, headed by Shruti Ramani, interweaves Hindustani classical traditions, modern jazz and poetry. Featuring Shruti Ramani (voice), Jodi Proznick (bass), Noah Franche-Nolan (piano/Nord), and Nicholas Bracewell (drums), Raagaverse transports listeners to a parallel dimension of gloriously collapsed frontiers.Shruti Ramani is an innovative and emerging artist in the Canadian Jazz scene. She hails from Mumbai, India where she secured a degree in Hindustani music under the mentorship of Dr. Ritu Johri from the Agra Gharana. She moved to Canada and acquired a Bachelor in Jazz Studies (Performance) with a specialization in voice from Capilano University. Her original music is an eclectic combination of the Indian and Jazz traditions. She composes and arranges music that fuses the two traditions to create dynamic pieces for both large and small ensembles. Some of her noteworthy performances include those as a bandleader playing her original music at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, the Nanaimo International Jazz Festival, and at the Mixtophonics Festival where she premiered a string quartet composition.

Website: http://www.raagaverse.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JazzwithShruti/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raagaverse/

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Langley-based, Blues Hoodoo, is proving to be a festival favourite wherever they perform. They entertain audiences with their infectious and multi-dimensional grooves. Drawing heavily from the 70s genre of fusion, the band performs funk, jazz and blues originals with selective covers recalling artists like Weather Report, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and The Brecker Brothers…to name a few.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/funkfusionexperimentaljazz/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blueshoodoo/?hl=en

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Jake Kostuchuk is a guitarist from Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, and studies Jazz at Capilano University. He started playing the guitar at a young age and was exposed to great music in the Winnipeg scene and from artists travelling through his hometown. He plays many styles of music, from rock and pop to folk, and has a wide range of influences in his compositions. This is his first time leading an ensemble.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jake.kostuchuk
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jakekostuchuk/

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The Jaya Bremer Quintet is a Victoria-based jazz group. They met eight years ago while studying jazz at the Victoria Conservatory of Music, and have been playing together ever since! They specialize in gypsy-jazz, which has a European sound and feel to it. They perform with two guitars - one on rhythm and one on lead, an upright bass, a clarinet or accordion, and Jaya Bremer on vocals. Their shows offer a fresh take on familiar jazz standards, and a wonderful ambiance to a variety of venues. Swing dancers are encouraged!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jayabremerquintet
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jayabremer/

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From somewhere over the rainbow, aka Whistler, BC, comes the Louisiana fairytale - Monty Biggins and his Little Biggs Band. They offer toe tapping, feel-good vibes inspired by roots Americana from New Orleans to Memphis. With over 3000 shows performed in the Sea to Sky and Lower Mainland, to hundreds of thousands of people from all over the world, these musicians get your hips moving. From fun originals to re-imagined covers in classic themes, the band draws inspiration from the spirit of Louis Armstrong and all the music that came from and after the great master.

Website: www.montybiggins.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MontyNs/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/montybiggins/

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In the 1920s, jazz was alive and swinging in the cabarets and nightclubs of Shanghai where American big band sounds melded with Chinese folk melodies. The love of jazz and a mutual interest in the melding of musical languages led to the first presentation of ‘Jasmine Jazz’ in Vancouver in 2014. Jazmine Jazz features Jirong Huang on erhu, Sarah Yusha Tan on guzheng and Zhongxi Wu on sheng and suona with Arnt Arntzen on banjo and vocals, Jodi Proznick on bass and Bruce Henczel on percussion. The Ensemble returns again and again to an unusual and exquisite interplay between traditional Chinese and jazz instruments. And each time, the music grows in depth and scope.

In 2022, Jasmine Jazz features the same three musicians of the Vancouver Chinese Music Ensemble with ​some of the city’s finest jazz musicians and composers​: Jodi Proznick on bass, Bill Coon on guitar and James Danderfer on clarinets.

Jasmine Jazz is about musical conversations and an east meets west experience, full of beauty, harmony and mutual respect. The repertoire is a beautiful mix of songs pulled from jazz and traditional Chinese folk music and original composition by members of the ensemble.

Website: www.vancouverchinesemusic.ca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vancouverchinesemusic
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stories/vancouverchinesemusic/3064411679308427695/

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Monty Biggins is a composer, entertainer, producer and recording artist from the West Coast of Canada. He’s a seasoned performer offering musical experiences, perfect for any occasion. A multi-instrumentalist with a voice that embodies a century of influences and styles, it has been said that Monty Biggins is an embodiment of music itself. A passionate recording artist and dedicated entertainer.

Website: www.montybiggins.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MontyNs/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/montybiggins/

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Colin Sankey is a bassist, composer, and arranger from Surrey, BC. He was the first-place winner of the 2022 Phil Jones Solo Bass Contest in New York. Compared to virtuosos such as Victor Wooten, Marcus Miller and Jaco Pastorius, his technical mastery stuns audiences. His trio with saxophone virtuoso Brent Mah and Latin percussion guru Sangito Bigelow combines the infectious grooves of funk and salsa music with the harmonic depth of jazz.

Website: http://www.colindavidsankey.com
Facebook: //www.facebook.com/colinsankeybass/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colinsankeybass/?hl=en

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The primary source for Marois Vocal Project’s arranger/band leader’s repertoire comes from two important vocal ensembles from the late 50s: The Double Six of Paris and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. Both groups had the technique known as ''vocalese'' in common, by which a jazz singer adapts an instrument to the human voice. They applied this style beyond the usual small combo to full big band arrangements. In essence, with Marois Vocal Project, you get big band arrangements with brass and saxes replaced by voices with lyricization of the two greatest jazz lyricists: Jon Hendricks and Mimi Perrin. Finally, you also get some of the best practitioners of scat (vocal jazz soloing) in this country.

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Wild River Singers is a 12-person Pow Wow drum group that plays at many local and regional Pow Wow events including the well known Kamloopa. Wild River Singers will be joined by a family of two generations of Pow Wow dancers.

Learn More

Discovery is the beauty of music. It reveals itself in layers. Such is the evolution of 2020 JUNO Award-winner, Celeigh Cardinal. With a confident voice and boundless energy, Cardinal owns a stage, connecting deeply with her audience through humour, passion and love. Whether sweetly strumming an acoustic guitar or leading her talented band, she commands our attention. Her singing is rich and deep with a burnished maturity and a nimble technical virtuosity that wraps itself around notes with a purr, a snarl or something in the middle. With two full-length albums completed, and a future release in the planning stages, Cardinal is poised to expand her profile which already includes awards from the 2020 Juno Awards, the 2018 Western Canadian Music Awards, multiple Edmonton Music Awards, and recently she received two nominations for the 2020 Western Canadian Music Awards for Indigenous Artist of the Year and Songwriter of the Year.

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The rich textured tone of singer songwriter Hayley Wallis’ voice has an unmistakable confidence that is immediately recognizable. Hayley delivers a powerful emotional performance that evokes a response as dynamic as her vocal range. She is part of the Kitasoo/Xais’xais Nation, originally from Klemtu, a small isolated island located in the heart of the Great Bear Rainforest in British Columbia.

Hayley is well on her way to breaking into the scene with her debut single, Coffee Cup, a relatable soulful pop anthem about mental health and reaching out for help. Coffee Cup reached #1 on NCI’s Indigenous Music Countdown and was added to SiriusXM’s Indigiverse & Poplandia regular rotation. The song landed her top 100 in CBC’s Searchlight competition in 2022 and an official showcase spot at Canadian Music Week in Toronto.

Website: https://hayleywallismusic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hayleywallismusic