Artists 2024

Ale Nunez Quartet

Sunday August 18 McKay Wine & Beer Garden Stage 12:30 pm Her name is Alejandra, but she is making a name for herself as Ale in major jazz venues such as The Rex, Jazz Bistro, Hugh’s Room and LULA Lounge. Listen to the Ale Nunez Quartet and you will hear why she was named 2023 Artist of the Year at the Toronto Undergraduate Jazz Festival, the biggest jazz festival for emerging musicians in Canada. Now the 22-year-old is recording original music and continuing her journey to the stars. www.youtube.com/watch?v=GsIksjP-X20

Alex Pangman & Her Alleycats

Sunday August 18 McKay Wine & Beer Garden Stage 2:00 pm A performance by Alex Pangman goes to the heart of jazz. With half a dozen albums to her credit, the vivacious singer is a specialist in songs from the Great American Songbook, the unofficial library of songs from Broadway, Hollywood and Tin Pan Alley from the 1920s through the 1950s that are a foundation for jazz education and repertoires. Alex and her longtime quintet of sentimental gentlemen called The Alleycats have built a loyal fan base among jazz listeners and dancers alike. www.alexpangman.com

Bob Brough

Sunday August 18 Varley Art Gallery Patio Stage 1:30 pm The tenor sax holds a revered place in jazz history and composition. Special players can add their own voice to its mystique. Bob Brough has been a highlight on the jazz scene in Toronto since 1969. He found fame with Time Warp in the 1980s and since then has played with everyone of prominence in the city. Leading his own quartet, Bob continues to excite and amaze audiences with his big, rich tenor tone and deeply emotional interpretations of standard and original compositions. www.bobbrough.com

Dhaivat Jani PLUS

Saturday August 17 Millenium Bandstand Stage 1:00 pm Jazz comes from India, too. Listen to Dhaivat Jani PLUS and discover a fascinating combination of Indian classical music, contemporary jazz and rock music brought to life and movement by six talented young improvisers. Band leader Dhaivat Jani is a composer, drummer and tabla player based in Toronto. He hails originally from Ahmedabad, India. The band’s debut album, Sum // Parts (2023), with eight songs expressing an arc of human emotions and experiences, has gained critical acclaim. www.dhaivatjani.com

Disaster Pony

Sunday August 18 Millenium Bandstand Stage 4:00 pm At its best, jazz is not safe. Jazz takes chances. Jazz struggles to give rise to new sounds and genres. Disaster Pony is a band that combines jazz with electronic dance music. It is led by Gordon Hyland, a saxophonist, multi-instrumentalist and composer based in Toronto. With primary collaborators Adam Hindle (percussion) and Ian Docherty (guitar, engineering) he made an experimental, danceable saxophone record in 2021 that forms the basis of the eight-piece band’s performance. The music is groove-focused and – above all – beautiful. www.orangegrovepublicity.com/Clients/disaster-pony

Dominique Fils-Aimé

Saturday August 17 Millenium Bandstand Stage 5:30 pm Dominique Fils-Aimé is a two-time JUNO Award-winning singer-songwriter from Montreal who puts the history of African-American musical culture into the heart of her work. Her fourth album Our Roots Run Deep was released in September 2023 on Ensoul Records. For Dominique, nature acts as an anchor – a source of inspiration that provides her with metaphors to express the unique but interconnected journey of a human being. She dazzles listeners with her radiant voice and underlying message of empathy. www.domiofficial.com

Duchess

Friday August 16 Millenium Bandstand Stage 7:30 pm Duchess, a vocal trio from New York, combines beautiful swing music with plenty of fun. Singers Amy Cervini, Hilary Gardner and Melissa Stylianou have performed since 2013 at festivals and jazz clubs throughout Canada, the United States and Europe, and have released four recordings to rave reviews. Duchess carries on the close-harmony tradition of the Boswell and Andrews Sisters. Their performances brim with charm and humour. In reviewing their 2017 album Laughing at Life (Anzic Records), Downbeat Magazine declared, “For a good time, call Duchess.” www.duchesstrio.com

Eisenman/Murley Quartet

Saturday August 17 Millenium Bandstand Stage 4:00 pm Here is mainstream jazz at its best. Two celebrated Toronto-based musicians, saxophonist Mike Murley and pianist Mark Eisenman, perform selections from their JUNO-nominated album Recent History. Two rhythm players of equal renown, bassist Neil Swainson and drummer Terry Clarke, complete the quartet. The album includes seven Murley/Eisenman compositions and four classic tracks. These musicians bring their vast experience together to create fresh music while still respecting the core musical concepts of jazz: swing, melody, interaction and being in the moment. www.cornerstonerecordsinc.com

Elizabeth Shepherd

Saturday August 17 McKay Wine & Beer Garden Stage 3:30 pm From Montreal comes Elizabeth Shepherd, who has been hailed as “a jazz virtuoso blessed with a pop sensibility” (The Globe and Mail). A classically trained pianist, singer and songwriter, Elizabeth has released seven albums that blur the boundaries among jazz, rhythm and blues, pop and hip hop. She has been nominated for JUNO awards six times. Elizabeth made her international debut in 2006 and has toured extensively in North America, Europe, Japan, and Mexico. www.elizabethshepherd.com

Fanfare sous le pommier

Sunday August 18 Main Street Unionville Sunday afternoon Montreal-based trumpeter Jacques Kuba Séguin brings his brass band to Unionville for an afternoon of great fun. The young crew explore their festive side by venturing into traditional brass band street music mixed with funk and Afro-beat rhythms. Fanfare sous le pommier’s performances break the distance between audience and music. Séguin, who has Polish-Canadian heritage, performs regularly in Poland and has built an international reputation as a composer and gifted trumpeter for 15 years. He received the 2020 JUNO for best solo jazz album. www.jacqueskubaseguin.com

Hilario Duran

Sunday August 18 Millenium Bandstand Stage 5:30 pm “He’s one of a kind, on a genius scale,” Nick Krewen of The Toronto Star has written. Hilario Duran brings his Latin Jazz Big Band to the Millenium Bandstand Stage to conclude the 2024 Markham Jazz Festival with superb musicianship. Cuban-born Hilario is a multi-Canadian JUNO winner and nominee. He is a pianist, producer, composer, arranger and musical director of remarkable virtuosity. His 2024 album Cry Me a River won the Best Jazz Album of the Year (Group) award at this year’s JUNO Awards. www.hilarioduran.com

Jackie Richardson with TABB

Saturday August 17 Millennium Bandstand Stage 7:00 pm Jackie Richardson is an award-winning singer and actor whose career spans more than five decades. Canada’s reigning queen of jazz, blues and gospel has earned kudos ranging from two JUNO nominations to the Black Theatre Workshop’s Martin Luther King Jr. Award to a Lifetime Achievement Award from Canadian Actor’s Equity, among many. This year, she adds Order of Canada Member. Here, Jackie sings with the talented Toronto All-Star Big Band, an exciting youth music education and performance group that celebrates the spirit of the ‘30s, ‘40s and ‘50s. Find both on Facebook.

Jake Chisholm

Sunday August 18 McKay Wine & Beer Garden Stage 5:00 pm There is a sincerity in Jake Chisholm’s music that is immediately identifiable. Inspired by classic blues, soul and rock n roll, Jake’s quartet gives listeners both familiarity and the feeling of being privy to something cutting-edge. Jake is a session guitarist and teacher in Toronto with three albums to his credit. He is backed by swagger-brothers Darcy Yates, bass, Jimmy Bowskill, stringed instruments, and Ian Mckeown, drums. Together they make impassioned, scrappy music that is a celebration of standing strong with hands held high. www.jakechisholm.ca

Joel Haynes Quartet

Saturday August 17 Varley Art Gallery Patio Stage 12:00 pm When GTA-based drummer Joel Haynes sat down in Vancouver to create a recording called The Return! with three old friends in February 2023, he was surprised by the creative burst that resulted. “The session went great and we just powered through all the tunes,” Joel told blogger Jon McCaslin. The creative momentum had been building for more than 20 years as Joel played in jazz festivals around the world. His quartet’s performance will be a showcase for powerful contemporary jazz. https://haynesdrumstudio.com/

Junior Santos

Saturday August 17 Millenium Bandstand Stage 2:30 pm Irresistible rhythms and tunes combined with spectacular drumming and jazzy improvisations – that’s pembiche. It is a musical genre and dance form related to merengue, the national dance of the Dominican Republic, where Junior Santos hails from. He immigrated to Toronto in 1989, has played with many bands and in 2021 recorded an album called Conpambiche. Nominated for a JUNO as solo jazz album of the year, it is a lively fusion of Afro-Dominican beats. His concert offers a showcase for Latin jazz. www.jrpambiche.com

Kari van der Kloot

Sunday August 18 McKay Wine & Beer Garden Stage 3:30 pm Singer and pianist Kari van der Kloot is an original – a Canadian by birth and a world citizen by career. Following her musical education in Toronto and New York, she became a professor of vocal jazz in Seoul, South Korea. Now back in New York, she delivers unique performances with the Kari van der Kloot Quintet including intricately arranged ensemble playing, four-part vocal harmonies and intimate dialogues between voice and violin. Her new album, her third, is called Window. www.karivanderkloot.com

Los Variants

Saturday August 17 McKay Wine & Beer Garden Stage 12:30 pm Come on a musical journey around the world with Los Variants. This Toronto-based group of six versatile musicians incorporate flamenco flourishes, middle Eastern groove and Caribbean rhythms in their performance. They are creating new material for their third CD release, The Trivium, and the band will also draw from earlier releases jass/blues and O Passeio. Band leader Vince Maccarone is a veteran percussionist, studio musician, teacher and producer. Every member of this band has toured both nationally and internationally. www.losvariants.com

Marie Goudy & Paloma Sky

Saturday August 17 McKay Wine & Beer Garden Stage 5:00 pm A sense of fun and vitality infuses Paloma Sky, a new quintet led by Toronto-born trumpeter Marie Goudy. Their first album, Hold On To Me, will be released in September. It is produced by Elizabeth Shepherd, who will perform on the McKay stage just before Paloma Sky. The recording is not Marie’s first, however. That was The Bitter Suite (2018), by the Marie Goudy 12tet. It featured vocalist Jocelyn Barth, who continues her musical partnership with Marie in Paloma Sky. Together they radiate positive energy. www.mariegoudy.com

Mark Kelso

Sunday August 18 Varley Art Gallery Patio Stage 3:00 pm The Varley Art Gallery Patio Stage enables musicians to get personal with audiences, and that’s what drummer Mark Kelso has in mind. His eighth album, The Mystic Isle Project, is his most personal recording, inspired by his childhood in Northern Ireland. He says: “Even though I’ve lived in Canada since I was nine years old, Northern Ireland has always stayed close to my heart, and through all the visits there over the years, it has remained one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen.” www.groovydrums.com

Mira Choquette

Sunday August 18 Varley Art Gallery Patio Stage 4:30 pm Jazz fans in both the northern and southern hemispheres keep asking Mira Choquette to come and sing. This year she has performed in Puerto Rico, Armenia, Bremen and Morocco as well as Oaxaca and Huatulco in Mexico. Now she comes to the Markham Jazz Festival with her trio and a unique collection of jazz songs from her 2023 album, In Reel Time. More than a performer, Mira is also a lawyer representing musicians in Ontario and Quebec. Mira Choquette (bandcamp.com)

Moneka Arabic Jazz

Sunday August 18 Millennium Bandstand Stage 1:00 pm Ever hear of Arabic jazz? Well, meet Ahmed Moneka. In 2015, the singer, composer, percussionist and actor was forced to seek asylum in Toronto after his life was threatened in his hometown of Baghdad. Ahmed used music to remember his roots. His new album, Kanzafula, celebrates where he came from and bridges the language gap he faced in Canada. His six-piece band, with musicians from five countries, performs what Ahmed calls Afro Sufi music, a blend of jazz and blues with Arabic and African traditions. www.ahmedmoneka.com

Nastasia Y

Saturday August 17 McKay Wine & Beer Garden Stage 2:00 pm “I tell people about Ukraine through music,” Natasia Y says. She is a Ukrainian-born global fusion artist inspired by the multicultural city of Toronto, which she now calls home. Nastasia wrote and released her first album in 2013 (under the name Stacey Y) after completing her jazz piano degree at Humber College. She fuses funk, R&B, electro and jazz with Slavic folk music. Now the singer and keyboardist has released Kyiv Soul, a culmination of all her influences, exploring themes of love and war. www.nastasiay.com

Nicky Schrire Quintet

Saturday August 17 Varley Art Gallery Patio Stage 1:30 pm Nicky Schrire lives in Toronto but she was born in London, England, raised in South Africa and is a former resident of New York. She thinks of herself as a nowhere girl. Others think of her as a joy to listen to. She will be joined by Myriad3 (Ernesto Cervini, Dan Fortin, Chris Donnelly) and saxophonist Tara Davidson, all of whom helped create her fourth album, Nowhere Girl. The album is a unique musical statement, just as her performance will be. www.nickyschrire.com

Nicole Zuraitis

Friday August 16 Millenium Bandstand Stage 9:15 pm She is acclaimed as a singer/pianist and as a composer, arranger and bandleader. Backed by Canadian musicians, Nicole Zuraitis comes to Unionville from New York, where she has positioned herself as a top performer in jazz clubs and recording studios. Her sixth album Where Love Begins, co-produced with Christian McBride, features all original music and won a Grammy for best jazz vocal album in 2023. This year Nicole is thrilling audiences worldwide, from the Newport Jazz Festival to the Klaipeda Jazz Festival in Lithuania. www.nicolezmusic.com

Oná Ensemble

Sunday August 18 Varley Art Gallery Patio Stage 12:00 pm Jazz with French horns? Jazz with a bassoon? Here’s something you may not have heard before. Oná Ensemble is a Canadian-Brazilian chamber jazz ensemble inspired by the music of Brazil. The ensemble’s unique instrumentation of two French horns, bassoon, reeds (flute, clarinet, saxophone), guitar and percussion provides a captivating, global, classical sound combined with the soul of jazz. Oná performs traditional Brazilian choro, samba and jazz led by band leader Olivia Esther’s French horn! www.instagram.com/onaensemble

Peripheral Vision

Saturday August 17 Varley Art Gallery Patio Stage 4:30 pm Peripheral Vision is a Toronto-based quartet that’s still pushing boundaries after 15 years together. Their music takes shape as a collective process. The creative leaders, guitarist Don Scott and bassist Michael Herring, are joined by saxophonist Trevor Hogg and drummer Nick Fraser. Together they have created a multi-media project, We’ve Got Nothing (2023), featuring live videos and accompanying CD release. Over the years the group has released six albums, are JUNO nominees and have received the Montreal Jazz Festival’s Galaxie Rising Star Award. www.peripheralvisionmusic.com

Queen Kong

Saturday August 17 Varley Art Gallery Patio Stage 6:00 pm Queen Kong’s aim is to push the boundaries of what can be considered Jewish/klezmer music by combining traditional sounds with funk, improv and jazz sensibilities. Their debut recording, Fray, was released internationally in May this year. It is a unifying statement, merging myriad influences to create something unique. The compositions are contemplative, complex and groovy. Queen Kong is: Lorie Wolf, drums and voice; Max Forster, trumpet; John Williams, clarinet; Nathan Dell-Vandenberg, trombone; Graham Campbell, guitar; Tom Richards, sousaphone. www.queenkongtoronto.com

Robert Lee Group

Saturday August 17 Varley Art Gallery Patio Stage 3:00 pm To the worldwide range of cultures represented at the Markham Jazz Festival, Robert Lee adds Korean. The Robert Lee Group, based in Toronto, presents original compositions inspired by Korean folk stories and poetry. Bassist Robert composed many of the songs for his second album, Cha-Ran, released in August 2022. That followed a stellar educational career at the University of Guelph, Humber College and Berklee Valencia. Robert says, “I want to celebrate Korean traditional music alongside my passion for jazz and improvisation.” www.robertleebass.com

Samba Squad

Saturday August 17 Main Street Unionville Saturday afternoon Main Street Unionville becomes a place of joyful energy Saturday afternoon. It happens wherever Samba Squad plays. Since 1999, this groove machine has lifted the spirits of people at countless festivals with Brazilian Carnaval-style parades. Founder and leader Rick Lazar was voted Percussionist of the Year five times by Jazz Report magazine. Four lively recordings and numerous television appearances attest to the group’s popularity. Not many jazz bands can boast a Wikipedia entry. Samba Squad has one, complete with footnotes. www.sambasquad.com

Sarah Jerrom’s Magpie

Sunday August 18 Millennium Bandstand Stage 2:30 pm This unique concert could be labelled as orchestral jazz. Magpie is a suite of compositions by Sarah Jerrom, inspired while she was a resident at the Banff Centre for the Arts in 2018 and released as a recording in April this year. Sarah is a vocalist, pianist, band leader and teacher who released three albums between 2007 and 2021. This, her most ambitious project, will feature four singers including Sarah herself, and an ensemble full of musicians who could each draw their own rapt audiences. www.sarahjerrom.com

Suzie Vinnick

Saturday August 17 McKay Wine & Beer Garden Stage 6:30 pm Suzie Vinnick’s engagingly candid performance style is ideally suited to the intimate McKay Wine & Beer Garden Stage. She can belt out the blues or croon a ballad with equal deftness. Her seven albums have won her numerous awards and nominations, including three Juno nominations. A Saskatoon native transplanted to the Niagara region of Ontario, Suzie earns high critical praise as a singer, guitarist and songwriter. The Winnipeg Free Press says, “She has the kind of voice that you never get tired of hearing.” www.suzievinnick.com

U.N. Jefferson

Saturday August 17 Millenium Bandstand Stage 8:45 pm It’s soul time! U.N. Jefferson’s dynamic performance, led by singer-songwriter Ajay Massey, delivers a high degree of energy and showmanship at the climax of Saturday’s program at the Millenium Bandstand. Standing still will not be an option. Sleek and tight and full of fun, the Toronto-based, nine-piece band presents an authentic take on a classic genre rooted in the vintage sounds of James Brown, The Temptations and Wilson Pickett. The band’s infectious sound and Massey’s fervor for entertaining know no bounds. www.unjefferson.com