2020-2021
Jazz Events
All live performances are currently on hold due to Covid 19. Watch this space for updates, including live streams.
Ken Page Memorial Trust Masterclass Series
Masterclasses sponsored by the KPMT will be presented virtually this year, exclusively for U of T Jazz students.
October 16 - Rich Brown
Electric bassist/composer Rich Brown has been playing professionally since 1992. He has released 3 albums as a leader, and appears on over 70 recordings ranging from Jazz to Funk to traditional Arabic and Asian music. Rich has performed with a wide variety of artists including Rudresh Mahanthappa, Steve Coleman, Angelique Kidjo, Kurt Elling, Kim Mitchell, James Blood Ulmer, The Parachute Club, Molly Johnson, and David Clayton Thomas to name just a few. He also leads his own groups — rinsethealgorithm and The Abeng — and was nominated for a Juno Award in 2016 in the category of Jazz Album of the Year: Solo for his latest album ‘Abeng’.
https://rinsethealgorithm.bandcamp.com/
October 23 - Quincy Davis
Quincy Davis is assistant professor of drumset at the University of North Texas. Prior to his appointment, Davis was assistant professor of jazz drumset studies at the University of Manitoba (Canada).
Born in Grand Rapids, MI, Davis comes from a very musical family. He began taking drum lessons at age 6 and often would play with his brother Xavier Davis (piano) in their basement. In his elementary and middle school bands, he also played trumpet and tuba.
In 1995, Davis graduated from IAA and began college at Western Michigan University. There he studied with drum master, Billy Hart. Along with learning more about the drums, Mr. Hart instilled in Davis a deep knowledge of music, which has proven to be very important to his career. During these collegiate years, Davis played at various collegiate jazz festivals where notable musicians like Benny Green, Bunky Green, Jon Faddis, Roy Haynes, Carl Allen, Louis Hayes, and Wallace Roney heard and recognized Davis’ talents with written accolades and awards.
Upon moving to New York City in the summer of 2000, Davis has had the opportunity to perform with many great musicians such as Wynton Marsalis, Frank Wess, Russell Malone, Eric Reed, Paquito D'Rivera, Kurt Elling, George Coleman, Eric Alexander, Mike Ledonne, Lew Tebakin, Vanessa, Warren Vache, Ron Blake, Jon Faddis, Gerald Clayton, Clayton Brothers, Peter Berstein, David Hazeltine, Roy Hargrove, Randy Johnston, Laverne Butler, Paula West, Nicholas Payton, New York Voices, Ryan Kisor and Wessell Anderson.
Davis can be heard on over 30 albums playing with many notable jazz artists including Tom Harrell, Gretchen Parlato, Bobby Watson, Benny Golson, Ted Rosenthal, Marcus Printup, Dave Stryker, Walt Weiskopf, Stefon Harris, Benny Green, Aaron Diehl, Xavier Davis, Danny Grissett, Vincent Gardner, Frank Wess, Darmon Meader, Sachal Vasandani and many more.
Quincy Davis' new album - Q Vision - is to be released on October 27th on all major streaming platforms.
https://www.quincydavisjazz.com/
October 30 - Jessica Ackerley
In the past decade, Jessica Ackerley has already established herself on the Canadian and American rock and jazz scene as a unique guitarist, composer and band leader. Born and raised in Alberta, Canada; Jessica now resides in New York city where she has worked alongside notable musicians such as Tyshawn Sorey and Martin Bisi (Sonic Youth, Herbie Hancock, John Zorn). She has had the opportunity to perform at established venues like John Zorn’s The Stone, The Metropolitan Museum of Art and The Blue Note, as well as tours as both a band leader and sideman throughout Canada and the United States.
Her musical palette is diverse, drawing from highly refined compositional structure to free improvisation and jazz, with a slight nod to no wave and Avant Garde soundscapes. All About Jazz has stated upon the release of her acclaimed debut album that,“her work demonstrates her independence and refusal to conform, yet it is rooted firmly in that which has influenced her. If she maintains this course, Ackerley has a brilliant career ahead of her.” Jessica continuously tries to expand her musical horizons with various projects across Canada and the U.S. In August, 2019, Ackerley released her follow-up sophomore album, A New Kind of Water, recorded at BC Studios (John Zorn, Sonic Youth) with Martin Bisi.
https://jessicaackerleyguitar.tumblr.com/
November 6 - Heather Saumer
Heather Saumer is an active member of the Toronto jazz and improvised music communities as trombonist, composer, and bandleader. She is currently a member of the “Mark Segger Sextet,” “Blunt Object,” the “DanJam Orchestra” based in New York City, John Oswald’s “Radiant Brass,” ongoing guest of Ken Aldcroft’s “Convergence Ensemble,” composer and bandleader for her own quartet and sextet, and is currently a co-curator of the Leftover Daylight Music Series. Heather has also had the great pleasure of performing with an eclectic group of artists including Dave Douglas, members of the Dutch “ICP Orchestra,” and “Broken Social Scene.”
Originally from Edmonton Alberta, Heather moved to Toronto to attend the UofT where she graduated with her Masters Degree in Jazz Performance in 2009. She also attended the Banff Jazz and Creative Music Workshop in 2007 and 2009, holds a Bachelor of Music Honours in Jazz Studies from StFX University, as well as a Composition Diploma from MacEwan College
November 13 - No Masterclass
November 20 - Joanna Majoko
Joanna Majoko has been captivating audiences with her voice since the young age of 14. Born to German & Zimbabwean parents, Joanna grew up in a culturally diverse home - a home that moved from Germany to Zimbabwe, South Africa, and finally to Canada in 2001.
Growing up, she was exposed to a rich practice of music and dance, participating in everything from choirs, musicals, drum ensembles, to traditional Zimbabwean dance groups. After relocating to Central Canada, Joanna continued to involve herself in the Arts and her growing love of jazz brought her to Winnipeg, Manitoba, where she graduated from the University of Manitoba’s, Desautels Faculty of Music - Jazz Studies in 2014.
Although her greatest affinity is jazz, Joanna is versatile within many musical genres, having worked with numerous accomplished Canadian and American recording artists that include Grammy-nominated artist/drummer, Ulysess Owens Jr., multi Juno award winner & Grammy-nominated jazz luminary, Jane Bunnett, Canada’s Hip Hop sensation, The Lytics and Juno/Grammy-award winner & Canadian Hall of Fame inductee, David Clayton-Thomas.
In addition to her talents as a vocalist, Joanna is a passionate composer and arranger, achieving a unified and unmistakable sound characteristic of smooth syncopations, airy melodies, colourful rhythms and a sophisticated harmonic palette. She is currently working on her Debut EP. A body of work that hopes to showcase her all authentic sound & style.
Joanna now calls Toronto home and continues to build a name for herself as a solo voice, showcasing her original music and talents throughout the city’s vibrant music scene, working closely with many of Toronto’s (Canada’s) musical heavy weights. It is the union of her cultural distinction, pure tone, sweet lyricism and cunning compositional abilities that excite her audiences and help define her sound.