Masterclass Series
Generously supported by the David Rubel Realtor Team​
Please note that there will be no masterclass on October 11th or November 1st.
Henry Hey
September 13, 2024
Henry has an innate curiosity and unique ability to bring multiple musical influences together. This is probably because everything from the Beatles to Bach to Count Basie to the sound of Henry’s own father playing various musical instruments could be heard at any time in his Midwest childhood home.
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One famously curious artist, David Bowie, identified with this spirit in Henry during the making of The Next Day, on which Henry played piano and keyboards. Bowie then chose him as arranger and musical director to help reimagine his classic songs and to shape new ones, creating the sound for what would be Bowie’s final work, Lazarus.
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Henry immerses himself in original projects and creative collaborations expressing his own voice. These works embody his skills as a musical catalyst in every way, from composing, songwriting, and arranging to sound creation, production, and performance. His instrumental group, FORQ, is currently recording and touring worldwide. Other collaborations include the critically acclaimed quartet, Rudder, and Australian synth-pop sensation, Empire of the Sun.
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Legendary producer Phil Ramone felt Henry was essential to the evolution of George Michael’s project Symphonica, both as an arranger and pianist. Michael felt at ease working with Henry and the two enjoyed a successful relationship as Henry went on to be musical director for both the album recording and extensive arena touring. Prior to this, Henry was the musical director and pianist with Rod Stewart and the Great American Songbook. Henry not only led the band on international tours and recorded on several of the songbook albums, but also joined Stewart on many network television appearances.
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Henry is active in the world of film, television, and video games as a composer and orchestrator. His work can be heard in films such as Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, Dumb and Dumber To, and many others. Additionally, Henry appears as piano and keyboard player on film soundtracks such as Ocean’s 12, Ocean’s 8, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, The 100 Foot Journey, Zoolander 2, The Last Mimzy, and Two Weeks Notice. (IMDB)
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Henry has recorded and toured with diverse artists such as Ariana Grande, Tedeschi Trucks Band, Vanessa Williams, Walter Becker, PM Dawn, Dionne Warwick, Sanne Salomonsen, Chris Barron, Harry Belafonte, Christopher Cross, Blood Sweat and Tears, and Nikka Costa. Henry has also worked with seminal producers such as Tony Visconti, Richard Perry, Steve Tyrell, Jack Douglas, Kevin Killen, and Frank Filipetti.
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Henry’s unique sound can be heard in the world of jazz and improvised music with such luminaries as Donny McCaslin, Jeff ‘Tain’ Watts, Cassandra Wilson, Theo Bleckman, Bill Evans, Till Bronner, Alex Sipiagin, Joe Locke, Bill Bruford, Wayne Krantz, Seamus Blake, Chris Botti, and more. (ALLMUSIC)
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Henry’s other passion is sailing. When not working in music he can be found happily aboard a sloop in the waters off Long Island.
Ethan Iverson
September 27, 2024
Pianist, composer, and writer Ethan Iverson was a founding member of The Bad Plus, a game-changing collective with Reid Anderson and David King. The New York Times called TBP “Better than anyone at melding the sensibilities of post-60’s jazz and indie rock.” During his 17-year tenure, TBP performed in venues as diverse as the Village Vanguard, Carnegie Hall, and Bonnaroo; collaborated with Joshua Redman, Bill Frisell, and the Mark Morris Dance Group; and created a faithful arrangement of Igor Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and a radical reinvention of Ornette Coleman’s Science Fiction.
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Since leaving TBP, Iverson has kept busy. 2017: Co-curated a major centennial celebration of Thelonious Monk at Duke University and premiered the evening-length Pepperland with the Mark Morris Dance Group. 2018: premiered an original piano concerto with the American Composers Orchestra and released a duo album of new compositions with Mark Turner on ECM. 2019: Common Practice with Tom Harrell (ECM), standards tracked live at the Village Vanguard. 2021: Bud Powell in the 21st Century, a vigorous reconsideration of the bebop master, is featured on the March cover of DownBeat. 2022: The current release is Every Note is True on Blue Note records, an album of original work in trio with Larry Grenadier and Jack DeJohnette.
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Iverson also has been in the critically-acclaimed Billy Hart quartet for well over a decade and occasionally performs with elder statesmen like Albert “Tootie” Heath or Ron Carter or collaborates with noted classical musicians like Miranda Cuckson and Mark Padmore. For almost 20 years, Iverson’s website Do the Math has been a repository of musician-to-musician interviews and analysis. Time Out New York selected Iverson as one of 25 essential New York jazz icons: “Perhaps NYC’s most thoughtful and passionate student of jazz tradition—the most admirable sort of artist-scholar.” Iverson has also published articles about music in the New Yorker, NPR, The Nation, and JazzTimes. Iverson resides in Park Slope with his wife Sarah Deming.
Kristjan Randalu
October 4, 2024
Kristjan Randalu belongs to the most sought-after piano players of his generation, carrying the torch in both the improvised world of jazz and the traditional realm of classical music – Herbie Hancock has called him “a dazzling piano player”. Between creating his own original blend of contemporary jazz as a leader and collaborating with several generations of respected musicians, from the likes of fellow ECM recording artist Trygve Seim to saxophonist David Liebman, Randalu has brought his music to some of the world’s most renowned jazz festivals and concert halls. At the same time, he is viewed as an esteemed interpreter of a broad spectrum of contemporary and classical music, performing alongside internationally acclaimed orchestras and conductors.
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Born in Estonia’s capital Tallinn to pianist parents in 1978, Randalu and his family soon moved to Germany where he began studying piano in Karlsruhe and Cologne before graduating from the Stuttgart Music University. His studies would later bring him to the Royal Academy of Music in London as well as the Manhattan School of Music, attaining an additional master’s degree and exposing him to respected teachers such as John Taylor, Django Bates and Kenny Barron, among many others.
Over the years, Randalu has performed with countless top tier musicians and collaborated with modern day vanguards in jazz and beyond, from oudist Dhafer Youssef, drum virtuoso Ari Hoenig and trumpeter Nils-Petter Molvær to the likes of Nguyên Lê, Ambrose Akinmusire and Gilad Hekselman, to name but a few in a long list of household names. His 2018 recording Absence (featuring guitar marvel Ben Monder and drummer Markku Ounaskari) represents Randalu’s leader debut for the famed ECM label and was met with great acclaim – Jazzwise magazine praising the “meteorological moodiness” of the music on the album for being “at once passionate and studied”, while DownBeat magazine went as far as calling him “a pillar of stability” and “clearly capable of breathtaking displays of technique and showmanship”.
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Among the pianist’s frequent collaborators are drummer Bodek Janke and bassist Petros Klampanis in varying formations, while his duo outing, Mussorgsky Pictures Revisited (BMC Records, 2020), saw him recasting Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky’s model example of program music with saxophone legend David Liebman – clearly revealing Randalu’s passion for classical music in a virtuoso display that landed in The New York City Jazz Record’s “Best of 2020” list. The 2022 recording Sisu (Whirlwind Recordings) marked Randalu’s debut as big band composer and arranger and was awarded Jazz Album of the Year at the Estonian Music Awards. Most recently, with his unique and improvisation-encompassing approach to Schumann’s Dichterliebe (Berlin Classics, 2024), Randalu has not only deepened his musical ties to the classical world, but presented a truly original recasting of one of the Romantic repertoire’s cornerstones.
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As a composer, Randalu refers to Erkki-Sven Tüür and Tõnu Kõrvits being among his mentors, which accounts for his discerning approach to form and harmonic structure. Precise delivery and expressive playing are among his many virtues and in-demand qualities in classical settings, too – having brought him to celebrity conductors like Kristjan Järvi and Dennis Russell Davies on the one hand and esteemed ensembles of the stature of the London Symphony Orchestra and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra on the other.
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With a discography of over 50 albums under his belt (including a Grammy-nominated recording) and numerous awards to his name (including “Jazz Artist of the Year” and “Jazz Composer of the year” in Estonia), Randalu’s prolific oeuvre continues to grow in breadth and quality as his unique voice is becoming internationally more and more important.
Will Carn and Tara Davidson
Carn Davidson 9
October 25, 2024
The Carn Davidson 9 (CD9) was formed in 2010 as a collaborative project between JUNO Award winning artists, trombonist William Carn and saxophonist Tara Davidson. CD9 is a 9-piece chordless ensemble that utilizes its seven horns as melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic devices, anchored by bass and drums. This co-led ensemble is an opportunity for both artists to craft their original compositions for this unique chamber jazz instrumentation. The ensemble’s first two recordings also showcased a formidable collection of guest arrangers such as Andrew Downing, Reg Schwager and Terry Promane.
The Carn Davidson 9’s unique sound is made stronger by an all-star lineup of prominent Canadian artists who are all exceptional ensemble players as well as outstanding soloists. CD9 has produced three recordings. CD9’s debut recording, “Nine”, was released in 2012; “Murphy” was released in 2017; “The History of Us” was released in 2021. Comprising of two three-movement suites, "The History of Us" is a meditation on the universal themes of family, migration, and loss. “The History of Us” received much critical acclaim, including a 4-Star review in DownBeat magazine. All three recordings garnered JUNO nominations for Jazz Album of the Year.
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In fall of 2024, CD9 will celebrate the release of the group's 4th full studio recording entitled, "Reverence". This recording features 2 suites of music dedicated to some of the influential master musicians that have inspired both Tara Davidson and William Carn.
Zack Lober
November 8, 2024
A native of Montreal, Canada, via NYC and Boston, Zack Lober is a bassist and composer now based in The Netherlands. He is a co-founder of the critically acclaimed jazz group "The Story" and leads his own group called "The Ancestry Project", a performance piece featuring music and video that also incorporates his musical explorations with turntables. He is also the co-leader of the collective quartet “Landline” along with fellow members Chet Doxas, Jacob Sacks, and Vinnie Sperrazza. His latest Netherlands based trio project NO FILL3R features drummer Sun-Mi Hong and trumpeter Suzan Veneman. He is active as an educator and clinician and holds a Masters degree from the Manhattan School of Music.
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He has performed as a band member in groups led by artists including David Binney, Henry Threadgill, Seamus Blake, Butch Morris, Frank London, John Escreet, Greg Ward, Jamie Baum, Jerry Bergonzi, Phil Grenadier, Jason Palmer and Chet Doxas and has also performed throughout Europe, India, Mexico, Canada, and the United States in bands led by Ingrid Jensen, Christine Jensen, Benoit Charest, Christophe Schweizer, as well as with "The Story".
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Zack is also active in the rock and pop world and has performed and/or recorded with artists including Caro Emerald, Zach Williams (of The Lone Bellow), Jessica Williams (Girls), The Swingle Singers, Emma Frank, Alejandra Ribera, Steve Stevens (Billy Idol), Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy (The Cult).
Dan Pitt
November 15, 2024
Dan Pitt is a guitarist, composer and improviser currently based in Toronto, Canada.
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Along with his formal education in music, Dan has an impressive 10 year background of private studies under the guidance of notable musicians such as Bob Shields, David Restivo, Geoff Young, Andrew Downing, Brad Shepik, Tony Malaby, Ben Monder and David Torn.​
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Dan performs regularly throughout Toronto in a variety of music genres and ensembles. He leads his own creative improv group, Dan Pitt Trio, which features bassist Alex Fournier and drummer Nick Fraser. Their debut CD, "Fundamentally Flawed", was regarded as “an album that is rich in complexity, original creativity and sophisticated musicianship.” (JazzMusicBlog).
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Dan has performed across Canada and in New York City with musicians such as Pat Collins, David Braid, Terry Promane, Andrew Downing, Dave Young, Lina Allemano, Tim Berne, Michael Attias and Michael Formanek. Dan also appears on recordings with Canadian groups including Harrison Vetro's Northern Ranger, The Hamilton All Star Jazz Band and the University of Toronto 12tet.
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​Dan holds a Bachelor of Music in Performance (Jazz) from the University of Toronto.
TBA
November 22, 2024
More information coming soon.
Interested in conducting a masterclass at U of T Jazz?
Please send an email to sam.little@mail.utoronto.ca