2015 Artists
The Niagara Jazz Festival is thrilled to announce the headliner for our Flagship event: Michael Kaeshammer! Read more here.
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Please note that all artists and venues are subject to change. Check back regularly for updates.
To read more about your favourite artists, click on their name under ‘Artist Name! Names listed in green are hyperlinks.
| Artist Name | About the Artist |
|---|---|
| Accordium | Accordium - Music to take you away to the arms of Paris and the street music tradition of the mediterranean. Romantic parisian melodies, along with latin and gypsy jazz tunes on accordion and guitar. |
| Ashley St Pierre Trio | Ashley St. Pierre is “a truly classy performer with a classic voice,” and has a “contagious enthusiasm” with a “talent just itching to break loose and take the world by storm.” Her original music and singing has been played on 91.1 JAZZ FM radio in Toronto and WHUS 91.7 in Connecticut. Ashley and her trio will be opening up for Michael Kaeshammer on the Flagship Amphitheatre stage. |
| Barbra Lica Trio | Barbra Lica is an artist who defies the stereotypes of the tortured and heartbroken jazz or pop singer by remaining resolutely upbeat and optimistic. This mandate permeates her just-released second album, Kissing You, a collaborative effort with noted producer/pianist Lou Pomanti that was introduced to the Toronto public in Dec. 2014 before a sold-out audience (1,100) at Koerner Hall. |
| Big Rude Jake | Jake was drawn to the jazz tradition for its ardent sensuality, a quality of the genre that is sometime forgotten. He thus created a rough-hewn stage persona that evoked strident passion and longing, hence the name “Big Rude.” |
| Broadsway | Broadsway is the combination of three uber-talented “Broads”: Dora Mavor Moore Award-nominee Diane Leah, National Jazz Award-winner Heather Bambrick, and international touring Jazz artist Julie Michels. In Broadsway, they bring their respective musical talents together with the repertoire of the American songbook and the Theatre, the improvisational spirit of Jazz, and a large dose of humour to create a show that is immeasurably entertaining. We take the three elements of the Niagara Jazz Festival (Live-Love-Jazz) and add a fourth: "Laugh"! WARNING: Your face might hurt from smiling, your throat might be sore from laughing and singing along, and your hands might get tired from clapping!! |
| The Bryan Sorensen Groove Trio | Stealing from the DJ is the perfect name for the latest EP from The BrYan SorensEn Groove Trio. They take overly-polished DJ beats and spice them up with some nasty funk and soul! |
| Dark Orchard | Dark Orchard is the brainchild of award winning drummer, Jim Casson. It is a unique combination of ambient grooves, vintage sounds and conversation. |
| Dinny and the Allstars and the Dixieland Brunch | Dinny and the Allstars have been performing since 2002 always engaging the audience in a happy time. The Allstars are booked regularly for the KW Dixieland Jazzclub, and the Simcoe County Jazz Society, and have performed for the London Jazz Society. Festivals include the Grand Internation Ragtime – Jasstime Foundation at Alexandria Bay, NY; the Elmira, NY Twin Tiers Jazz Festival; Wasaga Beach Blues Festival; Port Credit Southside Shuffle. |
| DJ Marinko | Marinko is a very diverse and skilled DJ who approaches sound with a collage based aesthetic to fuse together very thoughtfully assembled elements of music with utmost attention to detail - what sounds loose and easy is often painstakingly assembled and edited to perfection before it ever hits the speakers or the crowd. |
| Duo Nuevo | Duo Nuevo is Niagara's exciting new musical talent featuring Ashley Kennedy on vocals and flute, with Reinhard Fochtberger on piano, performing an array of Jazz Standards. |
| Frank's Bus Brass Band | A home-grown Niagara group of high school friends inspired by the brass bands of New Orleans. Their unique mix of jazz, rock, and funk bring an explosion of energy to every performance. |
| The Gail D. Trio | The GAIL D. TRIO - Our style is a collection of classic jazz, soulful R&B, with some modern pop thrown in the mix! Gail D. Trio is led by vocalist Gail Lynn Davidson and features some of the best musicians Niagara has to offer. Every member of the band is a working professional musician bringing their individual experience and artistry to the group. |
| Genevieve Marentette Trio | “She is, to me, the perfect balance of fragile beauty and a burning intensity that makes her and her music irresistible.” - Don Thompson (Canadian Jazz Giant, Order of Canada) |
| Gord Sheard Quintet | His most recent project, the Gord Sheard Quintet, combines his depth of experience in jazz and rhythm & blues with a life-long engagement with the music of Brazil and of Bahia in particular, a region steeped in Afro-Brazilian musical traditions. |
| Guitar Fever | Guitar Fever is a newer entity on the Niagara music scene. Led by guitarist Rayburn Blake, the duo presents a repertoire of jazz standards and tunes from the 30's and 40's to the present day. You can hear the influences in the music, a love for what has come before, from blues to country all wrapped in a jazz attitude. |
| Heillig Manoeuvre | Heillig Manoeuvre is a Toronto-based quartet formed in 1998 by Manteca bassist/ Musical Director Henry Heillig. The band's repertoire is primarily original material which Heillig describes as "friendly, contemporary jazz." |
| Ian Green | Ian Green was born and raised in Niagara Falls, Ontario. Playing piano since he was five years old, Ian enjoys playing all styles of music including jazz, classical, pop, ragtime, blues, free improvisation. |
| JAZZFM.91 Youth Big Band | The JAZZ.FM91 Youth Big Band is a dynamic ensemble that features outstanding middle and secondary school students performing classic and contemporary jazz at venues throughout Ontario. A free program for students from schools in the Greater Toronto Area, it provides these emerging artists with the opportunity to hone their musical skills and interact in a diverse, professional setting. |
| John Neudorf Trio | With his extensive blues background combined with explosive scat and warm phrasing, John Neudorf is a must see. |
| John Sherwood Swings | "I've merely scratched the surface on a few areas of Peterson's work, but those few areas dominate my way of thinking about the piano. Always. Even when I'm not playing in that style. The classical background is essential in developing touch, tone and technique. In jazz, it’s the rhythm. Once you have that rhythmic concept, the rest falls into place." |
| Khea Emmanuel | Khea Emmanuel will take you on a journey of smooth and eclectic sounds that will keep you desiring more! A journey into the world of extremely smooth Jazz! |
| Latin Vintage Orchestra | LVO is a Hamilton, Ontario based Latin Ensemble known for playing the old school style of the 50's, 60's the Golden days of Latin music. What is known today as Salsa. Repertoire includes classic tunes paying tribute to the greats such as Mongo Santamaria, Ray Barretto, Tito Puente, Ismael Rivera, Noro Morales, Charlie Palmieri, and Manny Oquendo. Whether you are a Latin Music enthusiast or a Salsa Dance fanatic you definitely want to catch a LVO live performance. |
| Mark Ucci Duo | Mark and Meredith have been working together for over two decades. Performing mainstream classic jazz and Latin jazz standards. |
| Michael Kaeshammer | Regarded as one of the most entertaining musicians in Canada, Michael Kaeshammer will get you out of your seat and moving. Whether one is a rock-music fan, a fan of contemporary pop, or the most critical classical-music aficionado, Michael wins them all. He is a confident, graceful, and humorous host who has played in the neighborhood of a 1000 shows in his career. A gifted and hard-working world-class musician who connects with any concert-hall audience as though he was entertaining guests in his living room, Michael specializes in the boogie-woogie style of piano combined with jazz, blues, stride, rock n’ roll, and more. |
| Niagara String Band | A St. Catharines based duo, performing a variety of ragtime and jazz; drawn from early recordings and sheet music popularized in the 1910’s and 1920’s. |
| Ori Dagan Trio | Award-winning jazz artist Ori Dagan is an exciting new voice, charming audiences with his unique musical style and entertaining performances. |
| Redlight Sessions | Redlight Sessions, is a six piece band playing compositions inspired by pop music arrangements, Oakland funk, New Orleans feel, and avant-garde innovations. |
| Rob Fekete Duo | Robert C. Fekete is a Canadian Jazz pianist and composer who shares his musical philosophy with others through performance and audio recording. |
| Robi Botos Quartet | Robi Botos is a Jazz pianist of Hungarian decent who has quickly joined the ranks of Canada’s elite jazz musicians. Most recently, Robi was awarded the 2012 TD Grand Jazz award at The Montreal International Jazz Festival. |
| Sarah Jerrom | Sarah Jerrom is a vocalist, composer, and arranger. Her music features a blend of traditional jazz, original arrangements and contemporary compositions. |
| Shields, Nelsson Duo | Bob Shields and Meredith Nelson have been playing Jazz music together for many years. They have developed an extensive song book and enjoy playing in a duo setting. Individually they have performed, toured, and recorded with many of Canada's most respected jazz musicians. |
| The Shuffle Demons | The Shuffle Demons are a high-energy band that blends virtuosic jazz and funk playing with eye-catching costumes and over the top stage antics to produce an incredible show. |
| Soul Jam | "Soul Jam" is a collaboration of four seasoned musicians who have performed together in different musical outfits for over 20 years. Genres of music include, Blues, R & B, Classic Rock n' Soul and Motown. |
| Sue Ramsay Trio | How about something simple? One guitar, one bass, one voice…..all singing about summer. Join Sue Ramsay, Bob Shields and Clark Johnston with songs from their new CD “Once Upon a Summertime.” |
| Tjaderama | Tjaderama plays the Latin-jazz stylings of both Cal Tjader and Clare Fischer, two of the idioms greatest artists. |
| Tuba4 | Tuba4 is a jazz quartet with the tuba performing all bass duties. We perform originals, standards, as well as pop tunes interpreted as only this quartet can and does. |
| The Vineyard Jazz Group | The Vineyard Jazz Group is a Niagara based guitar trio specializing in funky jazz and pop music that will leave you smiling! |
| Vox Violins | "Blending Jazz, Folk, Rock and Classical, their original music swings with a unique, exotic sound..." For this festival and the venue we have chosen to be strolling minstrels, moving about the appointed areas and playing various compositions. The listener may suddenly recognize a melody they haven't heard quite that way....by surprise... VOX VIOLINS have been performing together since 1980 full time. Their journey has taken them down many different musical avenues. |
| Warren Stirtzinger | Warren Stirtzinger and George Kane first met about 20 years ago in "The Stringed Edition" in Tonawanda, NY, an ensemble of six electric guitars playing harmonized solos on standards. We both once performed with jazz guitar great Mundell Lowe in this group. Thus began a longtime appreciation of each others playing. |