Mar.31: Allison Au Quartet @ Chalmers

Sunday, March 31
2pm
Chalmers United Church (212 Barrie St.)
$20 (free for students with valid ID)

Juno-award winning Jazz Saxophonist, Composer and Arranger, Allison Au refuses to be defined. Born to a Chinese father and Jewish mother, and raised in the multicultural metropolis of Toronto, Allison found music as a young child. Exposed to a wide array of musical styles, she was captivated by the unhinged freedom of Jazz. Jazz became Allison’s lab for self-expression, exploration, and musical experimentation. Her work weaves a mosaic of influences into a seamless and soulful sound, a concoction steeped in the tradition of Jazz but skillfully laced with elements of Classical, Pop, R&B/hip hop, Latin, and world music.

Au’s music transports you to a place where instrumentals ring bold and emotions run free. Melodies cascade and collide, highlighting Au’s gift for layering voices and rhythms. Her writing showcases the color and character of each instrument, while providing ample room for her band mates to push her compositions to new heights.

Au earned her first Juno nomination for her debut album, “The Sky Was Pale Blue, then Grey” in 2013, and in 2016 seized the Juno for “Best Jazz Album of The Year: Group” for “Forest Grove.”

Formed in 2009, the Allison Au Quartet has toured extensively in Canada and the US. The group was awarded the TD Jazz Fellowship Scholarship (2011), The Alfred and Phyllis Balm Scholarship (2012), and The Margareta and Benno Nigg Scholarship (2013) for three consecutive artist residencies at the Banff Centre.
Most recently the Allison Au Quartet has won the 2017 Montreal Jazz Festival TD Grand Prix de Jazz, received the 2017 Halifax Jazz Festival Sting Ray Rising Star Award, and was named a 2017 Finalist for Toronto Arts Foundation Emerging Jazz Artist Award.


Mar.17: Remi Jean LeBlanc Quartet @ Chalmers

Sunday, March 17 – Remi Jean LeBlanc Quartet
2pm
Chalmers United Church (212 Barrie St.)
$20 (free for students with valid ID)

Rémi-Jean LeBlanc has been based in Montreal since 2002 and for the last 10 years has been in the forefront of the Montreal jazz scene. LeBlanc has played and toured with a variety of fixtures from Quebec, including Steve Amirault, Elizabeth Shepherd, Jean-Pierre Zanella, Yannick Rieu, Jean-Michel Pilc, Marianne Trudel, Rafael Zaldivar, and l’Orchestre national de jazz, to name a few. 

Rémi-Jean LeBlanc released an Album in 2018 with Bent River Records titled Déductions which was a project that brought together 4 musicians from completely different backgrounds. With Cuban pianist, Rafael Zaldivar, Montreal Rock drummer, Samuel Joly and New York jazz guitarist, Nir Felder, the album Déductions has a driving fresh rock edge that exhales maturity and sensitivity.  


Feb.17: Misc. @ Chalmers

Sunday, February 17
2pm
Chalmers United Church (212 Barrie St.)
$20 (free for students with valid ID)

Jazz band Misc (formerly known as Trio Jérôme Beaulieu, and named Radio-Canada’s Breakthrough Jazz artist for 2013-2014) released their self-titled album on March 18th, 2016 via Bonsound. The album is available online (Bandcamp, iTunes and all the other digital platforms) and in stores.

The new album is the result of a true collaboration between the three musicians. In a more elaborate way than the two previous albums, they each contributed to the rythmic, melodic and harmonic arrangements to create an unique sound that sets this trio apart from the rest.

All three artists set the foundations of Misc during a residency at the Equivocal Manor in Burgundy (France). Pianist Jérôme Beaulieu, lover of the great outdoors, contributes majestic melodies to the project. Drummer William Côté adds a subtle, spirited rhythm while double bassist Philippe Leduc brings out the playfulness of each track.


Apr.8: Rich Bannard Trio @ Chalmers

Sunday, April 8
2pm
Chalmers United Church
$20 general admission
free for students (with valid ID)

  • Rich Bannard-drums
  • Paul Morrison – piano
  • Paul Clifford – bass

Buy tickets online >

Ottawa born drummer Rich Bannard graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Queen’s University before moving to Toronto in 1979 where he studied with Jim Blackley, and subsequently Andrew Cyrille. Over the next ten years he performed extensively with Rainer Wiens’ Silk Stockings, the Bill Smith Ensemble, the Fred Stone Orchestra, and Lisle Ellis, appearing at the Toronto and Vancouver jazz festivals.

He performed with international musicians Roscoe Mitchell, Joe McPhee, Vinny Golia, and John Tchicai before returning to Kingston in 1990. There have since been opportunities to tour Czechoslovakia with Sound Image Theatre as well as Western Canada with the ReFrayne Quintet. He is currently a member of The Jive Ass Slippers, recently interpreting the music of Charles Mingus.

I feel fortunate to be able to play with great musicans in Kingston, and we have a very supportive audience for our music. Many thanks

 

Dec.10: The Woodhouse with Barbra Lica @ Chalmers

Sunday, December 10
2pm
Chalmers United Church (side entrance)
$20 general admission
students free (with valid ID)

Get tickets online!

  • Barbra Lica (vox)
  • Matt Giffin (piano)
  • S​ø​ren Nissen (bass)
  • Will Fisher (drums)
  • Nevin Dunn (sax)
  • James Ervin (trumpet)

With over 10 years of sold-out shows throughout Canada, The Woodhouse amazes audiences with their unique arrangements of holiday classics mixed with jazz and pop. Described as a “little big band” with their quintet plus vocals configuration, they have received regular rotation on CBC Radio and Jazz.FM91, as well as featured performances on CTV Atlantic News and CP24 to name a few.

Their debut album, Home for Christmas, was nominated for Jazz Recording of the Year by Music Nova Scotia and features Order of Canada recipient Don Thompson on vibraphone as well as Nova Scotia vocalist Jennah Barry ​(Ron Sexsmith, Rose Cousins, David Myles) who was featured on Stuart McLean’s Vinyl Cafe.

This year, The Woodhouse will be once again be collaborating with Juno nominated vocalist Barbra Lica​, who was named one of Canada’s Top 5 Jazz Singers by the CBC. After a string of successful shows together in 2015 and 2016, The Woodhouse is excited to be hitting the road with all-new songs and arrangements.

Mar.26: Chris Alfano Quartet @ The Tett

Sunday, March 26th
2 PM.
Tett Centre (Rehearsal Room)
370 King Street West
, Kingston, ON
$20 / free for students

Chris and band will be playing a selection of music featuring works by Benny Goodman and other great clarinetists.

About

Chris is a frequent player in chamber, orchestral and jazz music in Kingston as well as having appeared several times with the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa. He has performed with David Braid, Peter Appleyard, Don Thompson, The Brian Barlow Big Band and many other noted Canadian musicians. He is the founder and leader of the Swingmasters jazz band and runs a highly respected intergenerational music education program at La Salle Secondary School. Chris has degrees from Saint Francis Xavier University and Western University, a Master of Music from SUNY Potsdam and a PhD from McGill University. In November 2016, Chris was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (M.S.M) by the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, for his work and research on Intergenerational Music Learning.

Mar.5: Robi Botos Solo Piano @ Chalmers

Sunday, March 5
2 PM
Chalmers United Church (Sanctuary)
212 Barrie Street, Kingston, ON
$20 / free for students

We are very happy to have pianist Robi Botos join us for an afternoon of solo piano!

About

Hungarian born Romani/ Musician Robi Botos was raised in a musical family and is largely self-taught. Robi began his musical career when he was a child, growing up in Budapest, playing drums and percussion. It was at age seven when Robi first took up piano. Robi immigrated to Canada in 1998 and is now a permanent resident of the country he calls home with his wife and children.

Robi’s dynamic live performances have earned him international recognition – winning numerous competitions around the world including first prizes at the Montreux Jazz Festival Solo Piano Competition in 2004, third Prize at the Martial Solal Piano Competition in Paris in 2006, and first prize at the Great American Piano Competition in Jacksonville, Florida in 2008.

Read more about Robi >>

Feb.19: Andy Milne’s Dapp Theory @ Chalmers

Sunday, February 19th
2pm
Chalmers United Church (MacCallum Hall, side door)
212 Barrie Street, Kingston, ON
$20 / free for students

The idea behind Dapp Theory is to create complete musical compositions that groove as hard as they express melodic and poetic lyricism.”— Andy MilneDapp Theory is a quintet that blends “contemporary funk, groove and hip-hop into jazz with such seamless, casual precision it’s almost freaky.

(LA Weekly)

Their music is indefinable yet highly recognizable, intersecting lyrical jazz piano, funkified polyrhythmic exploration, and spoken word poeticism. With Dapp Theory, Milne combines the talents of percussive poet John Moon, saxophonist Aaron Kruziki, bassist Chris Tordini and drummer Kenny Grohowski, helping to re-draw and extend the boundaries of jazz.

This show is co-presented with Tone Deaf Kingston.

Get tickets online via Ticketscene >>

Feb.10: Harris Eisenstadt’s Old Growth Forest @ Chalmers

Friday, February 10th
 7:30 PM
Chalmers United Church (MacCallum Hall)

Part of this year’s Winter Concert Series.

About the Band

Old Growth Forest features an augmented version of drummer Harris Eisenstadt’s old trio with Chicago-based bassist Jason Roebke and fellow Windy City trombonist Jeb Bishop. Ten years ago, when he moved from Los Angeles to New York, Eisenstadt decided to expand the ensemble into a quartet that included saxophonist Tony Malaby.

About the Artist

One of only a handful of drummers equally well known for his work as a composer, Brooklyn-based Harris Eisenstadt (b. Toronto, 1975) is among the most individual and prolific musicians of his generation. His resume includes studies with some of the most respected names in jazz and improvised music, West African and Afro-Cuban drumming, and performance credits in jazz, film, theater, poetry, dance, contemporary concert music and opera.