The basic culture in Winnipeg is so similar to the places I’ve lived in the US that it took me five or six years to realize that I was an immigrant. I used to say it, but in my heart I really didn’t understand. Now after ten years, it’s beginning to sink in just how […]

For several years now, jazz lovers in Winnipeg have been piecing together the news about jazz through occasional reviews in the newspaper, chatter on social media, and this magazine. Now, every evening of the week we’ll get the sound of jazz on Winnipeg’s newest radio station, Classic 107FM. It’s an exciting time for us here […]

Denzal Sinclaire—vocalist, pianist, percussionist, and actor—has easily become one of Canada’s most popular jazz vocalists. From his first note to his last breath, he possesses the ability to calm his listeners’ minds and take them on a journey through song. Sinclaire’s career began in Montreal at McGill University’s Jazz Performance program. During his studies, he […]

Curious about what’s happening in the creative imaginations of Winnipeg’s jazz artists? Jazz Winnipeg’s popular Nu Sounds series, now in its eighth season, brings another eclectic line-up to The Park Theatre over the next few months. The five-concert series opens with veteran guitarist and composer, Greg Lowe. Greg is an adventurous musician. He has a […]

In Lindsay Woolgar’s Edmonton home, Sunday morning breakfast wasn’t complete without Bach or Handel on the stereo, and Miles Davis’ 50s recordings were a regular guest at dinner. Fast forward a couple of decades, and Lindsay is powering through a Jazz Studies degree here in Winnipeg, and beginning to make her mark as a bassist […]

Ten years ago, people packed into The Freehouse, a sprawling bar on the corner of Osborne and Stradbrook, to find out what all the buzz was about. The Cool Monday Night Hang took this city by storm. University students like Will Boness, Heitha Forsyth, Paul Metcalfe, Chris Butcher, and Neil Watson, and even a few […]

Chris Potter is one of the greatest saxophonists alive today. He has performed and recorded with the who’s who in jazz—Pat Metheny, Kenny Werner, Ray Brown, Paul Motian, the Mingus Big Band, and countless others. The jazz elder statesman Dave Liebman has called him simply “one of the best musicians around.” Chris was born in […]

Jim Hall made a big impact on the world of jazz, with almost forty recordings as a leader, and countless others as a sideman. He continued to perform and tour into his elder years, including gigs at the Blue Note and other clubs in his home city of New York, and concerts at a number […]

Jim Hall is the latter-day patron saint of jazz guitar. He plays with a jeweller’s touch, a purity of tone, and says more with fewer notes than anyone else in jazz. He has influenced several generations of guitar players, including Bill Frisell and Pat Metheny. Hall was born in Buffalo, New York, and as a […]

On the cusp of a new year, I have that potent sense of déjà vu: I’ve been here before, looking forward and back with equal parts delight and dismay. This past year had an abundance of shining moments—beauty, connection, excitement, satisfaction, inspiration, challenge. Some were small and personal, some were shared with the whole wide […]