Marc Tugby is one of a bright new crop of young jazz bassists in Winnipeg. You may have seen him with the U of M Jazz Orchestra, or with a student ensemble kicking things off at the Izzy Asper Jazz Performances, or holding down the bass at the Cool Wednesday Night Hang. He’s quietly dedicated, […]

Luc Guenette was playing the electric bass in high school until Steve Kirby put an upright in his hands at the U of M Summer Jazz Camp. He says he had to build the right muscles to hold it and deal with never-ending blisters, but he wouldn’t dream of switching now. He leads Sir Luc […]

Grace Hrabi has been singing since she was a kid. She says “it always felt so good to sing—like getting something off your chest, or coming home at the end of a long day.” She wandered into jazz toward the end of high school, and then joined the jazz vocal studio at the University of […]

Pianist Kyle Zavitz is a relative newcomer on the Winnipeg jazz scene. He grew up in a musical household in Ottawa and started playing the piano when he was just a kid, but it wasn’t until he was nineteen and a friend sent him tunes from Herbie Hancock’s pop-centric collaboration album Possibilities that he got […]

You may have heard guitarist Aaron Shorr over the years, playing solo or duo in a café setting, or adding spice to a larger ensemble. He’s an adventurous musician with flying fingers and a quick smile.  Did you always know guitar was your instrument? I started playing guitar when I was 11. I actually took […]

Kevin Waters is one of the busiest young drummers in the city. Both musicians and audiences are drawn to his creativity, skill, and energy. He grew up in Dayton Ohio, attended an arts high school, and eventually came to Winnipeg a few years back to study. One of the things I love about Kevin’s playing […]

Bill McMahon is a fixture on the Winnipeg jazz scene, and always ready with a quick smile and a kind word. You’ve no doubt seen him at the drums, perhaps with the trio led by pianist George Reznik—they played together for over four decades! Bill is straightforward and enthusiastic, on the bandstand and off. I […]

Jay Buchanan heard Ella Fitzgerald for the first time when he was still a teen, and something awakened inside him. “I had never heard someone sing a melody so beautifully, or with such joy, freedom, and control,” he muses. When she forgot the lyrics and launched into scat, he knew he too wanted to be […]

Guitarist Victor Hugo Lopez Bustamente is a staple on the Latin scene here in Winnipeg—you’ve probably seen him perform with Trio Bembe or Papa Mambo. A recent graduate of the Jazz Studies program, Victor’s tastes are eclectic, running the gamut of jazz stylings, and out into funk, fusion, and hip hop. He’s just back from […]

In 2009, pianist (and pilot!) Mike Manny was posted to Winnipeg as part of the Royal Canadian Air Force Band. He brings with him a terrific pedigree: he studied jazz piano at Humber College, then did a Master’s on scholarship at the Manhattan School of Music. This past summer, he was posted to the Regional […]

Glenn Radley was eleven when first saw drums being played at The Music Cellar’s annual spring concert, and he fell in love on the spot. Now a graduate of the Jazz Studies program at the University of Manitoba, he is busy with several different musical projects. Sunny Roseland is a traditional jazz project spearheaded by […]

We’re breaking with tradition here and putting the spotlight on a made-in-Winnipeg group rather than an individual artist. The Dirty Catfish Brass Band has been adding some spark to the local scene for the past three or four years, popping up on street corners and football fields (as well as festivals and concerts) and sharing […]

A quiet guy with a warm smile, Carter Graham has clearly been putting in serious practice hours since he graduated from the Jazz Studies program a couple of years back. His piano work is sensitive, lively, and always musical. He remembers rocking out to his parents’ Beatles and Rolling Stones LPs when he was only […]

Bill Green is an unassuming IT guy, but he’s also a wicked bass trombone player, and his warm tone adds presence and power to several of the city’s bands, from the Winnipeg Wind Ensemble (his longest gig at 18 years) and the Mennonite Community Orchestra, to the East Side Jazz Band, the Winnipeg Jazz Collective, […]

When Simon Christie was a kid, he wanted to play saxophone, but at band tryouts, he couldn’t make a sound on it. He could play the trumpet right off the bat, so he figures trumpet picked him. Simon graduated from the Jazz Studies program four years ago, and brings his winning combination of musicality, discipline, […]

Niall Bakkestad-Legare is a powerful young tenor saxophonist who graduated a couple of years ago from the Jazz Studies program at the University of Manitoba. He has a big sound and tremendous facility, but he also has an open, philosophical nature that gives his musical ideas reach and depth. When did you decide you wanted […]

You may have seen guitarist Jocelyn Gould at a collage-à-trois show, or on the flatbed playing with Jazz on Wheels a couple of summers back. She’s a passionate musician with a warm sound and a quick smile. A few months ago she started up a jam session on Sunday nights at Maw’s, a new little […]

Brooke Van Ryssel started singing about the same time she started to talk, and everything since then has confirmed her desire to sing her heart out. A new graduate of the Jazz Studies program at the University of Manitoba, Brooke brings to the stage a great voice and convincing storytelling, plus a dose of old-fashioned […]

When Shannon Kristjanson was eleven, she heard her aunt play flute and thought it was the most beautiful sound she’d ever heard. After a few years learning the flute herself, she picked up saxophone to play in the school jazz band and was intrigued by the freedom and challenge of improvisation. Also an accomplished singer, […]

Vancouver-born trumpet player Andrew Littleford is making a big contribution to the musical life of our city through his work with many groups. The Dirty Catfish Brass Band, the Ron Paley Big Band, the Winnipeg Jazz Collective, the Andrew Littleford Trio, and the Littleford/Carter Quintet, show his range in the jazz field. He also plays […]