Amanda Tosoff is a Toronto-based jazz pianist, composer, and educator. She has received various honours, including the Montréal Jazz Festival Grand Prix de Jazz, the Toronto Arts Foundation Emerging Jazz Artist Award, and most recently, a 2022 JUNO nomination for her album Earth Voices.
Baritone Madness was formed by Pat Belliveau, Keith O’Rourke, and Gareth Bane to bring the magic of the baritone saxophone to audiences across North America.
The dance party in the Super T Aviation Hanger 7 at the Medicine Hat Airport is one of the most popular events at JazzFest! And this year we are pleased to present, for the first time at our festival, the Calgary Latin Orchestra.
The Ciara Hager Quartet is comprised of four Alberta musicians. While originally studying her Bachelor’s degree in Classical violin performance at the Eastman School of Music, violinist Ciara Hager became influenced by the culture of the Jazz students and mentors around her.
Michael Occhipinti has been called a guitar chameleon for his ability to work with many colours in different genres, while Elizabeth Shepherd’s unique voice and adventurous compositions also resist easy labelling.
The Esteban Herrera Quintet is a Latin contemporary jazz project with one JUNO nominated album released called The Prophet that presents original compositions from Esteban Herrera. The flavor of this project is a fusion of different influences from the composition to the performance, allowing the musicians to play with total freedom in order to achieve the goal of artistic honesty.
Jocelyn Gould, seen as a leader in the next generation of great mainstream jazz guitarists, has captivated audiences worldwide with her joyful energy. She has absorbed the influences of the jazz guitar greats and has woven them into an exciting personal sound.
Award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter, pianist and CBC Music national radio host Laila Biali has headlined festivals and venues spanning five continents from New York City’s Carnegie Hall to Beijing’s National Centre for the Performing Arts, and supported international icon Sting.
Electrifying Lebanese-Canadian drummer Sanah Kadoura has performed and toured the world with masters of the music industry as well as up and comers. Living in New York City for the last 10 years, Sanah has produced, recorded or shared the stage with many jazz artists.
The Heavyweights Brass Band hits hard with its seasoned blend of groove, energy, virtuosity, and originality! For over a decade, this Toronto-based, New Orleans-inspired brass institution has brought theatre-goers to their feet and club-goers to the dance floor with an inspiring blend of original music and unexpected covers.
Under The Surface was formed in 2015 and since then the band has enjoyed a great deal of international success. The fully improvised concerts of Under the Surface continue to be an experience for both band and audience.
