Artist Bios
Andrea Superstein
Award winning vocalist, composer and arranger Andrea Superstein returns with selections from ‘Oh Mother’ - a tour de force inspired by real life stories of motherhood. This exploration culminates in a 10 track song cycle released on Cellar Live. Superstein reaches new artistic heights featuring some of Canada’s most innovative musicians - many of whom are also mothers. Dubbed as "redefining jazz" by the Vancouver Province, expect powerful vocals, seamless arrangements peppered with electronic elements and the sensitivity of a seasoned performer.
With Chris Gestrin - keys, Carlie Howell - bass and Dan Gaucher - drums
Atley King Quintet
Vibraphonist Atley King leads this group comprised of Vancouver’s finest young musicians. They play all original contemporary music, with a love for each other and the music that is as the title of their debut album suggests, ‘Unconditional’, released on Cellar Music in October of last year. To say jazz is in good hands would be an understatement.
With Max Huberdeau - piano, David Caballero - bass, Arvind Ramdas - drums, and Brad Turner - trumpet / flugelhorn
Bonnie Northgraves
Bonnie Northgraves is a Canadian trumpeter, vocalist, and pianist. Her quintet is a trumpet and vocal driven vehicle for her unique compositions. Her singing is smoky, rich, and explorative, and her trumpet playing a call to the early jazz styles of New Orleans while being lyrically intriguing, evolved, and playful. With one foot rooted in heritage and one leading forward she is a musical powerhouse that is exciting, joyful, and full of personality.
This powerful combination has given wings to a music career that’s seen her tour North America, Europe, China, and India. Bonnie has released two albums and one EP, and books the jazz programming at 2nd Floor Gastown at The Water Street Cafe.
With Brent Mah - tenor sax, Dean Thiessen - piano, Wynston Minckler - upright bass, and Seth Kitamura - drums
Brad Turner Trio
JUNO and National Jazz Award-winning pianist/Trumpeter Brad Turner’s Trio, with bassist Darren Radtke and drummer Bernie Arai, has been a mainstay of the Vancouver jazz scene since 1997. Between them, the members of the band have worked with Joe Lovano, Kenny Werner, Ingrid Jensen, Bill Frisell, Kenny Wheeler, Renee Rosnes, John Scofield, and countless other greats.
Drawing from a large repertoire of originals and interpretations of standard tunes, this highly interactive group explores free improv, structured composition, and potent groove-based themes. Their latest album ‘North Star’ was released on Cellar Music earlier this year.
With Brad Turner - piano, Darren Radtke - bass, Bernie Arai - drums
Bruno Hubert Trio
Bruno Hubert is one of Canada’s most lyrical and expressive Jazz pianists, with a deep sense of swing, lush harmonies, and beguiling melodic lines. His conception, while highly original and utterly genuine, is evocative of, at once, Erroll Garner, Keith Jarrett, Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans and other luminaries of jazz. While he is careful to stress that he is not a composer, he nevertheless presents a cornucopia of medley-like arrangements of jazz standards, soul, rock and pop influenced pieces, often in a lively night club environment.
Hubert has been quietly underpinning the Vancouver jazz scene for over twenty years now and while he has a number of recordings under his own name, he is also a key associate of other top jazz musicians such as Juno Award winner Brad Turner (Trumpet), Juno nominated vocalists Jaclyn Guillou and Denzal Sinclaire, Seamus Blake and others. Earlier in his career he collaborated with such musical luminaries as Gino Vannelli, and Norah Jones.
Bruno will be celebrating the release of his newly recorded album, his 3rd for Cellar Music and his 1st since 2008.
With James Meger - bass and Joe Poole - drums
Cory Weeds Quartet
Festival producer, owner of the Cellar Music Group label, Canadian music producer and veteran jazz saxophonist Cory Weeds reunites his Just Coolin’ quartet for a set of exceptional hard bop. Sizzling standards, a couple of low temperature classics and an original or two for balance.
Just Coolin’ was more a labor of love than a profitable musical proposition for Weeds; after assuming the presidency of The Fraser MacPherson Jazz Fund, his major challenge was to replenish the organization's depleted account, a casualty of the 18-month pandemic. The answer was to record a new album and dedicate the proceeds to the organization. So far Just Coolin’ has generated over $12,000 for the fund!
With Tilden Webb - piano, John Lee - bass, and Jesse Cahill - drums
Dayna Stephens
Dayna Stephens is globally recognized as a saxophonist, composer, arranger and educator. NPR’s Kevin Whitehead has this to say about Stephens, “Dayna Stephens can cry and rip it up on tenor, but at heart, he’s a streamlined melodic player. His handsome down-the-middle tone is not too heavy or light, though he can lean either way. His sound is sleek, with a very light vibrato. And the lines he improvises are uncluttered and well-organized.
To hear his music is to fall in love with whatever instrument Dayna uses to channel his ideas. Through a tendency toward experimenting with both tone and texture in a harmonic context, he embraces a range of instruments—and their varying degrees of warmth—including double bass. A master of tenor, alto, soprano and baritone saxophones and Nyle Steiner’s EWI (electric wind instrument), Dayna’s openness and sensitivity as an artist have allowed him to stretch as a composer and arranger.”
Dayna will be celebrating his first release with The Cellar Music Group, ‘Closer Than You Think’
With Emmanuel Michael - guitar, Kanoa Mendenhall - bass, and Jongkuk Kim - drums
François Houle, Gord Grdina & Kenton Loewen Play The Music Of South African Free Jazz Composers
François Houle (clarinet), Gordon Grdina (oud, guitar) & Kenton Loewen (drums) have been playing as a group and in other contexts for over 20 years. For their very special performance at Jazz at the Bolt, this long-running trio will be playing the music of South African composers such as Louis Moholo-Moholo, Chris McGregor, and Johnny Dyani, plus original music by the trio.
Jalen Baker
Jazz at The Bolt is thrilled to have this fantastic young artist appear at the festival. Jalen Baker is a strong, authentic voice in jazz vibraphone, building on the legacies of Stefon Harris, Steve Nelson and Joe Locke, while twisting the instrument’s idiosyncrasies to fit with his burgeoning musical personality. His debut album, ‘This Is Me, This Is Us’ (produced by mentor Ulysses Owens Jr., and praised for the “faultless execution” by Jazz Journal) dropped in September 2021, and wove themes of spirituality, trauma and political action into a cohesive, tightly-wrapped whole. But the period following his debut release was far from cohesive for Baker. He had coincidentally moved back to Houston a few months prior to the Covid outbreak, and the pandemic elongated his stay. After returning for the first time in seven years, he found a sense of grounding and purpose in his hometown — something he attributes to being surrounded by family. All this change would shift his mindset on how to balance his life and career.
His latest effort ‘Be Still’ on Cellar Music was released in July, 2023 as part of Cellar Music's series of recordings highlighting Black artists. The album is about reflection and new beginnings. In Baker's words "So many things in my life have changed over the last few years and I wanted this album to feature music that represented my growth as a human as well as some songs that inspired me at the beginning of my musical journey."
Baker tours the world as a member of trumpeter and producer of ‘Be Still’, Jeremy Pelt's band all while starting to secure work for his own band.
Don't miss this opportunity to see one of the finest young talents in jazz.
With Samuel Reid - piano, Gabe Godoy - bass, and Gavin Moolchan- drums
Journeys to the Bandstand: Thirty Jazz Lives in Vancouver
Vancouver’s jazz scene has a dynamic history. Author Chris Wong devoted more than a decade to researching that history and writing wide-ranging portraits of 30 extraordinary artists who have helped shape the scene. They include many local heroes who have contributed their artistry (such as Bobby Hales, Bob Murphy, Brad Turner, Cory Weeds, and Jodi Proznick) and some American icons who made a memorable connection with our jazz community (Charles Mingus, Dr. Lonnie Smith, and others). The wait is over: Journey to the Bandstand: Thirty Jazz Lives in Vancouver has been published and Chris will launch his book @ the Bolt.
Fras: I Don't Have to Go Anywhere – I'm Already Here.
Fraser MacPherson was a world-class jazz saxophonist who spent his whole professional career in Vancouver. From this outpost, he went on to become “the best saxman Canada has ever produced,” according to the Vancouver Sun. The Globe and Mail called him “one of Canada’s best – and best-loved – jazz musicians.”
His son Guy has covered MacPherson's amazing career in his upcoming book Fras: I Don't Have to Go Anywhere – I'm Already Here. Jazz at The Bolt attendees will have a chance to get an exclusive pre-order of the book
Both Chris Wong and Cory Weeds will be on hand reading excerpts from each book.
Melody Diachun Quartet
Celebrated Canadian vocalist Melody Diachun, and her extraordinary band, promise an experience that will linger in the hearts of audiences. The project is a standout undertaking for jazz enthusiasts and fans of Sting and The Police. “Together, they explore and expose new layers of depth and meaning,” (Tinnitist) with inspired arrangements, soundscapes, and grooves that run the gamut from lush to bombastic.
With David Restivo - piano, Doug Stephenson - acoustic bass, and Tony Ferraro - drums
Mike Allen Trio
Mike Allen, a Western Canadian Music Award winning saxophonist and bandleader, performed sold-out shows in Vancouver and Calgary with luminaries Lewis Nash (drums) and Peter Washington (bass) following the release of his critically-acclaimed 2019 album ‘Just Like Magic' (Cellar Music). He has recorded with Michael Bublé (‘Crazy Love’ – Grammy Winner) and toured coast to coast in Canada. Joined by Conrad Good (bass) and Dave Robbins (drums), Mike will be presenting music from his extensive repertoire of jazz standards arranged specifically for the saxophone trio.
With Conrad Good - bass, Dave Robbins - drums
Mimosa
Mimosa presents an inspiring set of music, much of it composed by bandleader and pianist Anna Lumiere, with contributions from other band members. Drawing on Jazz, French cabaret and Brazilian rhythms, Mimosa's repertoire includes fast-paced sambas, moody and eclectic waltzes and swinging standards with interesting arrangements.
On this occasion, Mimosa will present their most recent compositions that will appear on their brand new Cellar Music recording as well as some favourites from their last three albums.
With Rebecca Shoichet - vocals, Karen Graves - sax and flute, Conrad Good - bass, and Bernie Arai - drums
Neil Swainson Sextet
After the highly successful release of ‘Fire In The West' on Cellar Music, legendary Canadian bassist Neil Swainson reunites the original quintet, and adds a new voice in trombonist STEVE DAVIS, to the fold to record another album for the label. This performance will feature brand new compositions by Neil to be recorded in the studio following these shows. This performance promises to provide a revelatory insight into Swainson’s challenging yet decidedly beautiful modern compositions.
Neil's Sextet is anchored by renowned pianist, Vancouver's own Renee Rosnes, as well as venerable drummer Quincy Davis. Rounding out the sextet is trumpeter Brad Turner and tenor saxophonist Kelly Jefferson, both of whom have new records out on Cellar Music.
With Renee Rosnes - piano, Brad Turner - trumpet, Steve Davis - trombone, Kelly Jefferson - saxophone, Quincy Davis - drums
Noah Franche-Nolan
Noah Franche-Nolan is a Canadian pianist, improviser, composer, and arranger based in New York City.
As a composer, Franche-Nolan released a series of three electro-acoustic records in June 2023, on the experimental Vancouver-based label, The Infidels, run by Tim Reinert.
He is active as an interdisciplinary collaborator. Most recently he composed the score for New York documentary film-maker Talha Jalal’s ‘Rite of Passage’. He has also composed for theatre on Shelby Saitterthwaite’s 2022 premiere of ‘Light Rapid Transit’ at the Cultch in Vancouver.
With Jodi Proznick - bass, and Nicholas Bracewell - drums
Oliver Gannon Quartet
Guitarist Oliver Gannon, has been very active in the Vancouver and Canadian music scene since the early 1970s. In 2017, Oliver was appointed to the Order of Canada for a lifetime of outstanding achievement, and his contribution to the Vancouver jazz community. He has performed at many of the major jazz festivals in Europe and North America including the North Sea, Montreaux, Concord, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver festivals.
He has made three concert tours of the former USSR. Gannon has performed on over forty jazz records, including four on Concord Label and his latest on Cellar Music, ‘Easy Sailing'. His duo album with long-standing colleague, tenor saxophonist Fraser McPherson, won the 1982 Juno Award for best jazz album. Oliver was elected "2003 Jazz Guitarist of the Year" by the Canadian Jazz Awards.
Oliver Gannon has been plying his tasteful, expressive trade in Vancouver, and around the world, for over four decades and is a Vancouver and Canadian treasure.
With Sharon Minemoto - piano, Conrad Good - bass, and John Lee - drums
Róisín Adams Trio
Vancouver-based Róisín Adams’ visionary work combines ethereal, textured melodicism with an underpinning of intellectual rigor. An imaginative and prolific composer, pianist, bandleader and educator, Adams is also an astute collaborator in a range of projects. She founded the improvisatory instrumental jazz quartet Hildegard’s Ghost in 2013, and also performs with contemporary electro-acoustic trio Beatings Are in the Body featuring Erika Angell (Thus Owls) and Peggy Lee (Peggy Lee Band).
With James Meger - bass and Dan Gaucher - drums
Saba Amrei Iranian Quartet
This quartet, led by noted Vancouver-based vocalist Saba Amrei, strives to keep Iranian Art Music alive. This is a genre that takes much influence from Jazz and Latin music, and was popular in Iran before the 1979 revolution. The group will be playing songs by artists such as Ramesh, Viguen, Giti and Kourosh Yaghmaei.
With Ali Razmi - oud and guitar, David Caballero - bass, and Kenton Lowen - drums
Sharon Minemoto Quartet
The Sharon Minemoto Quartet has been pianist Minemoto's main creative outlet for the past three years, with the band performing her original arrangements and compositions. Her writing is of a highly melodic style coupled with fresh, innovative harmonic ideas. The quartet will be celebrating the release of their brand-new recording on Cellar Music called ‘Dark Night, Bright Stars'.
With Jon Bentley - tenor saxophone, Darren Radtke - bass, and Bernie Arai - drums
Steve Kaldestad Quartet
Since moving to Vancouver in 2008, Steve Kaldestad has become one of the most in-demand saxophonists on the scene. Steve has released four albums on the Cellar Music label.
To great acclaim including ‘Straight Up’ featuring the Mike LeDonne Trio, ‘New York Afternoon’ featuring Renee Rosnes, Peter Washington and Lewis Nash, and his latest ‘Live at Frankie’s Jazz Club’.
This hard-swinging group will be playing the music of the post-bop period, with a mixture of standards and originals. Steve’s playing has been described as “shoot from the hip” and melodically inventive and he takes his cues from masters like Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, and John Coltrane.
With Chris Gestrin - piano, Steve Holy - bass, and Jesse Cahill - drums
The Infidels All-Stars
For the last 2 years, the best kept secret in Vancouver’s Jazz Scene has been the Infidels Pass the Hat Series at the Lido. Designed to shine a spotlight on the exceptional young talent in the city, this series has featured dozens of musicians who have gone on to lead bands at the Vancouver Jazz Festival, Frankie’s Jazz Club, and now for the first time at Jazz at the Bolt. This iteration of the Infidels All-Stars features Gordy Li and Erika Chow on tenor sax, Jancis Bautista on piano, Bella Fedrigo on bass, and Karl De Jong on drums, musicians who have all led groups as part of this series at the Lido, and who will be performing a mixture of original music and well-chosen deep cuts from throughout the history of Jazz.
Gordy Li - tenor saxophone, Erika Chow - tenor saxophone, Jancis Bautista - piano, Bella Fedrigo - bass, and Karl De Jong - drums, Clayton Poon on trumpet
Tom Keenlyside Quartet
The Tom Keenlyside Quartet continues to perform with vitality and expertise, swinging hard and communicating with an ESP-like energy. The bands albums have been critically acclaimed, garnering JUNO nominations and widespread airplay in Canada and the US. Keenlyside plays both flute and saxophone with authority. Whether playing standards, originals or free improvising, the band never fails to engage the listener. Keenlyside has performed with Dizzy Gillespie, Natalie Cole, Mel Torme, Houston Person, Phoebe Snow and many others.
Tom and the group will perform music from the band’s two Cellar Music recordings: ‘A Night At The Espresso’ and ‘Fortune Teller’.
With Miles Black - piano, Miles Hill - bass, and Bernie Arai - drums
Vanisha Gould
Vanisha Gould came to New York in 2015 from Simi Valley, California. Inspired by artists like Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Joni Mitchell, Carmen McRae and Ella Fitzgerald, she has successfully curated her own sound as a composer and band leader. Performing originals and music from the Great American Songbook on several groundbreaking stages both in New York and overseas, she aspires to continue sharing her voice with audiences in New York and beyond.
Gould is excited to bring her band to Vancouver where she will perform original music that will appear on her first solo album titled ‘She’s Not Shiny, She’s Not Smooth’. The album will be recorded in Vancouver after this performance. The music you will hear is new and recently conceived “Demure” is a song she wrote for her inner child. The child that shrinks to make sure those in her surroundings are comfortable, making sure her light does not over power those around her. As an adult her mindset has shifted drastically. Gould’s goal is no longer to serve the feelings of others but to serve “this music that I love”. This upcoming album is an ode to the acceptance of her flaws, and the pain that comes with growing into one’s self.
As heavy as it all may seem, Vanisha truly believes we’ll all have fun. With world class musicians, we know we will!
with Chris McCarthy - piano, John Sims - bass, and Jongkuk Kim - drums
Cellar Music Group is Vancouver based record label that connects Vancouver and New York City
Click HERE to learn