Big Smoke Brass
Big Smoke Brass Band is a leading voice on the Canadian brass scene, born on the streets of Toronto when, in the summer of 2017, a group of friends graduated from the jazz program at the University of Toronto and decided to busk together.
Donald Dogbo
In March 2020, Donald conceived the musical project Coubli, whose name means “adventurer” in his native language Bété. Through this project, he strives to further the marriage between jazz and the traditional rhythms of Central and West Africa, such as the akpongbô and the gbégbé (Ivory Coast), the bikutsi (Cameroon), and the mbalax (Senegal).
Laila Biali
While Laila continues to earn high honours in the jazz world, her signature sound transcends genre as she “masterfully mixes jazz and pop, bringing virtuosity and unpredictability to songs that are concise and catchy” (The Washington Post). In all these projects, “Biali provides the positive, come-together messaging that we need in these challenging times” (Parade Magazine).
Jeremy Ledbetter Trio
The Jeremy Ledbetter Trio features three Canadian virtuosos at the top of their game: pianist and bandleader Jeremy Ledbetter (best known to TD Sunfest patrons as a member of Caribbean Latin Jazz powerhouse CaneFire), drummer Larnell Lewis (Snarky Puppy) and bassist Rich Brown (rinsethealgorithm). Forged in an interstellar collision of contemporary jazz and world music, Ledbetter’s compositions form a style that is truly organic and uniquely his own.
Big Smoke Brass
Big Smoke Brass Band is a leading voice on the Canadian brass scene, born on the streets of Toronto when, in the summer of 2017, a group of friends graduated from the jazz program at the University of Toronto and decided to busk together.
Alba Gil
Every year, Jazz International Rotterdam in the Netherlands presents The Pack Project, led by an emerging young artist. In 2020, the leader of the Pack was the rebellious saxophonist, flutist, vocalist and composer Alba Gil Aceytuno, who is originally from Las Palmas, Canary Islands, but is now based in Rotterdam, which offers her a music scene and atmosphere that she loves.
Hirahi Afonso
For Gran Canarian artist Hirahi Afonso, traditional Canarian music could have been his natural environment, allowing him to move like a fish in water; however, the timple (a traditional five-string plucked string instrument native to the Canary Islands) has been his tool to explore different musical styles like jazz and pop.
Miguel de Armas Quartet
One of Cuba’s great masters of Afro-Cuban jazz, Havana-born Miguel de Armas fuses the riches of African polyrhythms with the complexities of American jazz, blues, roots and world music in a compellingly eclectic way.
Laila Biali
While Laila continues to earn high honours in the jazz world, her signature sound transcends genre as she “masterfully mixes jazz and pop, bringing virtuosity and unpredictability to songs that are concise and catchy” (The Washington Post). In all these projects, “Biali provides the positive, come-together messaging that we need in these challenging times” (Parade Magazine).
