#YoungArtistSeries
Discover the emerging talents of our community!
JazzInToronto is proud to present a concert series highlighting the talents of up-and-coming, emerging artists. In most cases, the presented musicians are students at post-secondary institutions Humber College, University of Toronto and York University.
Join us every Thursday at 7pm at Capone’s Cocktail Lounge! The concerts are followed by a jam at 8.15pm, and everyone is welcome.
The concerts are a Pay-What-You-Can style, free to attend and to watch, with audience members encouraged to tip the performers.
November 16 – The David Malcolm Quintet
David Malcolm is a Toronto based trumpeter. He’s in his second year of studies at York University in Jazz music. He has played at the Beaches Jazz Festival and Lula Lounge with “The Salida Project”, a Toronto based soul/ RnB band. He’s had experience playing at the weekly jams at Capone’s as well as many other jams in the city, and is very familiar with a lot of the musicians in the jazz scene. His Quintet includes Jason Baptista (drums), Eric Shi (Bass), Rob Carruthers (Sax), Thales Hunter (Guitar).
February 3rd – Joel Bracken
As a high school student, Joel was a member of the award-winning JazzFM youth big band, under the direction of Jules Estrin. With the youth big band, Joel performed at notable venues including the Rex Hotel and Koerner Hall amongst others. In high school, Joel also attended the prestigious Humber Community Music School, where he studied with Lorne Lofsky, Jeff King, and David French.
Joel is now a jazz performance student at Humber College, studying under artists including Kirk MacDonald and Mark Promane. Recently, Joel was the recipient of the Wragg Family Scholarship and Yamaha Music Ltd. Award. Aside from refining his craft as a jazz improviser, Joel is currently developing his skills as a composer and arranger, studying with New York-based pianist Steven Fiefke. You can find Joel performing across Toronto as a bandleader and sideman.
February 10th – Alessia + Dean + 5 Live
February 17th – Shannon McDougall trio
Shannon McDougall is a fourth-year trumpet player at the University of Toronto in the Jazz Comprehensive program. She has studied with Jason Logue, Chase Sanborn, Jim Lewis and Shawn Moody. Shannon has played lead trumpet in both the University of Toronto 11 o’clock Jazz Orchestra as well as the Toronto All Star Big Band. During the Covid-19 pandemic, she began practicing her singing and has now studied with Christine Duncan and Alex Samaras. Shannon stays busy these days singing with the Toronto All Star Big Band and leading her own quintet at various venues within the city.
Paul Trevor (“PT”) Sandberg was born in Houston, Texas, but has lived all over and considers Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to be his home. His broad interests and musical flexibility have allowed him to play with a wide range of musical groups ranging from old school swing style jazz, to modern creative improvised musics, to funk, rock, and more. Throughout High School, PT found himself drawn to many of the musical ensembles, in particular the Jazz Band, where he played bass, and the Concert/Marching Band, where he played tuba/sousaphone. While in the Jazz Band, PT had the chance to work with Grammy award winning producer and guitarist Marty Ashby, who inspired him, along with his mentor Tony DePaolis, to take music to the next level and study Jazz Performance in his post-secondary education.
Originally from Macau, China, Jen Lo is a pianist who is known for her lyrical and expressive style in music and improvisation inspired by a mix of music – classical, jazz, r&b, and anything that sounds good and fresh to her ears. She is active in the Toronto music scene and performs in many jazz venues such as the Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar, the Emmet Ray, Tranzac, Jazz Bistro and more.
February 24th – Roadie Jay
Roadie Jay is a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist studying at at York University, where he specializes in Vocal Music with a double major in Theatre. He began performing jazz regularly on the streets of Toronto in the summer of 2021 with his busking quartet the Brunswick Boys and has since been a taken part in many performances and jams, including at the Jazz Bistro, The Emmet Ray, Hirut Cafe, Supermarket, and others. He is currently the host of the York Student Jazz Jam, an open jam with a goal of introducing students of jazz to the jamming environment and expanding the network of young jazz musicians. Although he loves to perform, his goal is to increase access to the jazz community in Toronto. His other ventures include teaching music privately, classical choral singing, and community work.
March 3rd – Racha Moukalled
Racha Moukalled is a pianist and vibraphonist, graduated from York University. She has played with various Toronto musicians, like Donovan Locke, Sam Ruttan Quintet, Julia Favretto’s quintet, The Toronto All Star Big Band and more. Racha likes to explore new musical settings especially in the free improv nights run by her and Sean McCarthy at the Annette Studios. IG: @Racha.Music | Etransfer: rachaimprov@gmail.com
March 10th- Eric Liang
Eric Liang is a pianist and composer based in Toronto, ON. Since beginning his jazz studies, Eric has studied under musicians including David Story and Steven Feifke, and is currently under the tutelage of Glenn Zaleski. He is now an active part of the jazz scene in Toronto, playing at venues including the Emmet Ray, Alchemy, Jazz Bistro, and more.
March 24th – Samantha Unger Trio
March 31st – Hiro Tanaka
Hiro Tanaka is a bassist and composer reigning from Saskatoon, SK, currently based in Toronto, ON. Hiro is rooted in bebop tradition as he takes influence from the great bassists of Ray Brown and Paul Chambers but also looks to the future taking inspiration from music of the 21st century. His compositions have a unique sound echoing the sounds of ECM records, hard bop, and RnB and is currently planning a recording project with his 7 piece band. He is well versed in many genres playing in the Saskatoon Youth Orchestra in his hometown and is currently studying music at Humber College. IG: @Hiro.Tanaka | Etransfer: hiro.r.tanaka@gmail.com
April 7th – Madeleine Ertel Quintet
Madeleine Ertel (she/her) is a trumpeter, composer, and arranger known for her honest approach to music making. A recent graduate of the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance (2020), she performs regularly in a wide variety of musical contexts throughout the Greater Toronto Area. Her quintet showcases a unique compositional style that intersperses contrapuntal through-composition with improvisational contemporary jazz. Madeleine studied composition with David Braid as part of the Casalmaggiore International Music Festival in 2018. In 2021, she was accepted as a composer-in-residence at the Banff Centre to explore her innovative ideas about contemporary counterpoint. @Madeleinertel | Etransfer: madeleinemarie.ertel@gmail.com
April 14th – Noah Abrahamse
Noah Abrahamse is an active Jazz Saxophonist currently studying at Humber Collage with Alex Dean. Noah started music at a very young age singing and performing in musical theatre and has always had a love for Jazz. @GoldwingJazz | Etransfer: noahabrahamse@gmail.com
April 21st – Jack Johnston
My name is Jack Johnston and i’m an acoustic/electric bass player located in Toronto. I play improvised music in the Black American/Jazz tradition often using the harmonic framework of Great American Songbook tunes, influenced by the aesthetic choices of musicians such as Charlie Parker, Lester Young, Warne Marsh, Fats Navarro, Thelonious Monk and Bud Powell. @Jacko.Packo | Etransfer: jackjohnston@rogers.com
April 28th – Jennifer Lo
Originally from Macau, China, Jen Lo is a pianist and composer based in Toronto. A recent graduate from the University of Toronto for jazz piano performance, she likes to view music as a form of story telling. She is known for her lyrical and poetic language heavily inspired by classical and jazz music. @jjjen.lo | Etransfer: jlcy412@gmail.com
May 5th – Children With Money
Children with Money is a noisy, experimental alt-soul duo consisting of multi-instrumentalists Sam Laramee and Dallin Whitford. The pair met as blind roommates in 2018, and have been making art together ever since. IG: @SamLaramee14 | ChildrenWithMoney.rf.gd
May 12 – Bureh Bk & The Shop
Bureh Bk & The Shop is a Toronto based jazz quartet comprising of Bureh Bollo-Kamara on guitar, Connor Moe on saxophone and flutes, Robert Bourrieon bass, and Kahon Hall/ Omar Gittens interchanging on the drums. The quartet plays original tunes that combine elements of gospel, punk rock and African music over a firm foundation in jazz. During 2021, the group recorded their first EP “Forward Motion” and released it on March 4th, 2022.
IG: @BurehBk | BurehBk.Com
May 19 – Daniel Bado
Daniel Bado is a jazz guitarist, composer, and educator based in Toronto, Canada. Daniel got accepted into York University’s jazz program starting in September of 2015. He has studied privately under world renowned jazz guitarists, Roy Patterson, and Lorne Lofsky. Daniel also studied jazz composition under esteemed Canadian composer and drummer, Barry Elmes. Daniel has also studied and played in ensembles at York University under Frank Falco, Mark Eisenman, Kelly Jefferson, Kevin Turcotte, Al Henderson, Barry Elmes, Brian De Lima, Casey Sokol, and Mike Cado. York University awarded Daniel with the 2019 Ella Fitzgerald Award for Jazz Performance & the 2019 Marlon Lower Prize in Composition. Daniel has also been awarded Jazz FM’s 2019 Mary Alice Stuart Award.
Daniel leads an acoustic quartet under his own name, playing mostly jazz standards with some original material. The members of this quartet are Jeremy Worden on tenor saxophone, Leighton Harrell on upright bass, and Sam Ruttan on drums. Daniel is also the leader of the group “Badoism” which explores more modern and contemporary music, along with original material. The members of this group include Stefan Haynes on alto saxophone, Christopher Anderson-Lundy, Vonne Aguda on trombone, Evan Little on the keyboards, Caleb Klager on electric bass, and Jon Catanus on drums.
IG: @daniel.bado | Danielbado.Com | Etransfer: danielbadomusic@gmail.com
May 26 – Kazdoura
Kazdoura is a Toronto-based band that serves up Arabic fusion with a modern twist. Equal parts nostalgia and reinvention, their style is a cross-cultural blend of Eastern and Western music that blends old-world Arabic classics with jazz, funk, electro-pop, and disco. This project was founded in the summer of 2020, quickly finding success online, where their videos have collected more than 3 million views on Tik Tok. Singer Leen is a newcomer from Syria whose passion for classical Arabic music led her to collaborate with jazz musician Johnny who has a Lebanese background in order introduce this fusion music to a Canadian audience. In October 2021, Kazdoura released their debut single “Wain”, song of their Ep, set to be released June 2022. Kazdoura has been performing extensively in Toronto and Montreal and festivals like the Toronto Palestine Film Festival and the Taste of the Middle East. KazdouraMusic.com | IG & TikTok: @KazdouraMusic
June 2 – Zane Kismet Three
A national rising star in the jazz community, Zane Sereda (stage name Zane Kismet) employs a fresh approach to the genre, showcasing both musicality and virtuosity in providing a new contemporary sound every time he plays. In having a strong foundational background in the arts, as well as an ear for most genres of music, Zane’s compositions, performance, and arranging all shine with each project he takes part in. Currently in his third year at Humber College, Zane is currently studying under multi JUNO winning pianist Robi Botos, and has also studied under jazz greats such as Brian Dickinson, Jake Sherman, Bernie Senensky, Derek Stoll, Gerry Hebert, and Richard Harding. With an outgoing personality and a demonstrably visible love and passion for the arts, it is clear why Zane is becoming a more recognized name in the youth jazz field today.
June 9 – Alyssa Giammaria Quartet
Alyssa Giammaria is a Toronto based vocalist and composer. She is currently in her master’s at the University of Toronto for jazz voice performance. Alyssa’s influences in her music range from jazz to classical to singer songwriter, and she enjoys blending genres to reflect her writing style. Outside of playing and studying in Canada, Alyssa has spent time in New York at The New School where she studied voice with Kate Baker IG: @alyssagiammaria | AlyssaGiammaria.Com | Etransfer: giammaria.alyssa@gmail.com
June 16 – Rumi Jeraj
Rumi Jeraj is an ismailli muslim hailing from Sherwoodpark Alberta (the world’s largest hamlet). He is curious about sound and text in dance performance. During his professional studies at Toronto Metropolitan University, he studied Contemporary dance with Louis-Laberge Cote, Kate Hilliard and Robert Glumbeck. Outside of contemporary dance, Rumi has trained in tap dance with Travis Knights and Dianne Montgomery. He has also traveled to various Tap festivals such as Tap City: NYC, Rhythm World: Chicago and Vancouver Tap dance festival, to train with various artists. He has recently been exploring using his dance as an instrument and playing with Jazz artists around the city. To diversify his rhythmic and musical knowledge Rumi has begun training in Flamenco with Carmen Ramero. He is also currently collaborating with Bharatanatyam dancer Purawai Vyas. He is excited to continue his discovery of where dance and music collide.
IG: @RumiDude15 / @TvTimelapse | RumiKarimJeraj.Wordpress.Com | Etransfer: rumijarimjeraj@gmail.com
June 23 – Nirvana Sagar
Nirvana is a saxophonist/multi instrumentalist/composer and arranger who is currently a student at Humber College in the Bachelors of music program. Her musical journey began when she started playing classical piano at the age of 10 where she would continue her training for 7 years on the instrument. During this time, Nirvana also picked up the flute at the age of 12, then the tenor saxophone around age of 14. After finding her voice on the saxophone, she decided to pursue her musical as her journey by auditioning for music programs and big bands in the GTA. Moreover, her training primarily consisted of classical piano and saxophone during her high school years at Cawthra Park Secondary school where she was accepted into the music program.
Moving forward to 2015, Nirvana got her first taste of big band music when she joined the Etobicoke Jazz where she would be a member of until joining The Toronto All-Star Big Band in 2019. While being in the Etobicoke Jazz Band, Nirvana had been awarded with the Judy Reynolds award from the organization. This award helped fund some of her school where in 2018 she had started Humber Collage’s Bachelor’s of Music program. Currently, Nirvana is playing shows around the GTA, as well as teaching piano and saxophone while attending school full time.
IG: @Nirvy123 | E-transfer: nirvanarsagar@gmail.com
July 7 – Tatiana Alfaro
Tatiana started tap dancing at the age of four where she trained under the ADAPT syllabus and competed at the national level. After taking time off to focus on post-secondary education, she has returned to the scene with a newfound dedication for the art form. Throughout the pandemic Tatiana expanded her training by taking online opportunities to learn from international artists such as Derek Grant and Sarah Reich. Her most recent performance credits include Dianne Montgomery’s “Her” for Night Shift in Toronto (2019), Toronto Rhythm Initiative (TRI) explores the music of Miles Davis (2019) in pieces choreographed by Tanya Knights and Sarah Savelli. Beginning in March 2022, Tatiana began co-hosting Conversation: a Tranzac Jam; an open jam that offers an opportunity for both musicians and dancers to connect, create & collaborate. This summer Tatiana will be hosting the nightly jams for the Toronto International Tap Dance Festival produced by Toffan Rhythm Projects in partnership with Harbourfront Centre. She hopes to bring her knowledge and passion to the stage in her journey moving forward while always striving to nurture the community and acknowledge those whose shoulders she stands on. IG: @tatianapalfaro | Etransfer: tatianaalfaro04@gmail.com
July 14 – Alison Kerfoot
Alison Kerfoot is a drummer from Ottawa, currently based in Toronto. She studies with Nick Fraser and in the past with Jeff Asselin. She plays in the Toronto jazz scene with her group “The Foot Four”, among other ensembles. As a drummer, her goal is to share her music with as many people as possible, hoping it makes them happy. She also wants to create a space where everyone feels comfortable expressing themselves to the fullest and experimenting with sound. IG: @alison.drums | Etransfer: catielainey@gmail.com
July 21 – Bureh BK
Bureh Bk & The Shop is a Toronto based jazz quartet comprising of Bureh Bollo-Kamara on guitar, Connor Moe on saxophone and flutes, Robert Bourrieon bass, and Kahon Hall/ Omar Gittens interchanging on the drums. The quartet plays original tunes that combine elements of gospel, punk rock and African music over a firm foundation in jazz. During 2021, the group recorded their first EP “Forward Motion” and released it on March 4th, 2022. IG: @BurehBk | BurehBk.Com
July 28 – Tiago Cardoso Trio
A three piece jazz band consisting of Tiago Cardoso on guitar, Carlo Sto Domingo on acoustic bass and Victor Carrillo on the drums. This band likes experimenting over classic and modern jazz tunes. The group is made up of three students who have studied (and continue to study) the tradition from many great jazz musicians such as, Lorne Lofsky, Sundar Viswanathan, Artie Roth, Barry Romberg and Anthony Michelli.
Duncan Wilson Trio
Duncan Wilson is a Toronto-based pianist rooted in the bebop tradition. Born and raised in Orillia, Ontario, Duncan currently studies jazz performance at the University of Toronto. He has performed as a leader or sideman at many venues throughout Toronto and Ontario and is currently the pianist for the Toronto All-Star Big Band. His artistic influences include Kenny Barron, Bud Powell, Oscar Peterson, and Hank Jones. Joining Duncan is the immensely swinging rhythm section of Iggy Jarzabek on bass and Pablo Marin-Marquez on drums. | IG: Duncan Wilson
August 11 – Raquel Skilich Trio
Raquel Skilich is a jazz vocalist, composer, bandleader, and educator based in Toronto. She has performed at various Toronto venues including the Emmet Ray, the Tranzac, Ethica, Drom Taberna, and the Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues bar. Furthermore, Raquel recently just graduated from the Jazz Comprehensive program at the University of Toronto and has studied with notable musicians such as Laura Swankey, Alex Samaras, Andrew Downing, Steve Wallace, and Terry Promane. Raquel is looking forward to expanding her experience and is optimistic in building a music career to connect with others on a deeper level creatively and authentically. IG: Rachel Skilich | Youtube
August 18 – Av Ravitz Quintet
The Av Ravitz Quintet consists of mostly high school aged musicians including Alex Sgrignoli on drums, Enoch Lodu on trumpet, Micah Weekes on piano, Adrian Russuow on bass, and of course, Av Ravitz on alto. The group plays mostly standards with a specific liking to the music of Miles Davis from the 1960’s. Expect to hear a lot of that! IG: Av.Saxophone
August 25 – Victoria & Friends
Victoria’s love for tap dance is rooted in the intersection between music, improvisation, and authentic expression. With continual training in tap dance technique, music theory, and collaboration with dancers and musicians, she strives to develop her skills and knowledge in alignment with tap dance’s history, its community, and its potential for growth and impact. Her experience includes the 2017 International Tap Dance Festival (directed by Allison Toffan) where she was a member of the residency program, learning choreography, improvisational techniques, and performance experience under Allison Toffan, Tanya Knights, and guest artist Ted Louis Levy alongside other pre-professional tap dancers from around Canada. She deepened her ear and understanding of jazz music, improvisation, tap dance history, and technique as a member of the Pre-Professional division of The Rhythm Ensemble (directed by Juliana Kelly). She is looking forward to being in the Dianne Walker residency is the 2022 Toronto International Tap Dance Festival (directed by Allison Toffan) where she will workshop and perform with tap dancers from around North America. Victoria is a B.A.T.D certified dance educator and actively teaches and sets choreography throughout the GTA. IG: Victoria A Miller