MOLLY JOHNSON

SUNDAY AUGUST 13

Doors: 7:00 p.m. Show 8:00 p.m.

TICKETS

Known as one of Canada’s greatest voices, award-winning jazz vocalist Molly Johnson is a mother, singer-songwriter, artist and philanthropist, who has just released her highly anticipated new album, “Meaning To Tell Ya”. Produced by multiple GRAMMY Award-winning Producer, Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman, Madeleine Peyroux, Melody Gardot, Norah Jones); it is more than a jazz record. It’s funk, it’s soul, it’s groove played by some of Canada’s best musicians. Says Molly: “Working with Larry was magic. When it was finally my turn, I jumped at the opportunity. This is a record I have been wanting to make for years. I can’t wait to share it with everyone!” Says Larry: “Molly has the kind of musical gift that cannot be cultivated by musical education or assiduous practice. She has great natural musical instincts and an irresistible signature to her voice. She is a rare and wonderful talent.”

peter karle combo & take 3

monday AUGUST 14

Doors: 7:00 p.m. Show 8:00 p.m.

FREE EVENT

TICKETS

PETER KARLE COMBO

Do you enjoy the easy listening sounds of My Funny Valentine and Girl From Ipanema? You will unfortunately have to search elsewhere, as The Peter Karle Combo is about bringing a hard bop energy with a modern twist.

TAKE 3

Take 3 is an ensemble made up of Theresa Wallis, Jenny Nauta & Ron Nauta with a rich and wide musical background between the three.

Theresa Wallis… A lifetime of being passionate about music has afforded Theresa the opportunity to explore many aspects of her chosen art form. She has performed as a soloist at various types of venues including jazz clubs, private events, concert halls, churches as well as on the theatre stage.

Jenny Nauta is an active well-known singer, arranger, songwriter, teacher and music consultant.  She is a founding member of vocal jazz group AFTER FOUR. Jenny is an Associate Teacher and graduate of Conservatory Canada and teaches both classical and contemporary jazz voice, piano and theory.

Ron Nauta… Ron has a rich musical background and brings a great deal of talent to a broad spectrum of performance groups. He is the chief in-group arranger/adapter for the instrumental charts.

SAMMY JACKSON

TUESDAY AUGUST 15

Doors: 7:00 p.m. Show 8:00 p.m.

TICKETs

Singer-songwriter Sammy Jackson is quickly becoming one of Canada’s top vocalists, with a personal style that deftly blends jazz, pop, and R&B. With a resume that boasts a JUNO Award, collaborations with top artists such as Barbra Lica, Robi Botos, Rich Brown, and Larnell Lewis, and performances at some of Canada’s most prestigious venues, including the Glenn Gould Studio, Koerner Hall, the TD Toronto Jazz Festival, and Westben, Jackson consistently captivates audiences with her singing, compositional accomplishments, and collaborative artistic spirit. Her latest EP – the JUNO-Award winning With You – is a sophisticated, intelligent, heartfelt portrait of a musician coming into her artistic prime, and features some of the top young musicians in Canada.

ELIANA CUEVAS

with jeremy ledbetter

wednesday august 16

Doors: 7:00 p.m. Show 8:00 p.m.

TICKETS

Eliana Cuevas and Jeremy Ledbetter are well-known in the Canadian musical landscape for the outstanding quality of their work, composing and performing as bandleaders of their own Latin Jazz projects and also as side musicians for some of the best musical acts in Canada. They’re not strangers to performing with each other—a married couple with two children together—Eliana and Jeremy have been performing together in various configurations for over 15 years. Their work together includes Eliana’s last three albums which earned them two Independent Music Awards for Best World Music Album and Best World Music Producer in New York, plus a Canadian Folk Music Award for Best World Music Album. 

Now they have created a new duo project that unveils their musical chemistry in a more intimate way. They feature a unique and soulful take on Latin American music with a focus on Venezuelan folkloric repertoire. Their music is jazz-infused, acoustic, and showcases original compositions plus some of the most beloved, traditional Venezuelan songs. Their performances are playful, adventurous, spontaneous, and very moving, allowing their audiences to experience a wide range of emotions. On stage they open a window into their lives, creating a display of their experiences together through music, taking advantage of their personal connection to make their songs come to life.

MONKEY HOUSE

THURSday AUGUST 17

Doors: 7:00 p.m. Show 8:00 p.m.

tickets

Thirty years into an acclaimed career, Monkey House finds itself with a worldwide following and a star-studded list of collaborators that includes Mark Lettieri (Snarky Puppy), Richie Hayward (Little Feat), David Blamires (Pat Metheny), and Steely Dan veterans Jay Graydon, Elliot Randall, Michael Leonhart and Drew Zingg.

Emmy-winning frontman Don Breithaupt, whose songs have been recorded by Chicago, the Manhattan Transfer, Marc Jordan, Ron Sexsmith, Sarah Slean, Ian Thomas and many more, founded Monkey House in 1993 as an outlet for material he was pitching to pop artists: “When word would come back that a song was too quirky, too tricky, or too jazzy, I would keep it for myself,” laughs Breithaupt. “Those songs became the foundation of our first album, Welcome to the Club.”.

Laila biali

friday august 18

Doors: 7:00 p.m. Show 8:00 p.m.

TICKETS

Multi 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. In 2020, Laila was honoured by SOCAN Music with the Hagood Hardy Award for Excellence in Songwriting. In 2019, Laila’s eponymous release won her a JUNO (Canada’s GRAMMY) for “Vocal Jazz Album of the Year.” The year prior, she was awarded top prize at the Canadian Songwriting Competition in the Jazz category. Laila was also the youngest-ever double winner at Canada’s National Jazz Awards when she was named “SOCAN Composer of the Year” and “Keyboardist of the Year.” She received her first JUNO nomination for Tracing Light (2011), and a spot on DownBeat Magazine’s “Best Albums of the Year” for Live in Concert (2013) and Out of Dust (2020). In September of 2017, Laila was brought on as the host for CBC Music’s national radio show, Saturday Night Jazz, a weekly show broadcast to listeners across Canada. 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” (Washington Post). Laila’s highly anticipated album, Out of Dust, which features multiple GRAMMY nominees and winners including Lisa Fischer, Alan Ferber, John Ellis, and Larnell Lewis, released March 27, 2020 and was also nominated for a 2021 JUNO Award.

Big BANDEMIC & THE CROONERS

saturday august 19

Doors: 11:00 A.m. Show 12:00 p.m.

FREE EVENT

SOLD OUT

BIG BANDEMIC

With the start of the pandemic in early 2020, all live wind-instrument playing stopped. By the end of the year, musicians were restless to find a place to play, so Karl Hermann and John Thompson started a group that used the Internet to allow people to play together, but from home. The musicians could hear and see each other online. What to call the Group?  Big Bandemic — what else?

The online sessions were chaotic, especially because of the inherent delays in Internet technology.  But the musicians persisted, and Big Bandemic held eighteen sessions in the first half of 2021.

RICK KISH

Rick is several times nominated and holds the title of Forest City London Music Awards Jazz Vocalist 2019. He is honoured to be back at The Aeolian Hall Jazz & Musical Arts Festival (AJAMAF), this year as Rick Kish & Friends! These guys have been doing shows together, all over the place for quite some time. In particular they were super fortunate to essentially hold a monthly spot at Jazz On The Thames at Michael’s On The Thames from February 2019 through every possible opportunity available during the pandemic to December 2022. They tour extensively with LINK theatre & concerts as a really Retro CROONER Christmas & The Crooner Show which was seen most recently in Ingersoll at ITOPA and the Globus Theatre in Bobcaygeon, ON this past summer.

connor boa

Connor Boa is a jazz vocalist and actor based out of London Ontario. He came to London nearly 10 years ago and in that time he has had the opportunity to work with many amazing musicians, artists, creators and performers as well as work on many amazing shows, such as a really Retro CROONER Christmas, The Crooner Show and many other shows with LINK theatre & concerts. He has also had the chance to work amongst many great actors in theatre at the Grand Theatre, Palace theatre and many more. Jazz music has always been something that is in Connor’s blood with many accrediting him to have that true and authentic crooner sound from the Frank Sinatra days of music. He is extremely excited to join Big Bandemic and live out a dream to sing with a true big band.

holly cole

saturday august 19

Doors: 7:00 p.m. Show 8:00 p.m.

tickets

Holly Cole has a long and storied international career, having sold hundreds of thousands of recordings internationally while at home in Canada her successes include multi-platinum album sales awards, three JUNO awards and countless successful national tours!

In 2013 Ms. Cole became the 15th winner of the highly prestigious Ella Fitzgerald Award. This award, created by the world renowned Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, is annually conferred upon “A jazz singer of significant talent who has had a major impact and influence in the international scene.”.  Other winners include Sade (2011), Aretha Franklin (2008), Harry Connick, Jr. (2007), Etta James (2006) and Tony Bennett (2004).

2019 proved be an interesting year live for Holly, including successful concert dates internationally and 4 sellout nights at the Festival International de Jazz de Montreal which were recorded live and released worldwide April 2/2021 as a love letter to her favourite city and Festival.