August 17 to 21, 2011

Highlights of the 2011 Jazz Festival are Peter Appleyard with a Salute to Benny Goodman, Guido Basso and Ranee Lee on stage, the Mike Murley Septet and the Brian Barlow Big Band.

The featured artists will be playing at the newly renovated, fully licensed, and comfortably air-conditioned Regent Theatre

Besides the Main Stage concerts at the Regent Theatre, there are a number of other events including After Hours Jam Sessions at Currah’s Restaurant on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights and the TD Jazz Van with travelling sets at various venues throughout the County on Saturday and Sunday.

Also, the PEC Jazz Festival features two performances by Student Jazz Ensembles: the Rising Young Star concert and the TD Jazz Jam. The complete schedule and venue listing is available on our website.  

Peter Appleyard Salutes Benny Goodman’

Thursday August 18, 8 pm

Peter Appleyard is a beloved veteran of the Canadian jazz scene and an Officer of the Order of Canada. He’s toured and performed with everybody who’s anybody in the jazz world, including Sinatra, Ellington, and Ella Fitzgerald.

Appleyard has the ultimate stamp of approval to play a Goodman tribute: he’s a former member of the Benny Goodman sextet, and played with the master himself at Carnegie Hall. Following Goodman’s death, Appleyard joined forces with some Goodman alumni and top Toronto musicians to form the ‘Benny Goodman Tribute Band’ in 1985. It is the present-day form of that band which will salute Goodman’s music this year.

There is one last minute change of artist for Thursday August 18 at the 10pm “After Hours Jam Session” at Currah’s Restaurant.

John Sherwood will appear instead of Robi Botos. John Sherwood is an accomplished jazz pianist who was born with perfect pitch. He regularly plays with Peter Appleyard, Terry Clarke, Dave Young, and Pat Collins to name just a few. He has numerous engagements at many Jazz Festivals in Ontario this summer. See www.johnsherwood.ca for more information.

(The Robi Botos Trio will still be performing at Currahs in After Hours Jam Session on Friday Aug. 19 and Saturday Aug. 20.)

Guido Basso and Ranee Lee

Friday August 19, 8 pm

One of the pre-eminent musicians in Canada lives right here in the County, and he’ll be playing at the Regent August 19 as a featured artist of the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival.

Guido Basso is widely acclaimed as a flugelhornist, trumpeter, arranger, composer, conductor, and harmonica player. He’s played with all the greats (Dizzy Gillespie, Oliver Jones, Diana Krall), worked on dozens of recordings as both leader and sideman, won a Juno (in 2004 for Lost In the Stars), and has been named to the Order of Canada.

Basso is the Artist-in-Residence for the Prince Edward County Jazz Festival, and Creative Director Brian Barlow knows him well. ‘Guido Basso is a Canadian jazz legend who happens to live in the County.  I have to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming when I realise that I can see him perform right here at the Regent Theatre.’

Sharing the bill with Guido will be Ranee Lee, one of  Canada’s most popular jazz vocalists. Her unique vocal stylings and sense of melody are featured on her 2010 CD Ranee Lee Lives Upstairs, which won a Juno award for best Vocal Jazz Album. Ranee is a native of Brooklyn, but has called Montreal home for many years.

Basso and Lee are a simpatico and harmonious jazz pairing, and the August 19 show promises to be a world-class concert, right here on Main St Picton.

The Mike Murley Septet

Saturday,  August 20, 8 pm

Mike Murley is one of Canada’s leading jazz talents. His lyrical saxophone style is distinctive and always a treat for his audience. He’s played on nine Juno Award-winning albums and has been named saxophonist of the year eight times by the Jazz Report/National Jazz Awards. His latest release, ‘Still Rollin’, is the debut recording for his new septet which includes such jazz notables as Dave Braid and Kevin Turcotte.

The Brian Barlow Big Band

Sunday August 21, 8 pm

Since its formation in 2004, the Brian Barlow Big Band has gone on to become one of Canada’s most highly regarded big bands. This evening they will be paying a tribute to two of the all-time great big bands: The Duke Ellington Orchestra and the Count Basie Orchestra. It’s a case of a talented band showing their appreciation for the bands which established the tradition in which they work.

Special guests joining the band are: Heather Bambrick (see more information below on Heather under the Jazz Brunch) and vocalist Justin Bacchus who has had the honour of performing with many Canadian greats like Joe Seally, Jackie Richardson, Dionne Taylor and Matt Dusk (see www.justinbacchus.com for more details.)

Sunday August 21

JAZZ+ BRUNCH= A Perfect Sunday Afternoon!

Featuring Heather Bambrick
On Sunday August 21 starting at 12:30 pm, there will be a Jazz Brunch at The Grange of Prince Edward Vineyards & Estate Winery.

Heather Bambrick, winner of the 2004 National Jazz Award for Vocalist of the Year, is in demand as a performer, educator, and broadcaster. She has performed and/or recorded with numerous international artists, including Phil Nimmons, Kenny Wheeler, Gene DiNovi, Guido Basso, Darmon Meader, Peter Appleyard, John Lamb, Carol Welsman, Jackie Richardson, Denzal Sinclaire, The Caliban Quartet, Rudy Webb, and the late Rob McConnell.

Heather has recorded with numerous acts, including the Royal Jelly Orchestra, Carol Welsman, the Caliban Quartet, and The Beehive Singers. Her own debut CD It’s About Time (2003) was nominated for Best Jazz Recording at the 2004 East Coast Music Awards and is enjoying international praise and radio airplay. Her follow-up recording Those Were The Days is has also been nominated for Best Jazz Recording at the 2007 East Coast Music Awards. She and theatre great Rudy Webb were featured guests on a “This Is Love”, featuring the music of Irving Berlin and award winning actor, musician, and songwriter Irving Dobbs.

On stage, Heather is a consummate entertainer, performing for appreciative crowds at venues across Canada and in the US and bringing audiences to their feet at some of the country’s most prestigiousmusic festivals. Her live shows are a combination of timeless songs, brilliant musicianship, and Heather’s unique sense of humour – all adding up to pure entertainment.