A late-night session of the hottest early jazz recalling the golden age one hundred years ago. Performed by a 6-piece all-star band put together just for this event with a rhythm section and front line each split between Ottawa and Toronto!

Expect virtuosity, musicality, and energy in bounds for this fun special event. Drinking, dancing, and more (all in the safety of your own home) will be highly encouraged for this evening. It’s going to be hot, hot, hot!

Drew Jurecka – violin

Multi-instrument Drew Jurecka is currently up for a Record of the Year Grammy for his string arranging, playing and engineering work for pop sensation Dua Lipa. Drew has produced and recorded countless arrangements for artists including as Hailee Steinfeld, Donovan Woods, Jill Barber, Bahamas, Rose Cousins, Royal Wood, Dermot Kennedy, Bülow and Ron Sexsmith. Classically trained but comfortable in all genres, Jurecka performs primarily on violin, but also viola, saxophone, clarinet and mandolin and most recently on bandoneon as a member of the Payadora Tango Ensemble, for whom he has also composed, arranged and produced.. After completing his bachelors of music at the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music, Jurecka spent 5 years touring with Jeff Healy. He is a well established member of the Toronto jazz scene, and an in demand session musician, arranger and producer. He has performed on literally hundreds of albums for artists such as Alessia Cara, Chantal Kreviazuk, Jesse Cook and Buffy Sainte-Marie. He has composed for film and television and his orchestral arrangements have been performed by groups such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and the National Arts Centre Orchestra.

David Renaud – clarinet

David Renaud is an Ottawa based clarinet player and multi-instrumentalist. He is currently booking concerts featuring material from his first two CDs and busy as a freelancer performing for festivals, pit work, studio, clubs, private and corporate events. Dave performs for National Arts Centre Pops concerts, and covers a multitude of doubles for theatre pit orchestras.  Dave is the clarinet professor for Carleton University music department. For 35 year Dave Renaud has been immersed in a diverse and rich musical life performing swing, jazz, theatre, orchestral, and studio. He has written music for solo, choral, duos, small ensemble, and big band. With the release of First Love, and its sequel, Encore, Dave partnered with the great Canadian jazz veteran Brian Browne to produce a lyrical, creative, and beautiful jazz collection of standards.

Ed Lister – trumpet

Ed Lister is a U.K born trumpeter, composer & educator who has been playing professionally since the age of 15. Edward graduated with a 2:1 BA Hons degree in Jazz performance & composition studies from Leeds College of Music (U.K). Edward has been based out of Ottawa, Canada since 2011 and currently runs 7 of his own ensembles as well as performing in a further 15. To date, Edward has recorded on over 30 albums in the Ottawa / Ontario region. Edward also owns and operates an entertainment agency called ‘London Gentleman Records’ which represents and works with local Ottawa talent. Edward has toured the globe and shared the stage with some of the best. Since moving to Ottawa, Canada in 2011, Ed has performed and collaborated with a number of incredible North American musicians including Jann Arden, Sloan (Canadian rock legends), Jerry Granelli (Canadian drummer and composer who’s best known work is the Charlie Brown Christmas) and the Temptations (Motown legends). Ed has also created many projects that were made possible by the opportunities and creative spaces that this city provides.

Nathan Hiltz – guitar

Toronto guitarist Nathan Hiltzspecializes in jazz guitar but also dabbles in classical, folk, and choral music too. His musical projects include Samways, The Griffith Hiltz Trio, The Koffman Hiltz Quartet, Robot Cops, Organic, and The Nathan Hiltz Trio. As a sideman, Nathan has performed with many wonderful singers including Alex Pangman, Steven Taetz, Whitney Ross Barris, Ori Dagan, Jill Barber, Shannon Butcher, Jill Barber, Alana Bridgewater, Sophie Milman, Ranee Lee, Sheila Jordan, Billy Newton Davis, and Jessica Lalonde. Nathan has also had the honour of working with groups like The Canadian Jazz Quartet, The Toronto Concert Orchestra, The Boss Brass, and The Toronto Symphony Orchestra.

Michael Herring – double bass

Michael Herring is a double-bassist and composer based in Toronto who writes, performs and records across genre lines, equally comfortable in jazz as in roots settings, including folk, world, and pop/rock. Herring leads and co-leads a number of groups which focus on original music of which he is a major contributor: Herring’s compositions and bass playing can also be heard in the collectives Way North (New York/Toronto collaboration with Petr Cancura, Rebecca Hennessy and Richie Barshay), God’s Gift to Yoda (experimental indie jazz-rock), who released their debut full-length album This Album Is Not For People, and in Harrington and The Uplifters (Roots Nerd-Rock and New Orleans pop), where you can hear Herring’s lead and backing vocals and lyrics. Herring has toured around recorded in North America, Europe, and Korea with his ensembles as well as sharing the stage with such great musicians as: David Binney, Bucky Pizzarelli, Bernie Senensky, Ab Baars (ICP/Amsterdam), Ken Vandermark, Jah Youssouf (Mali, Africa), Mansa Sissoko (Mali, Africa), David Braid, Kirk MacDonald, Dave Clark, P.J. Perry, Tannis Slimmon, Harry Manx, Lina Allemano, William Carn, Percy Sledge, Ernest Ranglin, and Brinsely Forde (Aswad). Herring’s compositions and arrangements have been featured in the repertoires of many ensembles, including he wrote the soundtrack to the short film In Harms’s Way.

Lucas Denison – drums

Lucas Denison is a Musician and Educator from Ottawa. Coming from a family of musicians, his life has been steeped in music from an early age. After moving to Nova Scotia, he began his teaching career with the Halifax Music CO-OP, an organization with the mission of making music education accessible to all. He founded and grew the organization’s Small Ensemble Jazz program and the Juventas Youth Jazz Ensemble. In Halifax, Lucas performed regularly with the Vesuvius Jazz Ensemble and the ABBA tribute band Dancing Queen. When the HMC closed and the music industry all but shut down, he returned to Ottawa to be closer to his family. Shortly after his return, he began performing on syncspace.live and was part of the platform’s inaugural New Year’s performance and has since been a part of many other virtual concerts we’ve presented.

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