The Current Scene
A Close-knit Community
Jazz is a collective art form; The "jam-session" is the jazz musician's most valuable form of education and networking - at the centre of any jazz community. Windsor's scene has thrived over the years because of the willingness of seasoned jazz musicians to take younger musicians under their wing and encourage them on their journey through the ranks.
Photo Gallery:
Windsor's Jazz Community Today
(Click through the Photos to find more information on the groups/musicians pictured)
"I'm not sure what it says about Phog Phest, or jazz... but the response to Jazz Fest at the Rondo has outpaced interest in Phog Phest by double. Kind of stunned, frankly."
- Tom Lucier, 2017
Owner, Phog Lounge and The Rondo
Our Very Own Jazz Fest...
With the advent of the first jazz festival to hit Windsor in over a decade on April 2nd, 2017, it is becoming more difficult to accuse jazz as being "dead."
Tom Lucier, owner and operator of Phog Lounge and The Rondo - two of Windsor's top venues for live, local music of all styles - and the organizer of the 2017 Windsor Jazz Fest, was overwhealmed by the outpouring of support and interest in the Festival... In just two weeks, over one-hundred people RSVP'd to the Facebook event page, and over five-hundred stated that they were "Interested."
Although the festival is only in its first year, Lucier has big plans for the future of this annual event. Next year, the organizer is looking to include more bands in a much wider variety of styles and experience - something that the funding did not allow for an inaugural event, still in its infancy. The one day spectacle could end up being a full weekend affair like the Detroit Jazz Festival in Windsor's neighbour city!
The 2017 lineup includes groups from both Windsor and Detroit, including musicians both young and old, experienced and beginner. See below:
HUSH (Detroit)
Corey Kendrick Trio (Detroit/Windsor)
Border City Quintet (Windsor)
Brian Burke Quartet (BBQ)
Ted Hogan Combo (Windsor)
Organization (Windsor)
Overtime Trio (Windsor)
Coffee House Combo (Windsor)
These groups represent some, but not all of the jazz groups that regularly play in Windsor… Many of them open up their performances into a jam session for any jazz musicians looking to play, no matter the age or experience level.
Selected Photos from the 2017 Windsor Jazz Festival:
A Diverse Musical Scene
Windsor's jazz scene is a very close-knit community, but this does not mean that there is a lack of variety and diversity. In fact, the jazz groups in Windsor are very wide-ranging, making for an exciting musical climate!
Although most groups play standards from a variety of time periods and styles, there are a select few that focus on one specific style of jazz, emersing themselves and their audience in the sounds and history of an era.
The Speakeasy Quartet specifies in performing the classic "hot" jazz of the 1920s and 1930s with a "fresh and unique instrumentation and sonority." Composed of some of Windsor's top musicians - Hugh Leal, bandleader and tenor guitarist; Mike Karoub, cello; Dave Bennett, clarinet; Mike Karloff, piano - the group has received much critical acclaim, and has become one of Canada's top jazz combos playing in that style. The group has raised the bar for all other jazz combos in the city, having a huge impact on the local jazz community.
Their ongoing concert series at Windsor's Mackenzie Hall has been very influential on young musicians in the area, and has nurtured a jazz audience in the Windsor community.
In addition to their multiple studio recordings, they have also released live performance videos on their YouTube channel. The following video is the most recent release from the group - A performance DEMO at Sprucewood Shores Estate Winery in June 2015.
This next video is actually from one of their concerts at Machenzie Hall, and includes local jazz legend, Ray Manzerole on soprano saxophone:
The Search for Jazz...
Although the jazz scene is primarily made up of musicians, there are a handful of jazz enthusiasts that have been inspired by the music to go out and search for local groups carrying on the tradition.
Richard Bergeron is one such individual - with the help of his close friend and local jazz musician, Ted Hogan, he launched a Facebook Page in early 2016 dedicated to helping the music lovers of Windsor-Essex find live jazz. Live Jazz Windsor posts regularly about the jazz happenings in the area, making jazz more easily accessible and locatable through social media. This page has been a great developement in Windsor's jazz scene, helping musicians gain a larger audience.
This Facebook page is a true testament to the growing jazz audience in Windsor.
Inspired and Enthusiastic
In the last few years, the Windsor jazz community has seen the emergence of quite a few new groups, comprised of younger musicians fresh out of university. There are many possible reasons for this - the quality of the jazz program at the University of Windsor with its many experienced instructors, the welcoming mentorship of older musicians, or just a general love for the music - whatever the reason, these young musicians are very enthusiastic about their future in the genre of jazz and have taken a lot of inspiration from other more experienced members of Windsor's jazz community.
Two groups in particular that are relatively new to the Windsor jazz scene are the Coffee House Combo and Lillian Kaye & the Border City Quintet. The musicians in these groups were inspired by their teachers at the University of Windsor, as well as other local musicans, and shaped by the many jam sessions held by the city's seasoned jazz veterans.
The Coffee House Combo
The Coffee House Combo was formed in January of 2015, and has quickly made a name for themselves in the Windsor jazz community. The group currently has six members - Austin Di Pietro, trumpet; Sebastian Bachmeier, saxophone; Andrew Adoranti, piano; Vanessa Harnish, drums; Marko Rozic, bass; and Natalie Culmone, vocals - all of which are either current University of Windsor students or alumni. In May of 2015, they started a regular gig at Milk Coffee Bar in downtown Windsor - a weekly jam session that they held until the permanent closure of the bar in December 2016 - after which they moved to Phog Lounge. Their current jam session at Phog Lounge attracts jazz musicians and enthusiasts alike. With a broad repertoire of everything from jazz standards and funk tunes to classic motown or modern pop arrangements, the set list is never the same from week to week.
The video below shows the group performing Norah Jones' hit single, "Don't Know Why" live at a local recording studio - RadSouls Studio.
Lillian Kaye & the Border City Quintet
Lillian Kaye & the Border City Quintet is a group consisting exclusively of University of Windsor Music students - Lillian Kaye, vocals; Matthew Lepain, trumpet; Caterina Augimeri, saxophone; Parker Schaeffer, guitar; Noah Renaud, bass; and Nick Baddeley, drums. Formed in early 2017, the group just recently had their debut performance at the Green Bean Cafe near the university campus. In a very short time, this group has come a very long way in developing their overall musicianship, and have built up a sizeable repertoire of jazz standards, keeping the jazz tradition alive in Windsor. They are incredibly motivated, and already have plans for more regular public performances in Windsor.
The promotional video below shows short cuts of the group playing a variety of different jazz standards - interestingly enough, filmed at the University of Windsor School of Music!