2025-2026 SEASON GUEST ARTISTS
Jennifer Hanson
What The World Needs Now - The Music of Burt Bacharach - October 4&5, 2025
The youngest of seven children, Jennifer Hanson learned to love 30's and 40's era standards at her father Bill's knee. In order to get just a little attention ...in the midst of all those kids, she began singing them for anyone who would listen around 1972, and then after her short, but throat blistering career in rock ’n’ roll, actually got paid to sing the really good stuff around 1993.
Jennifer's reputation for great vocal chops and notoriety for countless public appearances singing national anthems at NHL games, and touring the country with her band, began to attract the attention of a new audience among jazz fans.
Her torchy, seductive vocal style is among the finest in the current generation of jazz singers, while her stage presence is that of the classic generation of singers like Rosemary Clooney, Julie London and Vera Lynn. She's definitely not just another voice in the crowd.
https://jenniferhanson.ca/home
What The World Needs Now - The Music of Burt Bacharach - October 4&5, 2025
The youngest of seven children, Jennifer Hanson learned to love 30's and 40's era standards at her father Bill's knee. In order to get just a little attention ...in the midst of all those kids, she began singing them for anyone who would listen around 1972, and then after her short, but throat blistering career in rock ’n’ roll, actually got paid to sing the really good stuff around 1993.
Jennifer's reputation for great vocal chops and notoriety for countless public appearances singing national anthems at NHL games, and touring the country with her band, began to attract the attention of a new audience among jazz fans.
Her torchy, seductive vocal style is among the finest in the current generation of jazz singers, while her stage presence is that of the classic generation of singers like Rosemary Clooney, Julie London and Vera Lynn. She's definitely not just another voice in the crowd.
https://jenniferhanson.ca/home
Laurent "Larry" Roy
What The World Needs Now - The Music of Burt Bacharach - October 4&5, 2025 and
Reelin' In More Years - A Steely dan Tribute - May 9&10, 2026
Larry Roy is a long-time fixture of the Winnipeg music scene, and is the city's first-call jazz guitarist. He is also a busy recording engineer with his own studio, and is a sought-after composer and arranger. Within the faculty, he teaches Jazz Improvisation.
Roy has performed with internationally-renowned jazz artists Jimmy Greene, George Colligan, Terreon Gully, Miguel Zenon, Marcus Printup, Nicholas Payton, Bobby Hutcherson, Roy Hargrove, Terri Lyne Carrington, as well as popular music icons Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings and Roger Hodgson. Roy also performs regularly with The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, The Oceanic Jazz Orchestra, Quincy Davis, Derrick Gardner, Will Bonness and Juno-nominated vocalist Erin Propp. He was a Juno nominee in 2014 for Best Jazz Vocal Album along with Erin Propp.
What The World Needs Now - The Music of Burt Bacharach - October 4&5, 2025 and
Reelin' In More Years - A Steely dan Tribute - May 9&10, 2026
Larry Roy is a long-time fixture of the Winnipeg music scene, and is the city's first-call jazz guitarist. He is also a busy recording engineer with his own studio, and is a sought-after composer and arranger. Within the faculty, he teaches Jazz Improvisation.
Roy has performed with internationally-renowned jazz artists Jimmy Greene, George Colligan, Terreon Gully, Miguel Zenon, Marcus Printup, Nicholas Payton, Bobby Hutcherson, Roy Hargrove, Terri Lyne Carrington, as well as popular music icons Randy Bachman, Burton Cummings and Roger Hodgson. Roy also performs regularly with The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, The Oceanic Jazz Orchestra, Quincy Davis, Derrick Gardner, Will Bonness and Juno-nominated vocalist Erin Propp. He was a Juno nominee in 2014 for Best Jazz Vocal Album along with Erin Propp.
Marco Castillo
Bossa Nova Craze - The Music of Getz & Gilberto November 10, 2025
Marco was born in the capital of Samba, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music at Estácio de Sá University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1994. As an educator he has presented several Brazilian music workshops at the University of Manitoba for the faculty of music, Long and Mquade, Royal Manitoba Music Conservatory as well as teaching music, coaching for Spanish and Portuguese.
Castillo has 35+ years of experience in the music industry, have toured and performed in many festivals in North America and around the globe, recorded and produced many musical projects, collaborated with great names locally and abroad such as the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Orquestra do Maestro Guio de Moraes, Ron Paley Big band, Trio Irakitan, Rosa Marya, Claudya (Evita), Luiz Carlos Batera (Banda Black Rio), Marcio Montarroyos (Ney Matogrosso, Elis Regina, Jobim), George Coligan (American Jazz Pianist), Rubão Sabino (Gilberto Gil) and Kiko Freitas (João Bosco) among others. In 2015 Marco was a finalist with his original “Forró no Canadá” for the Viña del Mar music festival in Chile, one of the most important music festivals in Latin America, which is broadcasted and seen by over millions of fans around the world.
Bossa Nova Craze - The Music of Getz & Gilberto November 10, 2025
Marco was born in the capital of Samba, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Music at Estácio de Sá University in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1994. As an educator he has presented several Brazilian music workshops at the University of Manitoba for the faculty of music, Long and Mquade, Royal Manitoba Music Conservatory as well as teaching music, coaching for Spanish and Portuguese.
Castillo has 35+ years of experience in the music industry, have toured and performed in many festivals in North America and around the globe, recorded and produced many musical projects, collaborated with great names locally and abroad such as the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Orquestra do Maestro Guio de Moraes, Ron Paley Big band, Trio Irakitan, Rosa Marya, Claudya (Evita), Luiz Carlos Batera (Banda Black Rio), Marcio Montarroyos (Ney Matogrosso, Elis Regina, Jobim), George Coligan (American Jazz Pianist), Rubão Sabino (Gilberto Gil) and Kiko Freitas (João Bosco) among others. In 2015 Marco was a finalist with his original “Forró no Canadá” for the Viña del Mar music festival in Chile, one of the most important music festivals in Latin America, which is broadcasted and seen by over millions of fans around the world.
Quinn Greene
A Charlie Brown Christmas - 60th Anniversary Celebration December 12, 2025
Quinn is an actor and comedian born in Manitoba, raised in the less-than-a-hamlet called Moosehorn and lulled through his 20s in Winnipeg. Having worked in Winnipeg’s film and television community he’s done everything from cold hard gripping to directing hordes of rapping kids. He’s performed in theatre, television, and film as everything from a surfing chimp, to an accidental vampire, to a giant booger and of course The Grinch. He currently works as a creative ninja with Wasteland Productions.
A Charlie Brown Christmas - 60th Anniversary Celebration December 12, 2025
Quinn is an actor and comedian born in Manitoba, raised in the less-than-a-hamlet called Moosehorn and lulled through his 20s in Winnipeg. Having worked in Winnipeg’s film and television community he’s done everything from cold hard gripping to directing hordes of rapping kids. He’s performed in theatre, television, and film as everything from a surfing chimp, to an accidental vampire, to a giant booger and of course The Grinch. He currently works as a creative ninja with Wasteland Productions.
Leonard Shaw
Reelin' In More Years: Steely Dan Tribute - May 9 & 10, 2026
Multi-instrumentalist Leonard Shaw’s music spans the genres from blues to R & B to jazz to funk to rock, and has been plying his keyboard-saxophone-vocalizing & flute talents all over the U.S. Since 1990 with the touring version of The Guess Who. A graduate of Grant MacEwan Music College in Edmonton , Shaw began his career in Winnipeg with the seminal rock/funk horn based Mojo and the Nighthawks in the late 60’s, then in the early 70's experimenting in Free Jazz with the Dale Russell Music Ensemble at the Ting Tea Room, before grooving up to Junior Barnes and the Cadillacs. In Toronto he played with Backstreet, and Ian Thomas, Ian Hunter, Terry Crawford and the late Dianne Heatherington. Both in Toronto and in Winnipeg on the casino’s mainstage, Shaw has been sought after as a sideman for numerous artists including Bo Diddley, Del Shannon, Ben E. King, Peter Noone, Mark Lindsey, Lesley Gore, Sue Medley, Freddie Cannon, The Marvellettes, The Crystals, The Coasters, the Drifters and Jay and the Techniques. His CD “Living Room” displays the wide range of styles from jazz to blues and pop that he is known for. Leonard’s second CD is “Barely Blue”: a broadcast recording for CBC features the Hammond B 3 organ - features two former sidemen with Lennie Breau; Ron Halldorson (guitar) and Reg Kelln; (drums) as well as Gilles Fournier (bass). The Lewsh Project is an all original collaboration of music written with Sandy Chochinov and Dave Garber that reaches back to his inspirational blues roots. Around Winnipeg you may have caught Shaw rocking' out 16 years of Sunday Nights at the Kings Head Pub ; or jazz and blues in a duo or trio; or with The Ministers of Cool performing the music of Steely Dan and other great grooves.
Reelin' In More Years: Steely Dan Tribute - May 9 & 10, 2026
Multi-instrumentalist Leonard Shaw’s music spans the genres from blues to R & B to jazz to funk to rock, and has been plying his keyboard-saxophone-vocalizing & flute talents all over the U.S. Since 1990 with the touring version of The Guess Who. A graduate of Grant MacEwan Music College in Edmonton , Shaw began his career in Winnipeg with the seminal rock/funk horn based Mojo and the Nighthawks in the late 60’s, then in the early 70's experimenting in Free Jazz with the Dale Russell Music Ensemble at the Ting Tea Room, before grooving up to Junior Barnes and the Cadillacs. In Toronto he played with Backstreet, and Ian Thomas, Ian Hunter, Terry Crawford and the late Dianne Heatherington. Both in Toronto and in Winnipeg on the casino’s mainstage, Shaw has been sought after as a sideman for numerous artists including Bo Diddley, Del Shannon, Ben E. King, Peter Noone, Mark Lindsey, Lesley Gore, Sue Medley, Freddie Cannon, The Marvellettes, The Crystals, The Coasters, the Drifters and Jay and the Techniques. His CD “Living Room” displays the wide range of styles from jazz to blues and pop that he is known for. Leonard’s second CD is “Barely Blue”: a broadcast recording for CBC features the Hammond B 3 organ - features two former sidemen with Lennie Breau; Ron Halldorson (guitar) and Reg Kelln; (drums) as well as Gilles Fournier (bass). The Lewsh Project is an all original collaboration of music written with Sandy Chochinov and Dave Garber that reaches back to his inspirational blues roots. Around Winnipeg you may have caught Shaw rocking' out 16 years of Sunday Nights at the Kings Head Pub ; or jazz and blues in a duo or trio; or with The Ministers of Cool performing the music of Steely Dan and other great grooves.
Emmanuel Bach
Bossa Nova Craze - The Music of Getz & Gilberto November 10, 2025
Emmanuel is a Brazilian guitarist, composer and arranged currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Performance at the University of Manitoba. He is known for his work in samba, jazz and Latin music and has extensive performance experience, including collaborations with well-known Brazilian artists like Ivan Lins, Airto Moreira and Flora Purim. He has over 100 recording credits to his name. He also teaches guitar, bass and ukulele at Long & McQuade.
Bossa Nova Craze - The Music of Getz & Gilberto November 10, 2025
Emmanuel is a Brazilian guitarist, composer and arranged currently pursuing a Master's Degree in Performance at the University of Manitoba. He is known for his work in samba, jazz and Latin music and has extensive performance experience, including collaborations with well-known Brazilian artists like Ivan Lins, Airto Moreira and Flora Purim. He has over 100 recording credits to his name. He also teaches guitar, bass and ukulele at Long & McQuade.
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Amber Epp
Bossa Nova Craze - The Music of Getz & Gilberto November 10, 2025 Amber first encountered Latin music in Canada but it was not until she moved to Cuba that she discovered her Latin soul. Inspired by jazz greats such as Ella Fitzgerald as well as modern singers like Dianne Reeves, her gift for music, improvising and languages ignites every song. Amber gets crowds dancing with Trio Bembe, belts it out with Papa Mambo and THE WINNIPEG JAZZ ORCHESTRA and reinterprets songs with a jazzy feel from the Great Canadian Songbook with her "Canadiana" project. Amber performs uplifting vocal jazz music with a rhythmic beat. She has performed across Canada and won a Western Canadian Music Award for one of her four albums. Her latest album is called "Inside Outside". |
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Paul Balcain
Bossa Nova Craze - The Music of Getz & Gilberto November 10, 2025 Paul has amasses an impressive resume over the past 25 years. With multiple recording credits under his belt including Moses Mayes, Lucas Sader (featuring Derrick Gardner), Scott Nolan, Juno nominated The Word Sisters, Mark Reevesm one-hit wonder pop band LEN and the WJO, his genre palette is broad. Paul has also performed/toured with groups such as LOAD (which opened for The Watchmen, Big Sugar), the Chai Folk Ensemble, Stripper's Union Local 519 (Rob Baker of The Tragically Hip fame), Ron Paley Big Band, Soni Geraci (the Outsiders and Climax), Belushi Estate Blues Brothers Band and as a featured soloist to jazz icon Dee Dee Bridgewater with the WSO. His own groups have been featured at the Jazz Winnipeg Festival, notably, opening for George Garzone, where Paul had Branford Marsalis Quartet drummer Henri Cole in his band for this occasion. |
