Humber Music Concerts

Gene Dinovi, jazz pianist and composer comes to Humber to perform and share stories of his long life’s work with some of jazz’s greatest legends, from Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker to Doris Day and Tony Bennett. Having lived in Toronto since the 1970s, Mr. DiNovi, at 96, remains one of the few living connections to the earliest days of bebop. He will be joined, in conversation and performance, by Music Faculty Professor and Program Coordinator, Dr. Andrew Scott, also a jazz guitarist with whom Gene has made numerous CDs and performed many concerts. 

This Noon Hour Concert is an exciting opportunity to hear original compositions performed by one of Toronto’s most acclaimed and experienced jazz pianists and get the chance to hear firsthand accounts about the legendary jazz musicians with whom he performed.

More about the Featured Artist Gene DiNovi began his musical life as a jazz pianist on 52nd Street in New York sitting in with none other than Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. Following that remarkable beginning, Gene went on to play and record with Lester Young, Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw, Buddy Rich, and Chubby Jackson. Moving to Hollywood in the 1960s, Gene worked with Peggy Lee, Tony Bennett, Lena Horne, as well as virtually every great singer of that era as composer, pianist, and musical director. As a composer, Gene’s collaborations with Johnny Mercer have been recorded by Percy Faith, Nancy Wilson, Doris Day, Dinah Shore, Victor Feldman, Carmen McRae, and others. DiNovi has also composed during this time with Harold Arlen, Jimmy Van Heusen, and Harry Warren. DiNovi currently lives in Toronto and continues to perform throughout the city. 

Admission is free. No ticket registration necessary, but space is limited. 

Humber Music Presents JAZZ NIGHT! to kick off the first of this season's Student Showcase Concerts series. Audiences will be treated to an evening of music spanning contemporary compositions to vidoe game musical scores to recognizable classics of the Count Basie band and the Boss Brass!

No ticket registration necessary, but space is limited - come early to secure a seat!

The ensemble is comprised of bandleader Matt Lagan on Saxophone and EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument), Sean Clarey on guitar, Scott Hunter on Bass, and Louis Baranyi-Irvine on Drums. The ensemble will present works ranging from high-energy, bebop-influenced tunes to smokey, atmospheric pieces with a subtle groove.  

Matt Lagan is an internationally active saxophonist, EWI player and composer who graduated with honours from Humber College in 2017. A member of The Shuffle Demons since 2018, Matt recorded three albums and toured twelve countries with the ensemble. Since 2019 he has been living alternately in Germany, Italy and France recording and touring internationally as a member of the Italian funk sensation C’amma Funk.  

The concert takes place in the beautiful Recital Hall located in the newly opened Humber Cultural Hub (HCH) on Humber's Lakeshore campus.

Admission is free. No ticket registration necessary, but space is limited. 

Featuring Humber Music's extraordinary Latin Jazz Band directed by Hilario Duran, the Salsa Band Directed by Sean Bellaviti, and the Brazilian Jazz Ensemble Directed by Aline Homzy, this will be an enlivening evening of music combining the Afro-Cuban tradition with the musical language of American jazz.

TICKETS ON EVENTBRITE: Ingrid-Jensen-Humber.eventbrite.ca

Ingrid Jensen, the New York-based, Canadian-born acclaimed jazz trumpet player, will be the featured guest soloist for a sizzling set of powerful music with the 18-piece Humber Jazz Big Band led by composer/arranger Shelly Berger. The concert program will also feature new modern jazz pieces for trumpet and the funk groove-based Forward Motion Ensemble, directed by acclaimed bassist Rich Brown. 

Ingrid Jensen has been hailed as one of the most gifted trumpeters of her generation. Originally from Victoria, BC, a graduate of the prestigious Berklee College of Music in Boston, Jensen toured Europe with the Vienna Art Orchestra and became, at age 25, the youngest professor at Austria's Bruckner Conservatory. Now based in New York City Ingrid performs with the Darcy James Argue jazz ensemble, is the Dean of Jazz Arts at Jensen at the Manhattan School of Music and is a dedicated jazz educator. 

This concert showcases three Humber Music Student Ensembles, each one a unique genre, yet all three reverberate with a shared African heritage. Come experience the uplifting power of the Gospel Choir, the driving rhythms of the African Rhythm and Jazz and the infectious groove of Rhythm ‘n Soul for an evening that is uplifting, inspiring and energizing!

There is nothing quite like the electrifying sizzle of the Jazz Big Band to transport the listener to the heart of swing! Humber's 19-piece Big Band will explore the great lexicon of American jazz that dominated 20th Century New York City as well as works of Canadian composers and arrangers.

The Manouche Ensemble kicks off the evening with the rousing music of the 1930s-1950s, and the jazz stylings of Django Reinhardt and Stephan Grappelli. Often characterised by a fast-paced virtuosity, the ensemble showcases the multi-talented students on voice, violin, guitars and bass.

Straight Ahead Jazz Ensemble: With a focus on the classic jazz idiom, this ensemble will perform repertoire from the great American songbook and canon of jazz compositions. Comprised of musicians with advanced musical skills this group will bring energy and enthusiasm to the standard jazz repertoire. This ensemble is directed by Juno Award winner Jocelyn Gould.

The Jazz Collective: Comprised of musicians with strong improvising and compositional skills, The Jazz Collective focusses on developing original repertoire. This ensemble is made up of very strong young musicians focused on deepening their improvisational skills and finding their own voices as composers. Led by composer and guitarist Sam Dickinson, the program features original compositions by Dickinson and members of the ensemble.  

---- CONCERT PROGRAM ---

STRAIGHT-AHEAD JAZZ ENSEMBLE

Jocelyn Gould, Director

Damian Lim - Vocals

Angelica Zavala - Drums

David Baik - Bass 

Alex Kohlsmith - Keyboard 

Rohan Mead - Guitar 

Jacob Kozlowski – Saxophone

Is That So? - by Lee Morgan 

I Concentrate On You - by Cole Porter 

Jingles - by Wes Montgomery 

Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered - by Richard Rodgers 

Early Bird 

 --- INTERMISSION ---

THE JAZZ COLLECTIVE

Sam Dickinson, Director

Nathaniel Ward - Drums 

Alex McPherson - Bass 

Nathan Tran - Keyboard 

Miles Cakebread-Kraus - Guitar 

Steffan Bello - Saxophone 

Angela Pincente -Trombone 

The Blessing  - by Ornette Coleman 

The Railroaders - by Miles Cakebread-Kraus 

Bless This Nightmare - by Sam Dickinson 

Earl Family History - by Alex McPherson 

Coming on the Hudson - by Thelonious Monk 

South Florida Task Force - by Sam Dickinson 

Special thanks for support and leadership to:

Guillermo Acosta, Senior Dean, FMCA

Jason Merai, Associate Dean, Music Cluster, FMCA

Andy Scott, PC, Bachelor of Music Program, FMCA

Special thanks for series vision and coordination to:

Kelsley Grant, PC, Introduction to Jazz Program, FMCA

Dewi Minden, Music Operations Manager, Music Cluster, FMCA

Special thanks for technical production to:

Andy Pryde, Audio Technician

Micaela Rae, Front-of-House Manager

When Emily Steinwall emerged on Toronto's jazz scene as a saxophone player, she was named one of CBC’s “35 best Canadian jazz artists under 35” at only 22 years old. She was also the recipient of JAZZ.FM91’s prestigious Mary Alice Stewart Award 2017, and was named Prince Edward County Jazz Festival’s 2018 Rising Young Star, all within her first couple of years since graduating from Humber’s Bachelor of Music program. 

With a new focus on songwriting, Emily formed a band to perform her original music perhaps be best described as "singer songwriter fused with jazz." The group quickly carved out a top shelf reputation in Toronto’s live music scene with their transcendent, psychedelic and bold performances. 

On November 8th, Steinwall will be joined by Jackson Steinwall on bass, and fellow Humber grads Joseph Martel on guitar, and Andrew McCarthy on drums, to perform music from “Welcome to the Garden,” her debut album which won the SOCAN Songwriter Prize in 2022. 

Emily Steinwall has performed on the “Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon”, the “Late Show with Stephen Colbert ” and “Austin City Limits”, and performed on world renowned stages, including Madison Square Garden, Scotiabank Arena (formerly the ACC), and at MTV’s European Music Awards. Humber Music is excited to welcome her back! 

Featuring Rich Brown, one of Canada’s foremost bass player, drum legend, Larnell Lewis, internationally acclaimed pianist Jeremy Ledbetter, and celebrated saxophonist Luis Deniz, the ensemble draws upon jazz-funk, fusion and rock influences. Their music engages progressive concepts in both harmony and melody, where complex rhythms produce an exciting, fresh, and contemporary sound.  

The ensemble earned a 2020 JUNO Award for their album, Abundance and recently released their follow-up recording, Abeng. Grounded in a spirit of resistance against oppression, the new album, and namesake of the group, is described by Ted Quinlan in The WholeNote as, “an impassioned reaction to, and path forward from, some of the darkest forces of human nature, specifically racism and divisiveness. [Brown] has chosen the abeng, an instrument originally fashioned by escaped Jamaican slaves, as a metaphor for a call to unity.” 

Larnell Lewis (Humber Alum) and Rich Brown are current members of Humber faculty; Luis Deniz has also been a regular teacher at Humber. 

Featuring live and recorded performances, screenings, exhibits, networking events, and portfolio shows, Current celebrates the ingenuity and professionalism of an electric group of storytellers. Connect with them at humbercurrent.ca starting April 19, or visit the website now to reserve your free ticket to a live event!