Bringing you the best of unplugged, acoustic goodness, vocalist Jenna Glatt and guitarist Federico Luiu have come together to bring you the Dynamic Duo. Canadian born singer and songwriter, Jenna Glatt is a versatile and "exceptionally gifted" singing sensation with an impressive track record. Having appeared on many television and radio programs and at various international music festivals across North America, is a multi award-winning professional vocalist who is a recent graduate from and Ambassador for the Berklee College of Music in Boston.  Hailing from Italy, Federico Luiu started his career as a professional musician at a young age. A talented, versatile guitarist, Federico brings much soul and passion to his playing, his favorite styles to play being blues and rock. Eager to make a name for himself in Toronto, Federico has been performing in various venues in Italy and across the greater Toronto area alongside greats such as Prakash John (Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, Parliament Funkadelic), Jordan John, Al Cross (big sugar), Bjorn Anderson (Alannah Myles), and many more.  Together, they are excited to bring you a mix of fresh new takes on some of your favourite songs as well as soulful originals. Moving, acoustic, unplugged... Magic!

Born in Brooklyn, New York. Raised in Switzerland. A long-time Canadian who lives in Toronto.  That's Shakura S'Aida, a truly international artist whose involvement in the Canadian music scene has been ongoing for the almost 25 years. Along the way, she has enriched the jazz, blues and classic R&B communities with her soulful voice, enthusiastic personality and commitment to her deep soul music.

George Olliver - vocals
Tony Padalino - piano
Peter Mueller - guitar
Eli Eisenburg - bass
Paul Delong - drums

George Olliver is a Canadian musical institution. Audiences have been raving about his stage show for years. He has been described as a dynamic performer, great soulful voice and probably the best showman in Canada! What is often overlooked is that he is a prolific writer, producer, and successful recording artist. Olliver's career shot to stardom as the lead singer of the now legendary R&B band Mandala, with TOP TEN hits "Opportunity" and "Give and Take". Each new recording since then has been met with critical acclaim and nation-wide sales. Nicknamed "The Blue-Eyed Prince of Soul" he has remained one of the most popular performers on the Canadian music scene. George's extensive touring over the years has brought him international success, acknowledged by fans and industry critics alike. Having performed on tours with such band's as The Who, Rolling Stones and The Cream, George learned the importance of live performance. Moving on into the seventies, Olliver formed Natural Gas with the bands self-titled album charting in the TOP 10 in Canada and TOP 50 in the U.S.

In the eighties George co-owned and performed at The Bluenote in Toronto from 1982-92. During that time Quality Records (Domenic Troiano producing) recorded George Olliver and Gangbuster - LIVE @ THE BLUENOTE, an amazing live album, featuring him and his band Gangbuster and special guests. It was one of the finest live records made in Canada up to that point. In the middle of his run at the club, he recorded his first studio solo album Dream Girl which brought him a Juno nomination for best R&B album. As well George was able to book and perform with some of his idols such as Wilson Pickett, Etta James, Sam and Dave and Martha Reeves. "Whitney Houston broke her first album at the Bluenote in 1985 when no one had heard of her yet!" says Olliver. "I've got hours of live recordings to be released from the Bluenote that is timeless. "Now a devoted father of 3 (two sons and daughter) and with a renewed faith in God, Olliver is back performing and recording his brand of "white hot soul" which has become part of what's called the Toronto Sound.

What do you get when you combine two award-winning Jazz singers, a Dora Award-nominated music director, and an array of music as wide as the smiles of their audience members' faces? The answer is: "BROADSWAY".

Heather Bambrick, Diane Leah, and Julie Michels are all very busy women, working in a number of projects and musical genres. It's this degree of exciting musical energy that brought them together, and helped them create a show that is eclectic, funny, and very, very musical.

"Broadsway" was born when the ladies found themselves together on stage one night and discovered their mutual love of Broadway music. Julie and Heather (also host of "Wake Up ... " on JAZZ.FM91) are both acclaimed jazz performers, and Diane is a Dora Mavor Moore Award nominated Music Director, pianist and arranger. Their combined experience brings together Broadway music, pop sensibility, the improvisation of Jazz, and their unique senses of humour. They truly are three broads, doing it their own way ... hence, "Broadsway".

This project has been wowing audiences and winning fans since its inception just over a year ago. Performance highlights include their debut "Leading Ladies" concert, repeat shows at The Global Cabaret Festival, the COC Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre series, the Thursday Night Jazz Party at the Home Smith Bar, and several corporate appearances.

Their repertoire ranges from Gershwin to Gaga, from Sondheim to Schwartz and virtually anything - and everything - in between. With a marvelous musical meshing, and a healthy dose of humour, "Broadsway" truly does have something for everyone.

The Broads love working together and you will love watching them work!

 

 

I HEAR MUSIC: THE LORRAINE FOREMAN SONGBOOK ALSO FEATURES SINGERS DEBORA JOY AND ROBERT MISSEN AND MUSIC DIRECTOR DAVID WARRACK.

One of Canada's legendary performers returns to the Toronto stage to sing the songs and tell the stories about her long and distinguished career. Vancouver-born Lorraine Foreman was one of the major stars of CBC-Television in the halcyon days of the 1950s, who then went on to perform in such musical theatre masterworks as Oklahoma!, Show Boat and Kiss of the Spider Woman in Toronto, New York and London's West End.

I Hear Music celebrates Lorraine's early experiences as a footloose young club singer in the capitals of Europe and the Middle East, where she met up with the likes of Princess Margaret, Ava Gardner, Henry Fonda and King Farouk. Then on to her huge successes on both Canadian and American television, including several years on Country Hoedown with Gordie Tapp and Tommy Hunter. Finally, we get a taste of her theatrical endeavours.

The songs that are interspersed among Lorraine's stories include some of the great songs from the American Songbook as well as selections from musical theatre and cabaret.

In I Hear Music, Lorraine is ably abetted by two of her closest friends, Debora Joy and Robert Missen, both of whom have had long careers in Canadian music and theatre. Among their many credits Debora was a longtime member of the Stratford Festival Company and Robert has sung with the Elmer Iseler Singers and Canadian Opera Company. They were both members of Tapestry Singers, now Tapestry Opera, for many years. So this show marks a reunion for them as well.

The Music Director for I Hear Music is the redoubtable David Warrack. David is well-known as one of Canada's finest composers/conductors/arrangers/pianists and has some 500 musicals to his credit.

I Hear Music premiered successfully last June to a sold out house at Tapestry's Ernest Balmer Studio in the Distillery District. The show is being reprieved on the evening of Sunday November 22 ^nd at the elegant new Jazz Bistro by popular demand.