UJAM Summer Concert Series

Event Description

The UJAM Summer Concert Series returns to UVic’s Phillip T. Young Recital Hall with three nights of exceptional jazz, presented by the UJAM Summer Jazz Workshop, a five day intensive led by some of the finest jazz educators in Victoria. Each night offers a double bill drawn from the workshop faculty and friends, an intimate window into the artistry behind the teaching.

Tuesday opens the series with a rising talent: Stella White, an 18-year-old DownBeat Award-winning vocalist studying jazz performance at McGill under Camille Thurman, brings a soulful sensibility shaped by Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, and Jazzmeia Horn. She’s followed by Juno-nominated saxophonist Ryan Oliver, a Western Canadian Music Awards “Jazz Musician of the Year” nominee who has toured the globe with The Shuffle Demons and co-leads The Cookers Quintet.

Wednesday brings a Core Faculty Showcase, gathering the workshop’s instrumentalists for a freewheeling collaborative set, followed by celebrated singer-composer Brian Tate. A two-time Jessie Richardson Award winner and founder of Vancouver’s 100-voice City Soul Choir, Tate’ s choral works are published and performed worldwide, and his solo performances bring decades of genre-spanning artistry to the stage.

Thursday closes the series with a double bill of remarkable range. Vancouver-born vocalist and pianist Jennifer Scott, who has shared stages with Clark Terry, Kenny Wheeler, Tommy Banks, and Jon Batiste, joins her husband, bassist Rene Worst, a virtuoso whose credits span Chet Baker, David Bowie, and Aerosmith and who co-founded the Juno-nominated band Skywalk. They’re followed by multi-instrumentalist John Lee, a Berklee-trained Cellar Live recording artist who made his New York debut with Cyrus Chestnut at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola and has since shared the stage with George Colligan, Terell Stafford, and Ingrid Jensen.