Juno Award-winning Singer-Songwriter Dawn Tyler Watson has earned her place among the International Blues elite. She adopted Montreal as her home after earning her BFA in Jazz Studies and Theatre from Concordia University. Since then, her fiery stage presence and soul-stirring performances have garnered her national and world-wide recognition with multiple awards including Maple Blues Awards for Songwriter, Best Album, Female Vocalist of the Year, and a 2020 American Blues Music Nomination for Vocalist of the Year alongside greats like Curtis Salgado & Mavis Staples.

Her latest record “Mad Love,” was just awarded the 2020 JUNO award for Blues Album of the Year.

One of Canada’s most sought after musicians, Jim Doxas plays extensively both nationally and overseas. Distinguished for his improvisational approach to jazz, he makes the case that percussion can be as performative as a lyrical instrument.

What distinguishes Doxas’ approach to improvisation is that he refuses to play it safe, allowing the moment to dictate the kind of framework that will contain, shape and guide the piece of music. He is astutely committed to the belief that significant music is always distinguished by what is left unsaid, the gaps of which inspire him to produce a highly original vocabulary of accents.

Musicians

Jim Doxas: drums
Kate Wyatt: piano
Lex French: trumpet
Adrian Vedady: bass

Taurey Butler Trio With Morgan Moore on bass and Wali Muhammad on drums at Upstairs Jazz Club.

Taurey Butler is a phenomenal jazz pianist of the highest caliber. Taurey leads his trio through his own compositions, as well as standards.

His arrangements are adventurous and respectful. The results are positively breathtaking.
People often comment on his resemblance to the young Oscar Peterson, in appearance as well as his winning combination of hard swing and melodic invention.

Homegrown Montrealer, Justin Saladino leads a guitar-driven blues/rock group. The Justin Saladino Band has two all-original releases under their belt: “No Worries” (2016) and “A Fool’s Heart” (2018). The compositions are inspired by a colourful palette of genres and artists, moving effortlessly from smooth R&B textures to wailing blues riffs. On stage, JSB has wowed audiences at the ‘Montreal International Jazz Festival,’ ‘Tremblant International Blues Festival,’ ‘Rogers Cup,’ ‘Trois-Rivières en Blues’ and the ‘Toronto Blues Summit.’ In 2018, the 21st annual “Maple Blues Awards” nominated the group for “New Artist of the Year.” Representing Québec, the group competed in the 2019 International Blues Challenge in Memphis, TN. The Justin Saladino Band’s performances are dynamic, offering an energetic and captivating display of versatility and originality.

Justin Saladino – Vocals/Guitars
Gabriel Forget – Bass
Denis Paquin – Drums

Collaborating together since a few years back, François Jalbert and Jérôme Beaulieu now wish to present an acoustic duo whose influences and sounds are as varied as they are original.

One of them hailing from the gipsy jazz tradition, the other from a classical background, they met in the course of their jazz studies and quickly established a strong connection through the undeniable pleasure of playing together. Combining the acoustics of guitar and piano with various effects and percussions, they will choose from a vast repertoire spanning from 20’s-30’s melodies to original compositions and including elements of bluegrass and classical music, thus creating a show that will be both intimate and very dynamic.

Born in Santiago de Cuba, young Andy Rubal Bello has had music running through his veins ever since he was a little boy.

Andy Rubal piano & vocals
Drums
Bass

Although Adam Karch is from Montreal, his music embodies the spirit of Americana like a scenic ride across the country. He plays a hybrid acoustic blues that consists of precise fingerpicking that recalls players such as Chet Atkins and Kelly Joe Phelps, along with an innovative percussive technique that is thoroughly modern, while somehow primal and anchored in tradition.

A Montreal native, Nadia Theobal’s passion for music began at as a child in church, providing a spiritual foundation for her professional singing career. She expanded her vocal chops through jazz performance studies at Concordia University and has sung backup with artists such as Gage, Boom Desjardins,Daniel Bélanger and Corneille, among others.

Misunderstood marks Nadia’s debut as a solo artist, emerging on the jazz scene with this tribute to the incomparable Nina Simone.

Musicians

Medad Ernest (piano)
Alex Lefaivre (bass)

Ranee Lee is now celebrating thirty-five years in Montreal, Canada, where she enjoys a successful, multi faceted career as one of Canada’s most popular jazz vocalists, an award-winning actress, a songwriter, and a proud author of children’s books. Ranee has recorded twelve albums, a proud discography of acclaimed recordings that feature some of the finest jazz musicians of our time among its sidemen.

In November 2007, Ranee recorded her tenth album. Recorded live over two nights at The Upstairs, Lives Upstairs offers up 10 tracks penned by the likes of Miles Davis, Pat Metheny, James Taylor and Ranee herself (The Storm) that showcase her expressive, old-school, Sarah Vaughan-style vocals and growth as an artist. Lives Upstairs won the coveted Juno Award for Vocal Jazz Album Of The Year 2010.

Ms. Lee is also an excellent and respected teacher. As an educator, Ranee has been part of the University of Laval for eight years, and McGill for over twenty years.

Throughout her career, Ranee has performed with many jazz notables, including Clark Terry, Terry Clarke, Bill Mayes, Herbie Ellis, Red Mitchell, Milt Hinton, Oliver Jones, John Bunch and George Arvanitas.

Feat. Taurey Butler (piano) & Dave Watts (bass)

Shawn McPherson is a Canadian blues harmonica player and singer. Having played the blues around Quebec since he was a young teen, he has already established himself as one of the great up-and-coming Canadian harmonica players and frontmen. With a booming voice and energetic stage presence, your attention will be drawn-in from the first note.

Heavily influenced by authentic Chicago bluesmen such as Little Walter, Sonny Boy Williamson II, and Big Walter Horton, Shawn and his band play authentic Chicago Blues. Using period-correct instruments, microphones, and amplifiers, you’ll be taken back in time to the juke joints of the early 1950s.

Arden Arapyan was born in Montreal, Canada, into a family of Armenian descent. Throughout his life, Arden was exposed to many drastically varying styles of music. From a young age, he was experimenting with different styles and instruments, such as keyboard, guitar and bass, and soon began his formal classical training on the piano. While merely in his early teenage years, Arden was already working as a musician for hire in a number of different contexts.

Musicians

Olivier Hébert – bass
Sasha Daoud – percussion
Arden Arapyan – piano

Marianne Trudel is a multi-talented pianist, composer, improvisor, and arranger. At once energetic and passionate, her music cross-cuts a wide swath of musical interests. As a performer, she pursues an active career in a variety of settings ranging from solo performance to duo, Trifolia, Marianne Trudel 4 + Ingrid Jensen, septet, and large ensembles. She has played in Canada, United States, Mexico, France, Spain, Germany, England, Scotland, Netherlands, Itlaly, Hungary, Lithuania, and China. She has published 6 recordings as a leader, all having garnered rave reviews.

Marianne Trudel: piano
bass
drums