Back by popular demand, Montreal-based jazz group B’s Bees is pleased to announce its 2018 Spring U.S./Canada tour. After a kick-off concert at Upstairs Jazz Club in Montreal on May 4, the group will perform nearly twenty concerts in a dozen states and provinces before ending at The Northern Lights Pavilion in Haliburton, Ontario on May 29. (See a list of tour dates and towns below, which include some notable guest artists.)
Comprised of four core members (with performances and recordings peppered with special guest artists), the group wowed the audience in their debut concert at the Montreal International Jazz Festival in 2012. Since then, B's Bees have been in demand at prominent clubs in Montreal and they are on the roster at two locations of Montreal’s House of Jazz. They released their first self-titled album, to much acclaim in 2015. The disc features original compositions by various group members and reached the No. 1 spot on several jazz radio charts and No. 2 on Earshot Online's national jazz ranking!...
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Back by popular demand, Montreal-based jazz group B’s Bees is pleased to announce its 2018 Spring U.S./Canada tour. After a kick-off concert at Upstairs Jazz Club in Montreal on May 4, the group will perform nearly twenty concerts in a dozen states and provinces before ending at The Northern Lights Pavilion in Haliburton, Ontario on May 29. (See a list of tour dates and towns below, which include some notable guest artists.)
Comprised of four core members (with performances and recordings peppered with special guest artists), the group wowed the audience in their debut concert at the Montreal International Jazz Festival in 2012. Since then, B's Bees have been in demand at prominent clubs in Montreal and they are on the roster at two locations of Montreal’s House of Jazz. They released their first self-titled album, to much acclaim in 2015. The disc features original compositions by various group members and reached the No. 1 spot on several jazz radio charts and No. 2 on Earshot Online's national jazz ranking!
The Bees repertoire consists of originals by band members as well as their own unique interpretations of legendary bassist Charlie Haden. The group released their first recordings of their Haden project in January 2018. The EP, titled Dear Charlie shot up to #4 on iTunes Canada’s Jazz Rankings. The album features 5 Charlie Haden compositions and explores his Liberation Music Orchestra, his Old & New Dreams collaborations, and his seminal Montreal Tapes. With this album, the group charts exciting new territory, adding elements of through-composed music and free improvisation to the group’s well-established Hard Bop sound.
The group’s second release of 2018 is an all-originals album, titled Kanata, that shows the individual and collective growth they have achieved since releasing their first album. Described by jazz journalist Josef Woodard as “deceptively traditional-sounding, but with its own sure, and still evolving, sense of cool.”, the album, titled Kanata, contains 8 tracks of hard-swinging compositions.
The album’s compositions are broken in two parts. The first half is Goodwin’s Kanata Suite, which are the pieces titled Kanata, Syrian Lullaby, Pipeline Blues, and Liberté. The second half of the record are the contributions by Ferracuti and Sandiford. Each piece stands out on its own while also contributing to the whole.
From start to finish, stunning cover art included, this album could be a classic for years to come, and it goes to show that even with the most modern advances in music, we can still remember the past while keeping our eyes on the future.
The line up on this record is stellar, each musician having enjoyed successful careers as professional musicians, while also making strong contributions to the group.
Goodwin, originally from the west of Canada, has lived in Montreal for twelve years. Bassist Alec Safy is originally from Buffalo NY, but has been living in NYC for seven years. Guitarist Julien Sandiford is from Ottawa, Ontario, and Joe Ferracuti is from Haliburton, Ontario, both living in Montreal for eight years. Their special guest, Masashi Usui, hails from Japan, where he was already a well known star in his home country. Since moving to Montreal in 2016, Usui has already a strong mark on his new home country, and was given a featured spot at the 2016 Montreal International Jazz Festival.
The touring line up will consist of the same members, minus Masashi Usui. Filling in for Usui depends on the city, as the group has already lined up some outstanding guests for this tour, including none other than NEA-Master trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis. The acclaimed trombonist will perform with the group for two nights at the Velvet Note in Atlanta, GA, and all performances will be live streamed on the internet, for the viewing pleasure of all. Joining them in Washington D.C. is the young legend-in-the-making Elijah Jamal Balbed.
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