Jaclyn Guillou Quintet

She's fresh off a successful European Tour and is now touring across Canada. The Georgia Straight Jazz Society is extremely pleased to have jazz vocalist Jaclyn Guillou bring her stellar quintet to the Comox Valley on Sunday, May 20.

Guillou is celebrating the success of her new recording "To The City". Earshot Magazine said the CD is "an album that is so rich with dimension you need a pair of 3D glasses to listen to it.” Expect Jaclyn's live performance to be as rich. Recipient of CBC's Rising Star Award in 2009, Jaclyn has become a major figure in the Vancouver jazz scene. A student of such jazz luminaries as Nancy King, Sheila Jordan and Vancouver's own Jennifer Scott, she is a dynamic and versatile performer. Singing in four different languages, she merges the sound of deep jazz roots with a hip modern flair.

She is a strong songwriter as well, capable of wooing lovers of all sorts of music, including jazz, pop, soul and folk. “Guillou’s originals have the brassy, mellow glow of jazz standards as if they were plucked straight out of the vault and given a gently modern spin,” noted the Slocan Valley Current. You can learn more about Jaclyn on the web at here.

She'll be joined by Belgian pianist Bram Weijters, an alumnus of the Brussels Conservatory in jazz composition and arranging. Bram has appeared on 23 CDs as leader or sideman, in projects that range from the music of Charles Mingus to free jazz with the group Small Zoo to the mainstream sound of his own trio. All about Jazz applauds "Weijters' grace and drive, his nuanced and inexorable piano solo singing to the heavens.”

New York vibraphonist Tom Beckham is a graduate from Boston's renowned Berklee School of Music, where he studied with Gary Burton. He has released three CDs as leader. His playing prompted Rhapsody.com to write “Beckham’s approach is reminiscent of older band leaders like Paul Motian and Chico Hamilton, but Beckham’s work has a sound all its own—which is what jazz is really about.” This is the first time we've had vibes on the Elks jazz stage.

Bassist Sean Cronin is a staple on the Vancouver jazz scene, playing with Mike Allen, Amanda Tossof, Denzal Sinclaire, Ingrid Jensen and many others. He last graced our stage with Amanda Tosoff in 2010.

Rounding out the group is drummer Joe Poole. Poole is building an international reputation and is a regular member of the Jaclyn Guillou Quintet, Rich Underhill Group, Tony Foster Group and multiple Juno-nominated artist Denzal Sinclaire. His recent European work includes a season in Nice, France with Russian Sax player Dmitri Shapko of the Wynton Marsalis Septet and an Italy tour with The Di Gregorio Chiricosta Quintet featuring Italian saxophonist Gigi di Gregorio, trombonist Sergio Chiricosta and Canadian singer Leora Cashe.

You can visit Jaclyn at CDBaby and Jaclyn on iTunes for samples and to purchase her music.

The Jaclyn Guillou Quintet provides something new and interesting for music lovers of all sorts, a group of musicians presenting an exciting and unique evening of jazz. Join them at the Courtenay Elks Hall, Sunday, May 20 at 7:30 pm. Advance tickets, $12 for Jazz Society members, $16 for non-members, are available at Bop City in Courtenay, Comox Videos N More and at the Thursday Jazz Club at the Elks.