Mark Kelso: JUNO award winning drummer, singer, producer, composer, arranger and creator of the “Elvis Goes Jazz”project describes it thus:
“In February of 2022, Oliver Vadas (Organizer of the West End Jazz Festival) contacted me
regarding playing drums for a project of classic Elvis Presley tunes done in a jazz format. Being an Elvis fan myself, I was intrigued by this possibility. The original arranger had to suddenly remove himself from the project due to a family emergency, so I ended up taking on the arranging duties myself. For the first performance I was able to put together 18 classic Elvis tunes, spanning the 1950’s to the 1970’s, using the big band styles of Frank Sinatra, some New Orleans grooves, and Afro-Cuban rhythms. What an interesting mix! For me, the main focus was to change the songs in a way that would make them interesting to a jazz listener (and the musicians playing) but without being disrespectful to the original songs and melodies. All and all, with these fabulous players, I think we have succeeded in doing just that!”
The “Elvis Goes Jazz” project features an absolutely top-shelf line up of Canadian jazz veterans including:
Mark Kelso (drums, leader, arranger): Originally hailing from Belfast, Northern Ireland, Canadian drummer Mark Kelso has made Toronto, Canada his home for quite some time. Not only is he a skilled musician who plays drums and percussion, but he is also a singer, producer and composer as well. As a sideman Mark has played on over 400 recordings, earned 4 JUNO awards as a sideman and has been nominated three times as a leader with his own 2 groups, the Jazz Exiles (2016 & 2023) and the Chronicles of Fezziwig Project (2020). Mark has been Artistic Director for the Jazz Room in Waterloo since 2016 and was the head of percussion at Humber College from 2005-2021. Mark’s ability to play a wide variety of musical styles has helped him become one of Canada’s most sought after drummers.
David Statham (lead vocals) is a multi-dimensional vocalist who has been on the scene for many yearsplaying all types of music. Mostly known for jazz, he has handled the male vocals for 18- piece band Swing Shift for over 25 years as well as drums and vocals for rock and country bands.
Colleen Allen (tenor sax) is one of Canada’s most in-demand musicians for live concerts and
recording sessions. Based in Toronto, the acclaimed and versatile multi-instrumentalist has performed all over Canada, the U.S. and Europe with world-class jazz and pop artists including Molly Johnson, David Clayton-Thomas, Holly Cole, Emilie-Claire Barlow, Rik Emmett, Marc Jordan, Andrew Craig and Jackie Richardson to name a few. Known for her warm, authentic tone and soulful style of soloing, she works frequently with Brian Barlow’s Big band, Cirque du Soleil, is a resident artist at Soulpepper Theatre, and a member of Manteca, Canada’s premiere fusion jazz big band. Colleen has been in the house band of the Toronto Blues Society Women’s Blues Revue since its inception in 1986.
Michael Occhipinti (guitar) a versatile, sound-sculpting guitarist and composer/arranger, who has spent decades freely moving between jazz, chamber music, world music, r&b/funk, and anything involving modern guitar sounds. In addition to his previous JUNO Award and 8 JUNO nominations, Michael won the 2022 JUNO Award for Jazz Group of the Year as a member of Avataar, and he and Elizabeth Shepherd (ES:MO) were nominated for Jazz Vocal Album of the Year. Michael leads several acclaimed groups including The Sicilian Project, IN ORBIT (with Jeff Coffin (Dave Matthews Band) on saxophone, and Felix Pastorius on bass), Shine On: The Universe of John Lennon, The Triodes, and co-leads the acclaimed 16-piece group NOJO (Neufeld-Occhipinti Jazz Orchestra).
Kevin Turcotte (trumpet) is universally recognized as one of Canada’s major trumpet talents with an impressive list of recording and touring credentials as a prominent player with the elite of many Canadian jazz ensembles. Kevin Turcotte has been regarded as one of Canada’s most proficient performers for nearly two decades. He studied music at the prestigious Banff School of Fine Arts and later, at the University of Toronto, where he joined the faculty in the 1990s. He has performed on over 75 recordings and in countless club and concert appearances. He has toured extensively throughout North America as well as with the Dave McMurdo Jazz Orchestra on the band’s 1991 Russian tour, in South Americawith Time Warp, with Don Byron in Italy.
Multiple JUNO award winner Mike Downes (acoustic bass) has been a prominent Canadian bassist, composer, arranger and educator since the early 1980s. His musicality, emotional depth and melodic approach to the bass have thrilled audiences in Europe, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Israel, Iceland, the United States and Canada. In addition to leading his own groups, Mike has performed with virtually all of Canada’s top jazz musicians, including Molly Johnson, Oliver Jones, P.J. Perry, Lorne Lofsky, Don Thompson, Kirk MacDonald, Robi Botos and Pat LaBarbera. He has performed with international artists Pat Metheny, Chris Potter, Michael Brecker, John Abercrombie, Peter Erskine, Kenny Wheeler, John Taylor, Dave Liebman and many others.
Ewen Farncombe (piano) is a JUNO nominated pianist and composer based out of Toronto and has been a professional on the scene there for nearly a decade. Having played on various
recordings and with numerous bands, he has earned his reputation as a highly skilled musician. While he was attending Humber College for a degree in music performance, he received several prestigious awards, including the Hnatyshyn Foundation Oscar Peterson award. While jazz is Ewen’s passion, he is a versatile player and is known to play many genres of music.
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