Angela Pincente
Big Band
Thursday, August 20th 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Free
Bandshell, Memorial Park
In collaboration with
Toronto-based trombonist, composer, and arranger Angela Pincente is a dynamic force in the city’s vibrant jazz scene. A graduate of Humber College with a Bachelor of Music, Pincente honed her craft under the mentorship of renowned musicians such as Kelsley Grant, William Carn, Mike Downes, and Shelly Berger. Her sound blends intricate improvisation with a unique compositional voice, reflecting a deep understanding of jazz tradition while pushing the boundaries of the genre.
Pincente leads several of her own ensembles, including the Angela Pincente Quintet, Angela Pincente Tentet and Angela Pincente Big Band, showcasing her distinctive style as both a performer and a bandleader. Her compositions are marked by rich harmonic structures, complex rhythms, and a deep connection to the art of storytelling through music.
Pincente is a sought-after voice in Toronto’s jazz community, with a passion for fostering new music and bringing her creative vision to life.
Dánae Olano Quartet
Thursday, August 20th 8:30pm - 10:30pm
$30
The BLou Room
#2 - 48 Mill Street South
Dánae Olano was born and raised in Havana, Cuba.
Olano is best known in North America as a founding member of the all-female band Jane Bunnett and Maqueque, which has earned a JUNO Award and a Grammy nomination. She is the band’s pianist and also sings, composes, and arranges for this renowned ensemble. She has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious jazz clubs, including Birdland, The Blue Note and Bimhuis, as well as at top festivals such as the Monterey, Newport and Saratoga jazz festivals, in addition to Jazz al Parque in Bogota, Colombia. In 2018, she shared the stage with pianists Jason Moran, James Francis, Booker T. Jones and Jane Bunnett as part of NPR’s “A Jazz Piano Christmas”, which was hosted by Felix Contreras at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC.
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In March 2024, Olano released her debut album, “Children’s Corner”, which is a scintillating combination of original music, along with a version of “Un Poco Loco” by Bud Powell.​
Genevieve Marentette & Michael Shand
Friday, August 21st 5:00pm - 7:00pm
$30
Hotel Carlyle & Restaurant
86 John Street
Known for her fearless approach to interpretation and improvisational skill, Gigi has taken audiences on musical journeys from Detroit’s MotorCity Casino as a teenager to stages across North America, Europe, and Asia, most recently performing at The Canadian Consulate in Tokyo in November 2025. A graduate of Humber College’s Jazz Program, she has collaborated with acclaimed artists including David Clayton-Thomas, Don Thompson, Don Francks, and Roy Ayers. Her recently released album, Songs of ’69 Volume I, reimagines iconic music from a pivotal year in cultural history through a distinctly personal jazz lens, featuring Michael Shand and an all-star cast of Canadian musicians.
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Michael Shand, one of Canada’s most respected pianists, arrangers, producers, and musical directors, brings exceptional versatility to the duo. A recipient of York University’s Oscar Peterson Scholarship, he has worked with artists including Johnny Reid, Jully Black, Matt Dusk, Billy Newton-Davis, Kellylee Evans, and Alana Bridgewater. His recent projects include producing albums for Kellylee Evans and Whitney Ross-Barris, as well as the acclaimed Songs of D’Angelo and Songs of Stevie Wonder presentations for TD Music Hall at Massey Hall. Michael is currently completing his highly anticipated second solo album.
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Together, Gigi and Michael create performances that are intimate, adventurous, and entirely in the moment—where deep listening, storytelling, and musical conversation lead the way.
AFTER HOURS JAM
MICHAEL SHAND, DUNCAN HOPKINS & LORNE NEHRING
Friday, August 21st
and
Saturday, August 22nd 10:00pm - 12:30am
$10 at the door
(Musicians free)
Blou Room
#2 - 48 Mill Street South
Michael Shand
Over 30 years of performance worldwide has earned Michael Shand his place in the upper echelon of keyboardists in all of Canada. Michael has worked with jazz vocalists, soul/R&B, pop/rock/AC, indigenous, and
hip-hop artists.
He is currently musical director for Johnny Reid, with whom he has completed six sold-out Canada-wide tours over 11 years, countless worldwide concerts since 2010, performed on the JUNOS three times, performed at Toronto’s Rogers Centre for the CFL’s 100th Grey Cup, and received his first Certified Canadian Platinum Award for his piano work on Reid’s album “A Christmas Gift To You” (2019).
Shand has earned a Gemini Award for his performance with Kollage on a CBC tribute to legendary singer, Salome Bey, and a Grammy nomination for his songwriting work on the Gramps Morgan reggae album, “Positive Vibration” (2021). Michael Shand has also released his debut album, “Patience For Life” (2012).
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Duncan Hopkins
Double bassist, composer and arranger Duncan Hopkins has worked with such luminaries as Norma Winstone, Scott Hamilton, Houston Person, Peter Appleyard, Ed Bickert, Mark Murphy, Bobo Stenson, Diana Krall, Sheila Jordan, Kenny Wheeler, Bobby Watson, Sam Rivers, Harry Allen and Edward Simon. Hopkins was a member of Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass and the Canadian Jazz Quartet.
Duncan has toured extensively throughout Canada, Great Britain, Europe, Brazil and the United States. He can be heard on over fifty albums, and on numerous CBC, BBC and NPR recordings.
Lorne Nehring
JUNO and Jazz Report Award-winning drummer Lorne Nehring is an accredited teacher who received a master’s degree in music from York University, focusing on the importance of improvisation in jazz education.
Lorne has played and recorded with the finest Canadian and international musicians and groups.
jazz and java - A talk with
pat labarbera
Saturday, August 22nd 10:30am - 11:30am
Free (Register on Eventbrite)
TICKETS
Port Hope public library
34 South Street
Pat LaBarbera is an American-born Canadian jazz saxophonist, woodwind multi-instrumentalist, composer, and highly respected educator. He is widely regarded for his intense improvisational style rooted in the post-John Coltrane tradition and for his contributions both as a performer with top jazz ensembles and as a mentor to generations of musicians.
LaBarbera began a notable professional career in big band jazz and was featured as a tenor saxophone soloist with the Buddy Rich Big Band, touring extensively throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan. Pat also appeared on major recordings as well as network television shows such as The Ed Sullivan Show and The Tonight Show, and performed alongside music legends including Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dizzy Gillespie, Ella Fitzgerald, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, Stevie Wonder and others.
the dixie demons
Saturday, August 22nd 1:00pm - 2:00pm
$20
the ganaraska hotel
30 Ontario Street
It all started way back in 1984 when trombonist Dan Douglas, a student at Humber College in Toronto, was asked to put together a Dixieland jazz band for a school function. He recruited some of his best musician friends and the Dixie Demons were born. His band’s inaugural performance was a great success, and the Dixie Demons are drawing audiences three decades later!
This prestigious Toronto-based performing group entertains at corporate and private events, concerts, festivals, and clubs with a catchy and exciting repertoire of traditional jazz.
JABFUNG
Saturday, August 22nd 2:30pm - 4:30pm
$30
The BLou Room
33 Mill Street South
JABFUNG is a contemporary jazz band that plays original music highlighting the stunning improvisational abilities of each of its members. The compositions take the listener on a journey through different musical perspectives from Cuba, America and Canada, as each musician explores and evolves the set material in new ways each night. Their performances are unpredictable, risky and engaging, always grounded in a deep pocket and reverence for Black American Music.
Their upcoming album will feature eight original compositions and will be released in spring 2026, coinciding with a tour during Canadian Jazz Festival season.
Virginia McDonald (NYC), Clarinet
Luis Deniz, Alto Sax
Mike Ragonese (LA), Piano
Julian Anderson-Bowes, Bass
Anthony Fung, Drums
Eliana Cuevas & Jeremy Ledbetter
Saturday, August 22nd 5:00pm - 7:00pm
$30
Hotel Carlyle & Restaurant
86 John Street
Eliana and Jeremy have been performing together in various configurations for over 15 years, including Eliana’s last three albums, which earned them two US Independent Music Awards for Best World Music Album and Best World Music Producer and a Canadian Folk Music Award for Best World Music Album.
Now they have created a new project that unveils their musical chemistry in a more intimate way. They feature a unique and very soulful take on Latin American music, focusing on Venezuelan folkloric repertoire. Their music is jazz-infused, acoustic, and showcases original compositions and some of the most beloved Venezuelan traditional songs.
Eliana’s extraordinary vocal prowess is on full display in this setting, showcasing the vocal chops that have been captivating audiences around the world for years. At the hands of Jeremy Ledbetter, the piano roars, whispers, cries, and is transformed into a Venezuelan cuatro, or an «arpa llanera», in a mesmerizing display of versatility.
Celebrating The Music of John Coltrane
Adrean Farrugia,
Marcus Nance,
Pat LaBarbera,
JaKE KOFFMAN,
Mark Kelso &
Dan Fortin
Saturday, August 22nd 7:30pm - 9:30pm
$40
Port Hope United Church
34 South Street
Adrean Farrugia is one of Canada’s most sought-after pianists and composers, having shared the music he loves globally with various bands in Canada, the United States, London, Paris, Tokyo, Tel Aviv and Australia.
Farrugia serves on the faculties of Mohawk College and Humber College and has taught students at the University of Colorado at Boulder, the Sydney Conservatorium, the Polish Jazz Society Summer Workshop, and the University of Toronto.
Farrugia has played on more than 40 albums and is the recipient of
2 JUNO Awards, 8 JUNO Award nominations, a Mark Award for ‘Best Production Music Artist’ from the Production Music Association of America, ‘Pianist of the Year’ honours at the Hamilton Arts Awards, and a nomination for the Ontario Arts Council’s Louis Applebaum Composer’s Award. Adrean Farrugia is endorsed by Shigeru Kawai Pianos.
Marcus Nance is one of North America’s most compelling and versatile performers. Equally at home in opera, musical theatre, film, and cabaret, he brings rare vocal authority and emotional depth to every stage he inhabits.
Pat LaBarbera is a saxophonist, teacher and composer. LaBarbera has played a major role in the development of a generation of Canadian musicians, and he continues to write and perform with his own trio and quartet.
Jake Koffman studied in the Humber College jazz program. While there, he had the opportunity to perform with Randy Brecker, Mike Stern and Chris Potter. Jake can frequently be heard in Toronto clubs performing with musicians including Bernie Senensky and Neil Swainson. Jake has also performed with highly acclaimed vocalist Nikki Yanofsky, working alongside legendary producer Quincy Jones.
Mark Kelso is a four-time JUNO Nominee, drummer, composer and band leader who has performed with such musicians as Pat Metheny, Michael Bublé and Herbie Hancock. As a band member, Kelso has received four JUNO Awards and has been nominated twice as a band leader with The Jazz Exiles (2016) and The Mark Kelso Project: Chronicles of Fezziwig (2020).
Dan Fortin’s eclectic tastes have led to work with a wide variety of musicians in the jazz, rock and pop worlds. Fortin is a co-leader of the trio MYRIAD3, releasing five albums with Chris Donnelly and Ernesto Cervini. Dan is on faculty at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Music, where he teaches bass in the Jazz Studies department.
Angelique Francis
Saturday, August 22nd 8:30pm - 10:00pm
$30
The Ganaraska hotel
30 Ontario Street
JUNO Award winner and multiple Canadian Blues award-winning artist Angelique Francis and her band have wowed audiences across the globe with their electrifying performances, instrumental abilities and powerful, textured vocals. They are known for their eclectic mix of various musical genres, including blues, soul, roots, gospel and rock. Their latest album, “Not Defeated,” was nominated for 8 Canadian blues awards. The album features the talents of Grammy Award-winning Blues musicians Christone “Kingfish” Ingram and Eric Gales. They’ve shared the stage with musicians Buddy Guy, Gary Clark Jr, Joe Bonamassa, Keb’ Mo’, and many more.
Francis’s soulful, smoky vocals and instrumental techniques are reminiscent of a bygone era, but with a unique and modern sensibility. You will hear influences of legends like Big Mama Thornton, Koko Taylor, Aretha Franklin, Bessie Smith and many more. Her instrumental abilities call to mind Willie Dixon on the bass, Sister Rosetta Thorpe on guitar, Big Mama Thornton on the harmonica and Aretha on the piano.
JAZZ BRUNCH
Alex Samaras,
Allison Au
& Todd Pentney
Sunday, August 23rd 11:30am - 1:30pm
$30
Hotel Carlyle & RESTAURANT
86 John Street
His latest album, “Alex Samaras meets Judy Garland”, has received
a 2026 JUNO Award nomination for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year.
Samaras is a regular collaborator with Tafelmusik, and Jeremy Dutcher, and is a founding member of the Queer Songbook Orchestra. He originated roles in The Cave (Tomson Highway/John Millard) and Universal Childcare (Quote/Unquote Collective), earning a Dora nomination for music direction. Recent collaborations have been with composers Cecilia Livingston, Madeleine Ertel and Allison Au.
Samaras is currently the music director for Beverly Glenn-Copeland. This summer, he and violinist Aline Homzy are performing “The Juliet Letters”, written by Elvis Costello and the Brodsky Quartet, at Chamberfest in Ottawa. Samaras has taught at Humber College, the University of Toronto, the University of Manitoba and Brandon University, and at Wilfrid Laurier University with Doug Friesen.
Alex will be joined by multi-Juno-Award-winning alto saxophonist Allison Au and Rhodes Custom Keys Challenge finalist and JUNO winner Todd Pentney on keyboard.
The Steve Holt Jazz Impact Quintet
Salutes Miles Davis
Sunday, August 23rd 2:00pm - 4:00pm
$30
Ganaraska Brewing Company
33 Mill Street South
Steve Holt is a two-time JUNO Award-nominated Canadian jazz pianist and composer. His latest album IMPACT received a 2026 JUNO Award nomination for Jazz Album of the Year.
A graduate of McGill University’s prestigious music program (B.Mus Jazz Performance, 1981), Holt built his career through decades of international performances, collaborations, and critically acclaimed recordings. He has performed with legendary figures such as Archie Shepp, Larry Coryell, James Moody, Eddie “Cleanhead” Vinson, Bob Mover, and Michel Urbaniak. In 1983, Holt’s debut album earned a JUNO nomination, and in 2002, he earned Honourable Mention at the USA Songwriting Competition, the world’s largest songwriting contest.
In 2025, he put together The Steve Holt Jazz Impact Quintet with Terry Clarke, Duncan Hopkins, Kevin Turcotte and Perry White. This powerhouse quintet will be playing some of Miles Davis’ music honouring the centenary of his birth.
jazz vespers
GORD SHEARD &
COLLEEN ALLEN
Sunday, August 23rd 4:30pm - 5:30pm
By donation
Port Hope United Church
34 South Street
JAZZ VESPERS is an informal, late-afternoon service based on traditional vespers services. Often held at dusk, candles are lit and jazz music is played, focusing on gratitude for the day as well as offering a meditative environment to usher in the evening.
Gordon Sheard is a pianist, keyboardist, composer, arranger, producer, educator and ethnomusicologist who has enjoyed a five decades-plus career as a professional musician. The list of bands and artists he has performed with, recorded with, and/or produced during that time includes Chuck Mangione, Manteca, Alain Caron, Hendrik Meurkens, Rita McNeil, Liona Boyd and Eliana Cuevas.
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Colleen Allen is one of the most cherished musicians on the Canadian music scene. A dynamic solo performer and flawless ensemble musician, Colleen is known for her gorgeous, warm tone, soulful style, and brilliant soloing. She is currently the Artistic Director of the Port Hope Jazz Festival.