I Remember Oscar - Jazz Adventure in Barbados 2014

KELLYANN EVANS is a Canadian jazz and soul music vocalist who graduated in Law and English at Carleton University, (1993–2000) and it was there that Evans discovered jazz when she “got lost in the elevators of the Loeb Building and found the Music department on the ninth floor of the A tower.” In 2004 Evans won second place at the Thelonious Monk International Jazz Vocals Competition, where Quincy Jones, Dee Dee Bridgewater and Al Jarreau were among the judges. In 2006, she released her debut album Fight or Flight?, for which was nominated for a 2007 Juno award. Then her 2010 album Nina won in a prestigious Juno Award for Vocal Jazz Album of the Year (2011). The album was inspired by the life and work of Nina Simone and was recorded after the French record label Plus Loin Music, who invited her to spend two days in their recording studio to record whatever she wanted. The record, was released the same year as her album The Good Girl, On tours she has opened for George Benson, Tony Bennett, Chris Botti, Dianne Reeves, Maceo Parker, Derek Trucks and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. Notable live appearances have included the Sunfest, the Algoma Fall Festival with Michael Kaeshammer, and in 2012 she will debut at Toronto’s Massey Hall and the Imperial Theatre. Her new opus, “I Remember When”, shows her vocal skills yet again. This time she chooses songs by the likes of Eminem, John Legend and Kanye West, taking them into her own world of jazz, soul and hip hop while adding a few classics (Gladys Knight) and the quirky title “And So We Dance” (aka “Alors on danse” in Stromae’s original version). The voice of jazz singer Kellylee Evans, is considered one of the most beautiful of her generation . Performance: I Remember Oscar, Monday 20th January, Sea Rocks Dome, Barbados Beach Club, 7pm

THE OSCAR PETERSON LEGACY BAND (CANADA/DENMARK)

Niels Lan Doky – Piano – Denmark

Dave Young – Bass – Canada

Terry Clarke – Drums – Canada

Celine Peterson – Narrator – Canada (Daughter of Oscar Peterson)

For this rare and unique celebration of one of jazz history’s greatest icons, original members of the late piano genius Oscar Peterson’s final band, team up with one of today’s most prolific and acclaimed pianists, Niels Lan Doky, for a spectacular tour de force, revisiting the late piano legend’s compelling repertoire. Admired for his musical and technical virtuosity and embraced widely beyond core jazz audiences, Oscar Peterson became the first real concert pianist in jazz, taking jazz from the club level to the concert halls. His manager and producer, and a legend in his own right, Norman Granz, shared this first class vision. Together they pioneered a brand new perception of jazz in the collective consciousness. The bar was raised far beyond all known limits and jazz was changed forever. With sparkling and engaging presence, Niels Lan Doky, Terry Clarke and Dave Young will not only be performing classic Oscar Peterson tracks such as “Backyard Blues”, “You Look Good To Me”, “Night Train”, “Hymn To Freedom”, “Bags Groove” and more – they will also premiere a collection of brand new original Oscar Peterson compositions, kindly made available by the Estate of Oscar Peterson, compositions which he didn’t get to record or perform publicly before his passing. The Danish pianist Niels Lan Doky has had ties to Oscar Peterson that go all the way back to 1983 when he received The Oscar Peterson Award. The following year, in 1984 in Boston, Oscar Peterson and Leonard Feather presented Doky with his diploma when he graduated from Berklee College of Music. Later on , Doky worked with former Oscar Peterson Trio members such as bassist Ray Brown and drummer Ed Thigpen and not least with his fellow Dane, bassist Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen. In the late 1990s Doky became the latter’s record producer for Verve (a label originally founded by Norman Granz) and their collaboration yielded some incredible albums, including the album “This Is All I Ask” which had Oscar Peterson as a special guest. As recalls Doky, “Working in the studio with Oscar was a mind-blowing experience. His focus was so intense. And his touch was magical. He could make even the simplest chord sound so deeply beautiful and emotionally impacting, like a Picasso painting or a Michelangelo sculpture. Everyone lucky enough to have worked with Oscar knows to what extent he raised the standards in jazz to mind boggling heights”. CÉLINE PETERSON is the youngest of Oscar Peterson’s children. She was born in June, 1991, and spent the first sixteen years of her life “on the road” with her Dad. Céline grew up in concert halls, jazz clubs and hotels in Japan, Europe, South America, and North America. As Narrator for the Oscar Peterson Legacy Band, Céline opens up for the first time to share stories of her experiences, and stories about her Dad, both public and private. She is especially looking forward to coming back to the place Oscar called his “second home,” where she will recount special memories that have never been shared publicly. These are stories only she can tell about the life and music of Oscar Peterson, from her unique perspective. Performance: I Remember Oscar, Monday 20th January, Sea Rocks Dome, Barbados Beach Club, 7pm