Big Band Slam

The Big Band Slam

On Tuesday, June 28, 1:30-4:30 pm at The Rex Hotel, big bands from high schools across Toronto will duke it out during The Big Band Slam - an afternoon of trumpet blasting, trombone sliding, sax squealing excitement - presented as part of the 2011 TD Toronto Jazz Festival. Acclaimed educator, composer and big band leader Andrew Jones will moderate the event, introducing each ensemble, providing feedback on each performance and offering general tips on playing in a big band.

We are pleased to announce this year's Big Band Slam lineup:

• The Dr. Norman Bethune C. I. Jazz Band under the direction of Rick Humphrey
• The Don Mills C. I. Jazz Band under the direction of Cathy Whiteside
• The Agincourt C. I. Jazz Band under the direction of David Lum
• The Loretto College School Jazz Ensemble under the direction of Glenn Donovan

The Big Band Slam is a free, all-ages event.

Composer, trombonist and educator Andrew Jones is active in the Toronto jazz, classical and commercial scenes as a writer, clinician and performer. A graduate of the University of Toronto, he is a regular member, as leader and sideman, of many large and small ensembles including most recently the Paul Read Orchestra and Barry Romberg’s Random Access Large Ensemble. One of Canada’s top young writers, Andrew is in demand as a composer and arranger; in January 2008 he was recipient of the SOCAN/IAJE Phil Nimmons Emerging Jazz Composer Award, and was commissioned to debut a piece at the International Association of Jazz Educators Conference in Toronto. Andrew is currently on faculty at the University of Toronto’s Jazz Performance Program, serves as Artistic Director for The Brampton Jazz Mechanics and continues to develop his independent business, creating educationally sound, original music for school-level jazz ensembles. His compositions have been performed by Musicfest Canada’s Yamaha All-Star Band and by many of the finest secondary and post-secondary programs across Canada. In addition to his position at U of T, Andrew works in public education through the arts program at Cawthra Park Secondary School, and is an instructor at numerous summer jazz programs, where he encourages the development of school level jazz fundamentals through composition.