Organ

Vanessa Rodrigues is one of Canada's premier young jazz organists, based in Montreal, Québec. She appears frequently with her own groups and as a side musician at Canadian jazz venues and festivals, and has toured overseas in Europe and Japan. She and toronto-based collaborator Chris gale will be hosting the late-night jam at the Hard Rock.

The music of Joey DeFrancesco -- an important force in the revival of the Hammond B-3 organ as a jazz instrument -- runs the gamut from soul-jazz and bluesy grooves à la Jimmy Smith to hard bop to the more advanced modal style of Coltrane disciple Larry Young. Born in Springfield, PA (near Philadelphia), on April 10, 1971, DeFrancesco was the son of another Philly-area jazz organist, Papa John DeFrancesco, and the grandson of multi-instrumentalist Joe DeFrancesco, who worked with the Dorsey Brothers.

Celebrated Hammond B-3 Jazz Organ wizard Tony Monaco began his keyboard life at age eight, on the accordion. When he was twelve, his destiny as a jazz organist was sealed when he first heard Jimmy Smith. On his sixteenth birthday, he received an encouraging phone call from Jimmy Smith, who soon became his Mentor/Teacher. Four years later, Jimmy Smith invited Tony to come play at his club in California - a peak lifetime experience for Tony.

Marco Benevento initially garnered national attention playing Hammond B-3 organ and Wurlitzer in The Benevento-Russo Duo, but he shifts the focus to acoustic piano with his own trio. Throughout Me Not Me, he proves himself one of the most compelling sonic innovators of his generation, re-imagining the instrument by running it through pickups, delay and distortion pedals and a Fender Super Reverb Amp.

High energy, jazz, blues, gospel, player on the Hammond B3 Organ

Kingsley Ettienne began his musical career as a child in his native Grenada, singing in church. After seeing the great Jimmy Smith perform, Kingsley was inspired to start playing the Hammond B3 organ and one of the Caribbean's leading talents emerged.