Welcome to the Artistic Director's Guide

The Artistic Director's Guide is our way of taking you "beyond the bio". Here you'll find audio and video clips, and I'll describe what I like about each artist and suggest why he or she is important to the scene. So dive in—use the menu options above to find an artist, and let's seek to answer "What's so good about...?"

Josh Grossman, Artistic Director
Toronto Downtown Jazz

What's so good about Hadar Noiberg?

Submitted by Josh Grossman on Mon Nov 19 9:57pm
Artist: 
Hadar Noiberg Trio

It is said that you are judged by the company you keep. If the idiom was applied to Israeli-born flautist Hadar Noiberg, the result would be overwhelmingly positive. Although she may be a new name, you'll certainly recognize some of her musical collaborators: she is a founding member of the jazz/world fusion group Yemen Blues, and has shared the stage with Anat Cohen, Omer Avital, Joel Frahm, Rufus Reid and many more. However, Hadar Noiberg stands perfectly well on her own.

What's so good about Los Lobos?

Submitted by Josh Grossman on Mon Jun 6 2:11pm
Artist: 
Los Lobos

I admit it - when I thought about Los Lobos, I immediately thought about that one song. You know, from that movie. (More on that later.) But Los Lobos, who has been together for nearly 40 years - with the same personnel for more nearly three decades - is so much more than a one-hit wonder. They have earned international acclaim (not to mention multiple Grammy awards) for their hybrid of traditional regional Mexican folk music, rock and roll, blues, R&B and country (among others!).

What's so good about Youssou N'Dour?

Submitted by Josh Grossman on Mon May 16 3:16pm
Artist: 
Youssou N'Dour

As I was brushing up on Youssou N'Dour's extensive bio, I was reminded why he is such an important artist: equally as devoted to his music as to his religion (Islam), Youssou N'Dour has established himself as one of the top international musical artists by producing outstanding music for more than three decades, and by doing everything in his power to help his home country of Senegal, and the African continent at large.

What's so good about Angelique Kidjo?

Submitted by Josh Grossman on Thu Jun 10 12:55pm
Artist: 
Angelique Kidjo

There are a lot of female vocalists out there. A lot. Each year we're inundated with submissions from female vocalists looking for gigs. So, it’s always a treat when a vocalist sticks out for all of the right reasons – and Angelique Kidjo falls firmly into that category.

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