Connor Stewart Trio @ The Vault

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Thursday, August 31st, 2017
9:30 PM to 12:00 AM

CONNOR STEWART, whose New Orleans quartet played to a packed house and two standing ovations in their first appearance at the Vault last July, turns it up again at Nanaimo’s favourite jazz and acoustic music venue with another dynamic trio laying down two sets of smoking hot New Orleans jazz, beautiful vocal ballads, and grooving jazz standards.

This dynamic trio’s members first met in Vancouver four years ago when they began playing together professionally in larger bands. They have since played and toured in various combinations in Western Canada, the US, Europe and, as dual citizens, have spent winters living and playing in New Orleans where they will be returning again this fall.

While warming up together as early arrivals at various band rehearsals, they discovered a unique synergy exploring the creative possibilities and expressive freedom the trio format provides, and are delighted to be sharing these.

Band Bio's follow:

CONNOR STEWART (leader, vocals, saxes, clarinet) Vancouver Island native Connor Stewart began playing professionally full-time at 16, and earning his living in New Orleans at 17 as a bandleader, frontman, sideman, writer/arranger, and studio session musician with appearances on 14 CDs to date. A talented singer and accomplished multi-instrumentalist (tenor/soprano/alto/bari saxes, clarinet, trumpet/fluglehorn, flute, keys) noted for his expressive vocals, dynamic playing, and entertaining stage presence, he has toured and earned accolades at prominent festivals and major venues in Canada, the US, UK, Europe, and Turkey, performed with an eclectic array of Grammy, Latin Grammy, NEA Jazzmaster, Juno, American Blues, Maple Blues, Irish Music, and Canadian Folk Music award winners/nominees in a variety of genres, and at 20 will play his 500th gig this year.

NOAH GOTFRIT (upright bass) Double bassist Noah Gotfrit studied with B.C. jazz bass luminaries Russ Botten, Andre LaChance, Jodi Proznick, and Laurence Mollerup, and in bands under the direction of trumpeter Alan Matheson at Vancouver Community College. He currently divides his time between the B.C. Jazz, Trad Jazz, and swing dance scenes, and winters playing in New Orleans. This past year he toured, together with Stewart, in New York, Belgium, and Scotland as members of Quinn Bachand’s Brishen jazz manouche quartet, and along with drummer Aaron Levinson in Connor Stewart and the Bon Temps hot jazz sextet Canadian tour.

AARON LEVINSON (drums/tambourine) Arguably one of Western Canada’s most accomplished Trad jazz drummers and tambourinists, Vancouver’s Aaron Levinson has studied in New York with Ulysses Owen Jr. (Christian McBride Trio), and New Orleans with legendary drummers Shannon Powell (Harry Connick Jr, Wynton Marsalis) and Herlin Riley (Ahmad Jamal, George Benson). He plays regularly on the Vancouver Jazz, Trad Jazz, and Swing Dance scenes, has formed and/or led bands which have appeared at the Vancouver Jazz Festival, and most recently at Vancouver’s renowned Frankie’s Jazz Club, and has studied and played in New Orleans.