TD HALIFAX JAZZ FESTIVAL PRESENTS MYLES GOODWYN & FRIENDS OF THE BLUES FREE SHOW, SUNDAY, JULY 14

Plus: Announcing The CARLETON SHOW SERIES, Three Nights, July 11-13

[May 9, 2019 Halifax] This July, join the TD Halifax Jazz Festival for its 33rd annual music celebration, presenting six days of great music throughout the area, July 9-14. The festival is thrilled to announce Myles Goodwyn & The Friends of the Blues as the headliner for our Sunday July 14th FREE evening show on the Waterfront Stage, PLUS, The Carleton Series, three fantastic nights of music, July 11, 12, and 13. Tickets for these shows will go on sale Thursday, May 9 at 10am ADT.

Canadian Music Hall of Famer Myles Goodwyn will appear Sunday July 14 with his awe-inspiring band,  Friends of the Blues, for the FREE closing night show on the Waterfront. As head man for the multi-platinum, and award winning band, April Wine, Goodwyn is a legend to Canadian audiences. With this new project, Goodwyn veers  enthusiastically into the blues, a genre that he has been passionate about since his teens. Goodwyn has written many blues songs over the years and this endevour allows him to share his passion with the world. Join the Halifax Jazz Festival, Sunday July 14 at the Waterfront Stage, and stay tuned for the exciting opening act announcement. Admission: FREE!

For three consecutive nights July 11, 12, and 13, Halifax Jazz Festival presents The Carleton Series at The Carleton (685 Argyle St,, Halifax) with music by The Easley Quartet, Chris Mitchell & HHMMDINGER, and Laurie Brown Pondercast Featuring Joshua Van Tassel. Say organizers, “The Carleton series will feature new music from leading Martime jazz artists, and a convergence of modern sounds the spoken word.”

Not your standard jazz quartet, The Easley Quartet (The EQ) is a new collaboration of some of the most revered jazz players in Atlantic Canada. The group features Tom Easley on bass, Mark Adam on drums, and the dual guitar attack of Geordie Haley and Kevin Brunkhorst. With a sound that speaks to both classic jazz aficionados and fans of groove oriented artists like Medeski, Martin and Wood and Bill Frisell, The EQ shines a new light on jazz while still honoring its traditions. Thursday, July 11 at The Carleton, 9pm start. Tickets $20.00

On Friday, July 12,, Chris Mitchell & HHMMDINGER takes the stage at The Carleton. A take on “humdinger,” including all of the last initials of the band members,  and defined as “a striking or extraordinary person or thing,” HHMMDINGER features four of the Maritimes’ premiere jazz artists, saxophonist Chris Mitchell, guitarist Geordie Haley,  bassist Ron J. Hynes, and drummer Andrew Miller. The group is an exploration of all things improvisation. Friday July 12 at The Carleton, Tickets $20.00

Laurie Brown Pondercast Featuring Joshua Van Tassel will close out the three-night series at The Carleton playing July 13. Nationally acclaimed broadcaster Laurie Brown hosts her own podcast called Pondercast and tours the country performing it live with musician Joshua Van Tassel.  Now in its second season, Pondercast has 40 episodes under its belt with live shows performed from coast to coast. Let Laurie Brown spark some new thoughts as the soundscapes of Joshua Van Tassel help you ponder the night, being human, “and oh - we also love music!” Saturday July 13 at The Carleton, Tickets $25.00

BIOS:
MYLES GOODWYN & FRIENDS OF THE BLUES
Myles Goodwyn, singer, guitarist, writer, producer and leader of the multi-Platinum selling rock band, April Wine, has shaped and directed the group from its earliest beginnings. April Wine has sold over 20 million recordings worldwide.

Goodwyn grew up poor and is the classic “small-town kid makes good” success story. As a young teenager Goodwyn honed his skills playing in cover bands and began writing original material as soon as he could play the guitar. One of April Wine`s biggest hits, You Won`t Dance With Me. was written when he was a teenager.

Goodwyn’s voice is as distinctive and immediately recognizable as his songwriting skills
are prolific. He penned almost every April Wine song in their impressive catalogue. And as far as rock history goes, Myles Goodwyn is considered a living music legend especially in the annals of Canadian rock history, as he is recognized as one of Canada's most performed songwriters on radio.

Goodwyn and the other members of April Wine were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame in 2010. Goodwyn received the prestigious East Coast Music Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 and the SOCAN National Achievement Award in 2002.

In 2016 he released his memoir, named after another of his biggest hits - Just Between You and Me, which became an instant seller on the Globe and Mail`s Non-Fiction List. His second book, Elvis and Tiger - this time a fiction is being published in 2018.

Myles Goodwyn’s passion for the blues began in the 60s when he started listening to a American blues artists like BB King, Howlin Wolf, Muddy Waters, along with Taj Mahal and many others. All the blues songs he wrote that were not going to appear on an April Wine album, he kept saving for the blues album he knew he was going to make, but only recently got around to recording them. Myles Goodwyn And Friends Of The Blues is the result of these sessions.

Goodwyn was committed to making his blues album with musicians that inspired him and could bring authenticity in their musicianship to the blues influenced songs he had written. "I wanted to write some good blues tunes and sing these tunes as best as I could. I really appreciate great blues material because it is timeless, it is vital and its passionate, even heartbreakingly so,” says Goodwyn about the album. “It can also have a sense of humour and all of this drew me to make this album, like a moth to a flame."

His decision to use only "real blues players" was deliberate. "I wanted to write and sing these blues tunes but I’m not a blues player and I wanted the real deal when it came to the performances. I reached out to established blues performers  to join me. And I got that in spades."

Some of the Friends joining Goodwyn are; Jack de Keyzer, Garret Mason, David Wilcox, Amos Garret, Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne, Joe Murphy, Frank Marino, Shaun Verreault, Bill Stevenson, Rick Derringer and more.

The result of this collaboration, that was years in the making, is a testament to the care that went into the writing and recording. Myles Goodwyn And Friends Of The Blues will surely show, yet again, that Myles Goodwyn is not only a gifted rock musician, and a real blues man at heart.

THE EQ (EASLEY QUARTET)
The Easley Quartet (The EQ) is a new collaboration of some of the most revered jazz players in Atlantic Canada. The group features Tom Easley on bass, Mark Adam on drums, and the dual guitar attack of Geordie Haley and Kevin Brunkhorst.

With a sound that speaks to both classic jazz aficionados and fans of groove oriented artists like Medeski, Martin and Wood and Bill Frisell, The EQ shines a new light on jazz while still honoring its traditions.

The EQ was formed by bassist Tom Easley in 2017 when he enlisted a group of session players to perform a collection of new original compositions for a series of shows. Driven by the success of these shows and the audience’s reaction, the group entered the studio to record. “The decision to record was fueled by an immediate distinctive sound and chemistry,” says Easley— a sound and chemistry that is evident throughout the group’s debut album, The Starting Point vs The Steep Decline.

With 11 tracks that highlight the melodic writing of Easley, The Starting Point vs The Steep Decline was recorded live off the floor by engineer Mike Ryan in the spring of 2018. Drawing from folk, rock, and jazz influences, it is immediately evident that this album veers sharply to the left of the genre’s centre. Dirty guitar tones, hypnotic grooves, and a hint of psychedelia work together seamlessly on The Starting Point vs The Steep Decline - but can’t begin to mask the stellar musicianship beneath.

Adjust your standards – The EQ is not your standard jazz quartet.

CHRIS MITCHELL & HHMMDINGER
Chris Mitchell
Currently active in numerous endeavours and musical groups, Chris Mitchell is an engaging and innovative saxophonist. Heralded as one of Canada’s finest instrumentalists, Chris has contributed to the music scene in a number of diverse and exciting ways. A versatile player, Chris is a sought after talent across a variety of genres performing with a myriad of artists including David Foster, Natalie Cole, Lionel Richie, Ray Charles, Rosemary Clooney, Phil Woods, Kenny Wheeler, Jackie Richardson and Doug Riley to name a few.

Chris recently toured with The Afro Cuban Jazz and Beyond Quintet featuring Ignacio Berroa, Hilario Duran, Roberto Occhipinti and Jorge Luis Torres. Chris has also toured extensively in North America, Europe and in Asia and has also performed with numerous symphony orchestras across Canada and in Europe. His extensive experience as a performer, composer and arranger has culminated in the production of four solo instrumental albums to date. As a result of his 1997 release, The Witches of Red Beard, featuring the late jazz icon Phil Woods.

The Chris Mitchell Quintet was the recipient of the prestigious Prix De Jazz DuMaurier performing at the 1999 Montreal Jazz Festival. As a sideman Chris has also recorded with numerous JUNO and ECMA winning artists. Chris’ talents include a keen ability to understand product advertising and promotion. He runs his own successful production company – MitchMusic. In addition Chris’ understanding of multi- media presentation has resulted in compelling commercial music and marketing materials for a number of clients including both the public and private sectors.

Geordie Haley
Guitarist, Composer, Improviser and Educator, Geordie Haley has been a featured Artist with new music presenters Suddenly Listen, Upstream Music, Vocalypse, and Open Arts. Geordie is a frequent contributor to the Halifax Jazz Festival, the Harvest Blues and Jazz Festival, and the Open Waters Festival. He has collaborated with dancers Shannon Cooney, Susanne Chui, Rhonda Baker, Sara Coffin and Jacinthe Armstrong. Geordie has played in the pit bands for Neptune Theatre, New Brunswick and Canadian Stage. As an accompanist Geordie has worked with Chrsitine Duncan, Tena Palmer, Tanya Tagaq, Loiuse Pitre and Measha Brueggergosman. As a leader Geordie has 6 albums of original music available on CDBABY, 14 videos of live shows on YouTube and numerous tracks on Soundcloud.

Geordie heads the Guitar program at the NSCC Waterfront Music Arts Department.

Ron J. Hynes
Bassist Ron Hynes is one of the Maritimes busiest first-call musicians.  He is a versatile
musician, performing with in all genres, from rock and folk with Wreckhouse, and both Jimmy and Heather Rankin, to jazz, via his long standing gig with the Local Trio every Wednesday. Originally from Newfoundland, Hynes is a graduate of the Jazz Studies Program at St. Francais Xavier University.

Andrew Miller
Andrew graduated from The University of Toronto in 2016 and worked as one of the most in demand jazz drummers in Toronto. He is a recipient of the TD Stingray Rising Star Award, a two-time recipient of the Jason Lang Scholarship, and a recipient of the Buddy DeFranco Outstanding Jazz Soloist Award. Since 2015, Andrew has been leading two of his own ensembles, Congruence, and Lewis/Downing/Vrankulj/Miller. Most recently, he has been working in a collective called the JMB trio in Halifax.

As a side man, Andrew has played with: Port Cities, Michael Formanek, David Liebman, Norma Winstone, David Braid, Andrew Downing's Otterville, Mike Murley, Jim Vivian, Brad Roberts (Crash Test Dummies), Phil Nimmons, PJ Perry, Tommy Banks, Dillon Ponders, Terrell Morris, Ghettosocks, Upstream Music Association, Halifax Dance, Canadian Contemporary Dance Theatre, among many others.

LAURIE BROWN PONDERCAST FEATURING JOSHUA VAN TASSEL
Laurie Brown is a passionate advocate for the arts and artists in Canada. She has built a reputation as an accomplished interviewer and seasoned broadcaster by bringing out the best in Canadian artists. Her career started at CITYTV on
The New Music, then at MUCHMUSIC, then to CBC’s flagship documentary show The Journal on CBC, on CBC’s The National and on Newsworld’s On the Arts.

Laurie hosted The Signal, a much-loved late night music show on CBCRadio 2 for a decade. Now, she hosts her own podcast ,called Pondercast, and tours the country performing it live with musician Joshua Van Tassel.

JOSHUA VAN TASSEL
Joshua Van Tassel has built a reputation as a producer and composer of electro-acoustic music that is both highly sophisticated and easily digestible. His new album, Crossworlds, comes with an accompanying novella written by Jordan Crute and Van Tassel, and features illustrations by Geordan Moore (The Quarrelsome Yeti). He has been nominated and won numerous ECMA and Nova Scotia Music awards, and Crossworlds is this year’s JUNO Award-winner for Album Artwork of the Year (2019).

PONDERCAST
Pondercast is for explorers - it guides you to the clouds for a mind bending view. Let Laurie Brown spark some new thoughts as the soundscapes of Joshua Van Tassel help you ponder the night, being human, and oh - we also love music. Now in its second season, Pondercast has 40 episodes under its belt with live shows performed from coast to coast.

Support for the TD Halifax Jazz Festival is provided by numerous corporate and community partners including TD Bank Group, Develop Nova Scotia, Stingray Music and funded by the Government of Canada, Province of Nova Scotia, Halifax, and the Craig Foundation.

TICKET & HJF2019 PASS PURCHASE INFORMATION:
HJF2019 passes are on sale NOW! Quantities are limited and both the STANDARD and FUSION passes sell out every year. Purchase here → http://halifaxjazzfestival.etixnow.com/series/2019-td-halifax-jazz-festival

TICKETS are on sale NOW!  Visit halifaxjazzfestival.ca to purchase online or in person at etixnow kiosks located at Coffee Matters Brewery Market - 1496 Lower Water St; Coffee Matters 2861 Gladstone St or at Coffee Matters 33 Alderney Drive (Dartmouth).

ABOUT HJF:
Since 1987, Halifax Jazz Festival, presented by the non-profit organization Jazz East Rising Association, has organized a diverse range of musical, educational and charitable activities, including the annual TD Halifax Jazz Festival, the oldest and largest jazz festival in Atlantic Canada. The 33rd event will take place July 9-14, 2019. Follow Halifax Jazz Festival on Facebook and Twitter and Instagram @HFXJazzFest.

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