Toronto Jazz Fest 29th Edition Concludes

The 29th edition of the TD Toronto Jazz Festival came to an end on Saturday, June 27, 2015. Performers who graced the Toronto Star stage at Nathan Phillips Square (and other stages and clubs around the city) included blues sensation Gary Clark Jr., legendary Al Jarreau, the exhilarating Tower of Power band, magnificent bassist and band leader Christian McBride, rising stars Snarky Puppy, legendary Count Basie Orchestra, guitarist extraordinaire Al Di Meola, great saxophonists Branford Marsalis and Charles Lloyd, the fantastic quartet integrated by Dave Holland, Lionel Loueke, Chris Potter and Eric Harland, and many more wonderful artists. From the local scene, the best of the best artists made their presence be felt: Robi Botos, Hilario Durán, Renee Rosnes, Drew Jurecka, Phil Dwyer and Gord Sheard, Jackie Richardson, Heather Bambrick and many more.

Across the city more than 40 restaurants, bars and clubs presented live music during the festival, keeping alive the vibrant jazz scene in Toronto. One of the highlights of this year’s festival was no doubt the concert  for Oscar Peterson 90th Birthday Celebration, with The Oscar Peterson Quartet: Alvin Queen and Ulf Wakenius, featuring Robi Botos and special guest Christian McBride.

The festival organizers will soon get started with the preparations for next year, which will celebrate a very important achievement: the 30th Anniversary of the Toronto Jazz Festival. We expect a great lineup and many surprises in 2016 for this big event.

Photographs by Atael Weissman (click on photos to enlarge)