Kensington Market Jazz Festival

NEW ARTIST ANNOUNCEMENTS: Marc Jordan, The Shuffle Demons, Ivana Santilli and Albert Schultz

join #KMJF16 lineup

100 + Artists • 80 + Shows
Inaugural Kensington Market Jazz Festival celebrates the Toronto jazz scene during TIFF’s closing weekend on September 16-18, 2016

Five weeks out until Kensington Market becomes a haven for music lovers, especially jazz fans. Booking almost exclusively Toronto artists, the inaugural KMJF will be happy to present some of the country’s finest talents during TIFF’s closing weekend, September 16, 17, 18. Just announced: prolific singer and songwriter Marc Jordan; the still-going- strong 80s jazz-funk outfit Shuffle Demons; Bass is Base front woman Ivana Santilli and Albert Schultz of the Soulpepper Theatre and Young Centre for the Performing Arts.

Festival Director, renowned Canadian vocalist and songwriter Molly Johnson teamed up with Ori Dagan and Geneviève Marentette to launch the inaugural Kensington Market Jazz Festival during the closing weekend of the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. Celebrating the local jazz scene, the music festival will take place on September 16, 17, 18, 2016.

“Though it’s a jazz festival, we wanted to include artists you may not think of as jazz musicians,” says Johnson. “So we’ve got Measha Brueggergosman and Julian Fuego and Jim Cuddy as part of our singers showcase at Handlebar benefitting the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, and we also booked bands from other genres like Soul Stew and The Sinners Choir.”

The lineup also features some of Canada’s jazz stars including Order of Canada members Don Thompson, Joe Sealy, Dave Young and Jane Bunnett, and critic’s darlings Carol Welsman, Sophie Milman, Brandi Disterheft and Alex Pangman. Performers will include emerging artists Thompson Thompson Egbo-Egbo, this year’s JUNO winners Robi Botos as well as veteran virtuoso Gene DiNovi 88-years- young. In total, the KMJF will feature 100+ artists and more than 80 shows.

The festival t-shirt will feature the late great Archie Alleyne, with all t-shirt sales going towards his student scholarship fund. There will be a youth component with the St. Stephens Community House Youth Arcade Studio as the hub for performers under 18.

The festival will debut with eight venues, including

Supermarket, The Boat, The Round, Handlebar, Trinity Common and Poetry Jazz Café. A new jazz venue called Youth Arcade Studio will feature players under the age of 18 in partnership with St. Stephen’s Community House. Festival patron Tom Mihalik of Tom’s Place is a passionate supporter of the arts and will host in his store the piano room, which will feature FREE performances. The Hotbox Cafe will feature solo guitarists with admission Pay- What-You-Can. The Boys and Girls Clubs singer showcase fundraiser at Handlebar will be accepting PWYC donations at the door. For all other venues, set cover charge ranges from $10-$25.