UpTown Waterloo Jazz Festival

09/12/2024

Just a quick reminder about the fantastic Opening Night our friends at the Belmont Village Bestival have planned for tomorrow night!! It's going to be another great weekend of music in the Region of Waterloo and the weather looks spectacular!! See you there - there will be so much to see and do!!
Explore Waterloo Region

🎵 Bestival alert! In just under a month, the Belmont & Glasgow stage is the place to be! 🎤

On Sept 13th, & his all-star lineup are bringing the heat. Join us at 7pm for a night of epic tunes and good vibes! 🌟

Check out the full schedule: belmontvillagebestival.com

Shout out to our Headliner Sponsors: Cook Homes & Donovan Insurance Brokers

.kellerman

09/08/2024

Summer is not over!! Be sure to check out the Belmont Village Bestival next weekend. Our friends at the Bestival sure know how to throw a party - just look at that stellar lineup!! We hope to see you there!

🎶 Bestival Saturday is stacked!

From the Grand Harmony Chorus at 11:30 AM to the Danny Michel Band closing it out at 9 PM, the Belmont Village Bestival is bringing non-stop music magic. 🎤

Join us at the Glasgow & Union stages for an epic day of live performances! Don’t miss a beat! 🎸

Full schedule: belmontvillagebestival.com

Thank you Headliner Sponsors: Cook Homes & Donovan Insurance Brokers

Belmont Village Kitchener

08/08/2024

Our friends at the Kitchener Blues Festival have done it again!! Best of luck to the artists, volunteers, organizers and sponsors from all of us at the Sun Life UpTown Waterloo Jazz Festival! The kick off to the Blues Festival tonight with Colin James (the ticketed Fundraiser) starts a fantastic weekend of music, the rest of which is FREE! Take a look at this wonderful program - it's jam packed with fabulous artists! What shows are you going to see?

Waterloo Record Feature Pages - Blues Festival 2024 Headliner

08/06/2024

It's almost here! Our friends at the Kitchener Blues Festival kick things off this Thursday with their annual fundraiser which features Colin James and Matt Weidinger. Tickets are only $40! It's a great way to support this wonderful Festival and the value just can't be beat! See you there.

Get event information and buy your tickets at Ticketscene!

07/22/2024

That’s a wrap for another year! We hope you enjoyed the Sun Life UpTown Waterloo Jazz Festival as much as we enjoyed putting it together for you! Our heartfelt thanks go out to all our wonderful volunteers - we could not possibly do it without you. Thank you also to our generous sponsors who keep supporting us so you can enjoy world-class live music FREE! Thanks also to the fabulous musicians who enrich our lives with their beautiful art. And finally, thanks to everyone who came out to the Festival. Whether you donated, bought a beverage or some merch, or just came out to enjoy the music. It all helps to keep the Festival vibrant!! See you next year!

07/20/2024

Great news! Our 2024 Program is finally up and running! Thanks to all who mentioned it. We love technology! We really do!!

07/20/2024

Sun, 21 July @ 3:00 pm
Headlining our Sunday is the 2024 JUNO-nominated The Canadian Jazz Collective. This newly created group of established and award-winning Canadian jazz artists is taking audiences and critics by storm. With a collaborative approach to the presentation of original Canadian jazz, the Collective’s repertoire features of original compositions by saxophonist Kirk MacDonald, trumpeter Derrick Gardner, and guitarist Lorne Lofsky, all specially arranged for this ensemble. This exciting group was formed with the purpose of creative collaboration and to showcase the musicians’ world-class artistry and original compositions. The Canadian Jazz Collective Septet comprises leaders Kirk MacDonald (saxophonist/composer), Derrick Gardner (trumpeter/composer), and Lorne Lofsky (guitarist/composer), along with rising star clarinetist Virginia MacDonald, bassist Neil Swainson, pianist Brian Dickinson, and Austrian drummer Bernd Reiter. Since its inception in May 2022, The CJC has made highly successful tours through Europe, Canada, and the U.S. They have released two albums – including the 2024 JUNO-nominated Septology. Fresh off their performance at the Rochester International Jazz Festival, we are so lucky to this group of all-stars on our stage!
https://www.facebook.com/canadianjazzcollective

07/19/2024

All set to go!! The fun starts at 4:15!!

07/19/2024

Another new sponsor is contributing to this year's Festival! Our thanks to Delta Hotels by Marriott Waterloo for contributing to our event! As with all our sponsors, please support them when you can. See you at the Festival!!

07/19/2024

Sat, 20 July @ 9:30 pm
Hilario Durán and his Latin Jazz Big Band hit the stage as Saturday night's headliner. This will be one for the ages - there are 19 musicians in the band!! That is the largest group ever to appear on our stage so hold onto your hats! This is one of only 3 concerts this large group will give this summer so we are very fortunate to have them!
Cuban-Canadian jazz pianist Hilario Durán is a fixture on the Toronto music scene. Durán immigrated in 1998 to Canada and was named as One of the 10 Most Influential Hispanic Canadians in 2009. Hilario has been named Best Artist of the Year 2013 by the Toronto Musicians’ Association and also as 2014 Best Vision Award Winner (Premio a la Trayectoria) for his work as entrepreneur as a director of his musical company, ES MI MUSICA PRODUCTIONS. Hilario is a 2018 Recipient of the Louis Applebaum Composers Award by the Ontario Arts Foundation. He is also an educator at Toronto’s Humber College, acting as a piano teacher and ensemble director. He is a multi JUNO award winner and was nominated for a GRAMMY this year. Get there early as you don't want to miss this performance!

07/18/2024

We have a new sponsor that has just joined us! Thank you Erb & Good Funeral Home for contributing to our event and helping to keep it FREE & accessible to all! Welcome aboard!

07/18/2024

Sat, 20 July at 12:30 & Sun, 21 July at noon
YOUTH JAZZ ENSEMBLE
The Youth Jazz Ensemble grew from outreach programming of the
Waterloo Jazz Festival. Its current form was designed and directed by Jason White in 2012 and focuses on improvisation, ensemble skills, and being accessible to musicians of any experience level. Jason continues to lead the program. Many members improvise for the first time during our workshop. After only four halfday meetings, the ensemble goes onstage and performs a full-length set. The results are always amazing. Come and hear what our local youth can do when expose to jazz!

07/18/2024

Tomorrow is the Day!! The Sun Life Uptown Waterloo Jazz Festival is ON adjacent to City Hall at 100 Regina St, South.

We will be featuring Headliners Laila Biali on Friday night, Hilario Durán and his Latin Jazz Big Band on Saturday night and we close with on Sunday afternoon. Please join us for a weekend of FREE live music with specatular performers, great food and wonderful weather (fingers crossed!). Here's the full lineup:

Fri, 19 July
4:15 pm - Iron Horse Trail Singers
5:00 pm - Jakob Durst Quartet
6:30 pm - Nezqwik
8:00 pm - Ralf Buschmeyer Quartet
9:30 pm - Laila Biali (headliner)

Sat, 20 July
Noon - Youth Jazz Ensemble
2:00 pm - Natu Trio featuring Gennaro Notomista
3:30 pm - GiGi KC AB
5:00 pm - Friends of the Festival (featuring Stephen Preece)
6:30 pm - Allison Au
8:00 pm - Tim Louis
9:30 pm - Hilario Duran and his Latin Jazz Big Band (headliner)

Sun, 21 July
Noon - Youth Jazz Ensemble
1:30 pm - Patti Payne Trio
3:00 pm - The Canadian Jazz Collective (headliner)

Pro tip: headliners draw large crowds so if you want to get a good seat, come early!

What could be better than enjoying live music on a beautiful summer day or evening with family & friends and some great food? We hope to see you there!!
https://www.facebook.com/LAILABIALIMUSIC

https://www.facebook.com/hilariodurantorres

https://www.facebook.com/canadianjazzcollective/

Musician/band

07/18/2024

It's almost here!! Tomorrow the Festival kicks off a great weekend of FREE entertainment in Uptown Waterloo and we hope you can join us. Tomorrow night's headliner is the fabulous Laila Biali and her group. If you want to learn more about her, tune in to Coral Andrews show on 98.5 CKWR Real Community Radio this afternoon at 4:30 when she will chat with Laila.

07/18/2024

Jazz After Jazz is a favourite program that provides Festival goers with a chance to take a break, catch a meal and recharge before heading back to the Festival. Thanks to our great friends Uptown Waterloo BIA we have another wonderful program of local musicians performing at restaurants and other quieter venues.
Here are the locations and artists performing for your pleasure:

Friday, 19 July (11:30 am - 1:30 pm)
Waterloo Town Square - Paul Mitchell

Friday, 19 July (6pm - 8 pm)
Bodega Rose - Anat Hector
Bauer Kitchen Courtyard - Robin Habermehl
Dominion Lane - Jonathan Chapman

Saturday, 20 July (6 pm - 8 pm)
Bodega Rose - Tim Moher
Bauer Kitchen Courtyard - Anat Hector
Dominion Lane - John Zadro

Our thanks to the Uptown Waterloo BIA for putting this great program together and thanks also to the restaurants participating in this year's Jazz After Jazz! Enjoy!!

07/17/2024

Fri, 19 July @4:15 pm
We are honoured to have the Iron Horse Trail Singers open the Festival this year. The group was established in September 2023 by the employees and tenants of Urban Native Transitional Housing and began as a men's healing circle. This diverse drum circle includes members from various nations, including Cree, Ojibwe, Haudenosaunee, and Mi'kmaq. The name reflects their connection to the surrounding Iron Horse Trail.
KW Urban Native Wigwam Project