2015 Artist in Residence
(Montreal)
Ellwood Epps
Our Artist in Residence for this year’s festival, ELLWOOD EPPS of Montreal is busy as an improvising trumpet player, a most versatile musical collaborator, teacher, concert and festival organizer, truly one of the leading lights of Canada’s creative music scene. He has performed with Steve Lacy, William Parker, Josh Zubot, Henry Grimes, Jean Derome, Le Quan Ninh, Joe McPhee, Butch Morris, John Butcher, and Marshall Allen, and appears on more than 50 recordings. He has appeared internationally at the Stone, CBGB’s and The Jazz Gallery (all in New York), the Guelph, Vancouver, Halifax, and Toronto Jazz Festivals, FIMAV, Festival of New Trumpet (NYC), Earshot (Seattle), Suoni Per Il Popolo, and the Off Festival de Jazz (Montreal). Epps cofounded l’Envers in 2008, through which he has presented over 500 concerts. In the same year he also cofounded the Mardi Spaghetti series at Le Cagibi. He is also the director and principal teacher at the Studio d’Improvisation de Montréal since 2009, presenting an ongoing series of improvised music workshops, including guest teachers like Henry Grimes, Lori Freedman, and Jean Derome. Ellwood is active with several working groups: the longstanding Pink Saliva (an electric band with Michel F Côté and Alexandre St-Onge), Land of Marigold (with Josh Zubot), the Ratchet Orchestra, and in duet with saxophonist Yves Charuest.
Epps will initiate Friday, Saturday & Monday concerts with a solo trumpet set, plus he will sit in with various musicians. Also, he will conduct a free Saturday afternoon improvisation workshop.
