www.fergushambleton.com    |    www.fergushambleton.com/bio.html

"For many of us growing up in the 60’s the Beatles seemed to embody everything. It had to have been an illusion but it did seem that everything could change with the Beatles, that John and Paul did have some magic touch."

A fixture on the Canadian music scene for the last 4 decades, Fergus Hambleton is a versatile singer, songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist. During his illustrious career Fergus has been a leading performer and songwriter in the folk, pop and reggae music arenas. Fronting the Juno Award winning reggae outfit, Sattalites and a successful solo career are among his many musical achievements.

Fergus’ musical career began in the 60’s when Toronto’s famed Yorkville area became known for its innovative and eclectic music community. His contribution to that legendary scene included playing in a number of bands, most notably A Passing Fancy and the Ginger Group. In the 70’s he went on to produce two solo albums for Capitol Canada. These folk-rock albums, All The Right Noises and Town of Fergus were an instant success with the hit single “Ice on the Road” quickly climbing the Canadian radio charts. A third album Fergusongs was recorded for the independent label Axe Records, operated by Hambleton’s older brother and noted songwriter/producer Greg Hambleton.

Fergus continued to expand his musical horizons when in the late-seventies he played saxophone with some of Toronto’s hottest punk and new wave acts like The Diodes, Drastic Measures and the B-Girls. His own high energy band, The Basics fast became a favourite with live music fans. A chance meeting with legendary Jamaican musician, Jo Jo Bennett began a life long musical partnership that has earned them a unique place in Canada’s rich musical tapestry. In Fall 2007 Leda Serene Films and BRAVO Television will present a 30-minute documentary on the unique Bennett – Hambleton partnership which forms the core of their ever-popular reggae band the Sattalites. The Sattalites first began as a horn section, backing up touring Jamaican artists, then as a music school to teach reggae styles to young people, and then as a band, with a 25 year musical career peppered with numerous high-profile concert events, 6 albums, two Juno Awards and a host of national and international awards and accolades.

Widely known for his captivating baritone, Fergus honed his singing style while studying with the noted Canadian voice teacher, Charles Jordan who shared Fergus’ love of traditional folk music. He went on to study composition with one of Canada’s most celebrated composers’ San Dolin. Dolin’s tutelage helped Fergus to fine-tune his insights in arranging and songwriting, an expertise that Fergus now brings to his many teaching and producing projects, as well as the countless writing projects he undertakes with a variety of fellow songwriters. Fergus is in high demand as a session player and arranger offering expertise ranging from playing saxophone, clarinet, guitar and vocals.

Armed with a life-long quest for knowledge, Fergus has immersed himself in a wide range of musical interests and has made a keen study of the history of music, the technology behind the music business and the inter-connections between different styles of music.

Fergus Hambleton’s solo recording Snapshots is the most recent example of his diverse musical abilities. This moving and engaging collection offers a sample of this powerful songwriters’ exquisite lyrical style and richly-textured instrumentation. Selections from Snapshots have been featured in the feature-film Falling Angels and the prime-time television program The L Word. Snapshots is available at www.cdbaby.com/cd/hambleton.

Currently living in Toronto, Fergus has a busy teaching and performing schedule. Upcoming performances include THE TWO BOBS a re-imagining of Bob Marley and Bob Dylan songs; regular appearances with the Sattalites, The Tuesday Night Club, and a number of other groups including his own jazz ensemble The Jazz Lovers Society whose performances are dedicated to the swing era and classic jazz standards

Drummer Blake Manning’s musical career began with a simple moment shared with his beloved grandfather grappling over a pair of sticks and a homemade snare drum. A modest farmer, Blake’s grandfather found great pleasure drumming at kitchen parties and annual hometown parades, but could never have known that this innocent drum lesson would jumpstart the career of one of the most sought after touring and session drummers in the country; an accomplishment, that for Blake, didn’t come without sacrifice.

After a single professional drum lesson fell short of his expectations, Blake gave way to his natural rhythm and innate ear, and went on to master the guitar, bass, as well as drums. Like many kids his age, Blake gravitated towards FM Radio where he discovered a natural affinity for music, and was particularly attracted to the hard-driving rhythms of bands like The Police and the Clash. By age 14, Blake to the stage for his first professional engagement – a gig the determined young musicians booked and promoted himself. Even at such an early age his drive to perform and create music was so unrelenting that his parents, intent on curbing his ambitions, made plans for a military education for their unyielding young son. The plan back fired when Blake left home to follow his dreams. He was only 15 years old at the time.

Still armed with this pure determination, persistent and an unbridled love of music and songwriting, Blake considers himself a student of life and of music, a journey that has seen him realize many of his dreams. In 1996 Blake became one of only 3 drummers to record alongside legendary, RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson. He has toured extensively with David Wilcox, Mathew Good Band, Kim Stockwood, and has recorded with Justin Rutledge, Jill Barber, Jesse Cooke, and Alfie Zappacosta to name just a few.

Whether taking a Dobro lesson, plunking on a Sitar, or performing in-front of stadium crowds, Blake Manning continues to relish new musical experiences and to live the dream that started one afternoon with his grandfather’s makeshift snare drum, a possession that remains Blake’s most prized.

Myspace    |    www.gregwyard.com

Greg Wyard was born into a musical family in south-eastern England in the mid sixties. His father, Tony, was a drummer who played full-time in an all-instrumental guitar band called “The Barons” (a la “Hank Marvin and The Shadows”). Tony quit the band when Greg was born, and began to play pub gigs on weekends as Greg was growing up. It was when Tony sneaked 12-year-old Greg in to play bass at one of these pub gigs, that Greg got his first taste of his chosen career, performing live music to an audience.

After discovering the Beatles at the age of 8, Greg had decided that he wanted to be in a band and play drums like his dad. And he would have probably become a drummer if his younger brother hadn’t been given a guitar less than a year later. Quickly commandeering the instrument, Greg found he could play by ear, and pretty soon he had taught himself to play every single Beatles song.

As a child, Greg studied music theory and played classical guitar and cello, but his true loves were always the less scholarly pursuits of playing rock guitar, singing and writing songs. A chance move when he was 13 brought him and his entire family to Ottawa, Canada where he joined a string of bands and worked on honing his skills as a songwriter.

He began to work as a full time musician at age 20 when he found a niche as a solo performer, singing and playing at clubs and private parties. After building a significant fan base, he financed and recorded two all-original CDs, and three of his songs made it onto major radio both in Ottawa and Toronto.

Like many of the Day Tripper Band members, Greg completed his Bachelor of Music at McGill University. While there, he studied jazz double bass performance and Computer music. Moving to Toronto, he initially tried to work full time as a computer programmer, spending 18 months working at IBM before realizing that he could make a happier living playing music full time.

In 2004, he joined the Toronto based Classic Albums Live where he performed all over Canada and the U.S. recreating classic albums in a live theatre setting. In this role, he covered artists such as Queen, Pink Floyd and Supertramp, but it was performing The Beatles albums that Greg’s talents always shone brightest. The highlight of this experience came in late 2006, when he proposed the idea to the band to perform the entire Beatles catalog in one single show. At the unprecedented performance, Greg remained on stage for the better part of 14 hours performing over 230 Beatles songs in one sitting.

Greg is one of Toronto’s hardest working musicians, usually performing 4 to 5 days a week. He also finds time to work on his original material and expects to release his third solo album early in 2009.

Maury LaFoy is a musician’s musician. He lives and breathes music, and until taking on his new role as father, music has been the single most important part of life for this multi-talented artist. It was the moment that the 12 year-old Maury first played “Sunshine Of your Love” to an echoing gym that he knew music would fill his life for many years to come.

Maury’s musical career officially began at Sheldon Williams High School with a debut performance by Fall Down Go Boom, a group that Maury performed with from 1984 to 1995. A bassist first and foremost, he has gone on to play with a virtual who’s who in the Canadian music scene. Currently a member of Jann Arden’s band, Maury has recently played on CD’s as diverse as Sarah Harmer, k-os, and Bruce Cockburn. He is always active in the Toronto scene as a creator and supporter of music and has a list of credits that belie his 37 years. His current projects include producing CD’s for exciting new artists: Stina Augustdottir (Iceland), Sarah Noni Metzner (Victoria) and Kat Goldman (Toronto). He is a founding member of Toronto’s own power-pop group The Supers, he has toured Ireland with Ron Sexsmith and performed countless times alongside long-time friends, Grammy nominee’s the Barenaked Ladies.

A native of Regina Saskatoon, Maury LaFoy was raised in a home bursting with eclectic and diverse musical choices ranging from Brahms to the Eagles Long Run, Dave Brubeck, Herb Alpert, Joe Walsh, and the Beatles. Maury credits his mother, a talented amateur pianist, and his high school music teacher, Brenda McAlpine, for instilling in him a love and a curiosity for music – a curiosity that prompted the then 14 year-old to purchase his first album – Booker T and the Mg's – solely on a vague recommendation from a friend. Even as a child, Maury was drawn to the lush bass sound of Sting, Paul McCartney and Graham Maby – influences that are evident in Maury’s own magnetic style. The Meters, Miles Davis’ Classic Sextet with Paul Chambers, Joe Jackson, and XTC are just a few of the musicians that have influenced Maury’s performances, singing and songwriting over the years.

Musically speaking, there are many things that Maury continues to pursue, but as ever, his focus remains on improving his personal sound, listening to and enjoying music of all kinds, and producing great music that will stand the test of time.

There were times in Kevin Adamson’s life when he thought about going to law school, but the gravitational pull towards music was, thankfully, much stronger than any of his other interests. Kevin has gone on to embrace every lesson he has been taught during his many years of writing, singing, producing and performing music.

Music came naturally to Kevin, whose earliest memory of music was listening to his grandfather string melodies together on a simple harmonica. Growing up Kevin immersed himself in the music of the times and spent many hours tuning into the 1970’s AM radio where he listened to everything from Abba, to Glen Campbell, the Doobie Brothers, the Carpenters and Boston; but it was the music of the Beatles that would capture his imagination. At age 9 he purchased his first album, the Beatles 1962 – 1966 greatest hits and found in it melodies and harmonies that where impossible to forget, and which continue to inspire his performances today.

Kevin was formally introduced to the piano at age 8, and went on to hone his craft at the illustrious McGill University’s Jazz Music program where he earned a Bachelor’s of Music. When he returned to his hometown Toronto, Kevin threw himself into live performances with a bevy of local bands including SOFA, Coco Love Alcorn and The Boomers, bands whose lush sound drew heavily on Kevin’s vast array of influences that range from Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Herbie Hancock, Donny Hathaway, Neil Finn, Trevor Horn and Daniel Lanois.

A multi-instrumentalist whose singing, songwriting and production credits have earned him kudos from his fellow musicians, Kevin has worked alongside Kim Stockwood, Damhnait Doyle, Ron Sexsmith, Justin Hines, DK Ibomeka, Tomi Swick, Danny Michel, Rik Emmett and the legendary Ian Thomas. Among the many experiences that have enriched his musical life, Kevin cites the moment when in 2006, The Righteous Brothers’ Bill Medley gave an a cappella performance of his greatest hit “You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling”, across the dinner table to a small group of friends and fellow musicians.

The power of the songwriting that created this memorable moment is what propels Kevin Adamson forward on his musical journey, a journey that will see him produce an album of his own music -- a production which he hopes will embody everything he has learnt from the thousands of songwriters, musicians, and friends that have influenced him over his years.

For pianist Cindy Fairbank music has always been a family affair. Joyful memories of her family gathering to dance to music provided by her beloved grandfather’s beguiling stride piano style are among her first childhood recollections. On those evenings Cindy would be seated on her grandfather’s lap studying his technique and growing in her love and passion for music and melody.

Born and raised in Nanamio, B.C. Cindy began playing after her grandparents bought the family their first upright piano. Family folklore includes stories of the day 6 year-old Cindy returned from her first lesson to announce that she was, without question, going to become a piano teacher. In the years that followed Cindy’s certainty about music flourished as her parents, struck by her raw talent, ensured it was always possible for her to take lessons and have every opportunity to share her passion. Her parents fed her appetite for music by sharing with her some of their own favourites recordings – albums by Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, ABBA, The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt, and, of course, The Beatles where among those early exposures. Later in life Cindy credits her devoted high school band teachers, Norm Porter, Dave Strong, and Brian Stovell for inspiring her to fully embark on a performance and teaching career.

In 1996 Cindy earned her BMus in jazz performance at McGill University in Montreal, and went on to hone her skills through individual study with pianists’ Dave Restivo, Marilyn Lerner, and the late Doug Riley. In 2001 she was invited to study at the International Jazz Workshop at the Banff Centre of the Arts with such notables as Kenny Werner, Dave Douglas, Jim Black, and Joe Lovano. She returned the next year to workshop, record, and produce original compositions with six other musicians.

Since moving to Toronto in 2001, Cindy can be found playing piano with small and large jazz ensembles, directing musical theatre, in the studio, and playing B3 organ at the clubs. She has toured extensively alongside some of the most talked about Canadian musicians including Juno Nominee, Jeremy Fisher, Madison Violet, Justin Hines, and Liam Titcomb. In December 2006 her arrangement of Oh Holy Night was chosen to be the title track of CBC’s Sounds of the Season CD, featuring Dione Taylor and the Nathaniel Dett Chorale.

Cindy founded and continues to operate the popular Sunnyside School of Music in Toronto where she inspires a love and understanding of music for students aged 4 to 64. Her first solo recording, Imaginaries, features a seven piece jazz ensemble including fellow LET IT BE band member Kevin Fox on cello. A new full length CD is slated for release later this year.

Whether performing at the Governor General Awards in Ottawa to honor recipient Robbie Robertson for his Life-Time Achievement Award or simply witnessing the first blush of excitement as her young students tap into their own zest for music, for Cindy each of these unique moments is filled with a creativity that inspires her infectious performances time and time again.

From the moment he got his first horn, thirty-four year Marcus Ali started down a path that has seen him become one of the most exciting young talents on the Canadian music scene. Marcus credits his parents for introducing him, and brother trumpeter Nick “Brownman” Ali, to many different styles of music. Everything from jazz to calypso, classical to folk music and even a Michael Jackson record or two found their way into the Ali household. He was an avid listener of both Ted O’Reilly’s long-running CJRT radio program Jazz Scene, where he became engrossed by the mainstream jazz tradition and Larry Green’s Out of the Blue on CFNY, who introduced him to the possibilities of modern jazz. Drawn to both ends of the jazz spectrum, Marcus returned from his first trip to the record store with Toronto saxophonist Moe Kauffman’s album “Oop Pop a Da” and “Noisy Nights” by Montreal fusion outfit Uzeb.

As talented on soprano, alto, tenor and baritone saxophones, as he is on clarinet, bass clarinet, flute, and piccolo, Marcus began playing at age 12 as a member of his Grade 7 band. Under the tutelage of high school music teacher Darryl Eaton -- a professional trumpet player who had performed alongside the legendary Phil Nimmins and Nine, Stan Kenton, Buddy Rich -- Marcus started playing gigs while still in high school. In his final year, Marcus attended the IMC Jazz Camp as the ‘A’ band’s lead alto player under the direction of trombonist/composer Dave McMurdo. It was here, following a memorable final performance, that a heart-to-heart talk with McMurdo confirmed that Marcus had what it took to formally pursue his passion. He went on to graduate from York University’s illustrious jazz program, where he studied with such Canadian Jazz greats as Mike Murley, Phil Dwyer, Don Thompson, Mark Eisenmann, and Al Henderson.

Propelled by his diverse tastes in music, Marcus became involved in Toronto’s Latin American music scene while still in University. Rapidly becoming one of the first call Latin saxophonists in the city, he has played with virtually every salsa and merengue band in Toronto. Some of his proudest moments are of being mistaken for Dominican or Cuban because of how authentically he plays the music of those countries.

A multi-talented performer Marcus is a founding member of the award winning latin-jazz unit Cruzao. Equally at home in a wide variety of genres, Marcus is an in-demand recording and touring artist that has worked with Matt Dusk, Jason Wilson and Tabarruk, the Jamaica To Toronto All Stars, Mr Something Something, The Toronto Art Orchestra, The Starlight Orchestra, Andrew Rodriguez (Bodega), as well as latin music’s Ricky Franco, Carlos Cruz, Marrón Matizado, Orquesta Fantasia, Dominicanada, La Banda Bella, Anthony V, Evaristo Machado, Proyecto Charanguero and many more.

Brendan Cassin, a native of Glen Cove, NY, pursued his studies in Pittsburgh, PA, receiving a bachelor’s degree from Carnegie Mellon University and a Master of Music degree from Duquesne University. His principal teachers were Pittsburgh Symphony members Neal Berntsen and George Vosburgh.

Following graduation Brendan joined the Erie Philharmonic in Erie, PA as second trumpet, a position he held from 2001-2007. After a great start in Pittsburgh, Brendan immigrated to Canada in 2004 and was named principal trumpet with the Niagara Symphony in St. Catharines, ON in May 2005. Most recently, Brendan has become a member of the prestigious Trillium Brass Quintet.

Brendan maintains a busy performing schedule as a freelance player in Toronto. He performs with many ensembles across the GTA including the Toronto Symphony, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony and the Hamilton Philharmonic. Performance credits include: substitute in the world-premiere stage production of Lord of the Rings in Toronto, soloist with the Erie Philharmonic, the Niagara International Chamber Music Festival, the Brantford Symphony, and the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra and recitalist at Toronto’s Music Gallery.

Drew Jurecka's virtuoso technique and understanding of a wide variety of musical styles have taken him all over North America, and to Europe and Asia as a member of The Polyjesters,the Bebop Cowboys, Jeff Healey's Jazz Wizards among others. As a member of the Bebop Cowboys, Drew toured Canada with Stuart McLean and the Vinyl Cafe radio show in late 2006. Drew's own group, The Hogtown Syncopators was recently recorded for live broadcast by the CBC at the Palais Royal as part of the Toronto Downtown Jazz Festival.

As a performer and studio musician, Drew has worked with artists in a variety of genres including Sarah Slean, Chris Whitely, Russel DeCarle, Terra Hazelton, Alex Pangman, Chantal Kreviazuk, Jesse Cook, Sarah Harmer and Dave Brubeck. Drew has also been involved in a variety of recording sessions for TV and movie sound tracks, including 'Little Mosque on the Prairie' and 'The Weird Years' among others. While in LA for the summer of 2003, Drew played at the Hollywood Bowl in string sections backing Diana Krall, Shirley Horn, Diane Reeves and Herbie Hancock.

As an educator, Drew has been the sole violin faculty member in the Jazz program at Humber College for two years, where he teaches an ensemble in addition to individual lessons. He has also been working on a jazz improvisation workshop designed to get high school age classically trained musicians out of their shells.

Drew Jurecka composed the music for Monster Theatre's 2006 parody "Jesus Christ, The Lost years" which received rave reviews in cities across Canada. In 2007, he wrote the music for another Monster production, "Napoleon's Secret Diaries". Most recently, "Jesus Christ" was shown again at the Factory Theatre in Toronto, with Drew leading the live band. An arranger as well as a composer, Drew's string arrangements can be heard on recordings of Canadian artists ranging from jazz to rock to pop, most recently on Terra Hazelton’s upcoming album as well as upcoming albums of Jill Barber and the Good Lovelies.

For the past six years, Drew has been going to Mexico every february to perform with the Northern Lights Music Festival, a Canadian-organized orchestral music festival in Jalisco. For the past three years, Drew has been heading up the festival's Jazz program, bringing down his gypsy swing band, "The Hot Jazz String Quartet" and Jazz singers Terra Hazelton and Sophia Perlman to play to packed houses across the state of Jalisco, as well as student education concerts and live nationwide broadcasts on the radio program “Solo Jazz”.

For the past three years, Drew has been teaching violin in the Jazz program at Humber College. The program has grown over the years, and now includes several violin students, an ensemble and a weekly string maserclass. Drew has also done improvisation workshops with high school students, and hopes to do a series of improvisation workshops for professional classical musicians this fall.

A native of Toronto, Drew's early violin studies were under the tutelage of Lorand Fenyves at the Royal Conservatory of Music. Drew completed a bachelors degree at the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music before returning to Toronto to pursue a career in jazz performance. During his final year at the Cleveland Institute of Music, Jurecka had the opportunity to play with the Dave Brubeck quartet at Severance Hall in what was described by the Cleveland Plain Dealer as "a show-stealing performance".

Earlier in his life, Drew worked extensively as an actor including a starring role as gypsy violinist, Yoshi in Devine Entertainment and Sony Classical film, Liszt's Rhapsody. Drew also had feature roles in Norman Jewison's film, Language of the Heart and Robert Wuhl's feature film, Open Season.

For those who don’t know Halifax native Kevin Fox, chances are you have seen him at any number of Canadian concerts over the last several years. Kevin honed his skills touring the globe, performing and recording alongside some of Canada’s finest musical exports, such as; Sum 41, David Usher, Tom Cochrane, Damhnait Doyle, Sarah Harmer, Celine Dion and Raine Maida. He has spent much of 2007 touring with Canadian sensation Chantal Kreviazuk.

Born in 1968 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Kevin quickly became absorbed with and excelled in the arts. By the time he left for Montreal to study composition at McGill University in 1986, Kevin had already written songs for eight years, composed orchestral pieces for four, toured with orchestras and choirs, started a band and performed his own songs and orchestral pieces on local stages.

In 1991 Kevin moved to Toronto where he picked up an electric guitar for the first time and auditioned to join a band led by established MCA recording artist Andrew Cash. Thus began his career as a side musician. With his abilities to play numerous instruments including the cello, acoustic, electric, and bass guitar, as well as sing.

Kevin’s talents in composition have placed him in the position of being a highly respected orchestral arranger in his musical community. As a composer/arranger, Kevin has to date composed music for film as well as arrangements for such artists as Damhnait Doyle, Lennie Gallant, Julie Black and Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries.

Through co-writing and the recording of his songs by other artists his work has been featured on American television programming such as Baywatch Hawaii and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and received radio airplay across Canada and the United States.

Over 25 years of writing and performing lead to the 11 finely crafted songs that make up Kevin’s solo debut, Come Alive, a musical offering rich with textures that integrate Kevin’s pop sensibilities with his flair for classical orchestration. Come Alive is a finely crafted production that showcases Kevin’s stunning vocals and instrumental dexterity.

For more information please visit www.kevinfox.ca.