Lukas Pearse Hosts Musical Improvisation at the TD Halifax Jazz Festival

In addition to its feature performance space on the Waterfront Stage, the 2018 TD Halifax Jazz Festival has venues across the city during its July 10-15 run.

The Open Company Sessions, presented by Upstream, is a curated series that feature free improvisation. The sessions are hosted by Halifax musicians Geordie Haley and Lukas Pearse.

Lukas is a bassist, media artist, and sound editor. He received a Talent Trust scholarship in 2003.

He’s an award-winning film composer and member of the Screen Composers Guild of Canada. He’s served as the Artistic Director of the Upstream Music Association since 2015. 

Lukas is also an experienced teacher, working with private students as well as through the Centre for Art Tapes and NSCAD University.

In the Open Company Sessions, local musical luminaries and visiting virtuosos meet onstage to create spontaneous music.

The sessions run from 11pm - 1am from Wednesday, July 11 through Saturday July 14 at ART BAR at 1873 Granville Street in Halifax. Admission is free.

Gina Burgess and Matt Myer with Gypsophilia at the Halifax Jazz Festival July 16, 8:30pm

Gina Burgess and Matt Myer play with Gypsophilia at the Jazz Festival

photo: Gypsophilia website

Sunday, July 16, 8:30pm
Waterfront Main Stage
With The Mellotones

FREE CONCERT!

Halifax-based Gypsophilia is a group of six performers (including Talent Trust scholarship recipients Matt Myer and Gina Burgess) playing original high-energy jazz that is by turns angular, sweet, nostalgic, modern and raucous. 

In recent years Gypsophilia has become a formidable touring outfit, regularly crisscrossing the continent and playing to sold-out crowds all over Canada and the US. Their killer live shows and danceable, genre-bending sound have made them an audience favourite at major festivals and small clubs alike. With a combination of serious musicianship, humour and showmanship they are capable of enchanting a sit-down crowd one moment, and whipping people into a dancing, clapping, singing frenzy the next.

You can find more information about Gypsophilia at http://www.gypsophilia.org/

Reeny Smith at Halifax Jazz Festival July 15, 2017 at 8:30pm Main Stage

Reeny Smith will be singing for you at the Halifax Jazz Festival 2017

photo: Reeny Smith - Jazz Festival website

Saturday July 15th, 8:30pm

Waterfront Main Stage

With Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals


From the Jazz Festival website: 
Smith’s silky soulful voice—honed as a jazz major at St. F.X.—is undeniable. She’s quickly become a rising R&B/hip-hop artist in just a few years, accomplishing much in a scant amount of time, including an opening slot for Grammy winner Lisa Fischer, winning three African Nova Scotian Music Association awards, and in 2015 being named Artist-in-Residence at Casino Nova Scotia. A sensitive, powerful performer, Smith will transfix you as she lifts you up.

Marty Williams performs with his band Ced, Marty & Dave at the Halifax Jazz Festival

Former NSTT Board member Marty Williams will perform with

Photo Credit: Ced Upshaw, Marty Williams, Dave Skinner

Ced, Marty & Dave at the

TD Halifax Jazz Festival

Sunday, July 12 
at 2 p.m.

at the Hydrostone Park (corner of Gottingen and Young Street)


There will be acts on before and after them so you can make an afternoon of it. It's a free concert.



From the TD Halifax Jazz Festival website:
Under the influence of Howling Wolf, Robert Johnson, Eric Clapton and Hank Williams, 2015’s African Nova Scotia Music Award Rising Stars play concert halls, living rooms and everything between. Ced, Marty & Dave cover but don’t copy, taking classic heart-filled, grit-soaked songs and arranging them in their unique blues-style, always leaving room for their original material, sharing stories of life and love. Personnel: Ced Upshaw (voice/guitar), Marty Williams (voice/harmonica), Dave Skinner (voice/percussion)