C E L L A R J A Z Z

Description

In 10 years The Cellar Restaurant and Jazz Club has established itself as not only the top jazz venue in Vancouver, but as one of the top jazz clubs in the world. In an ambitious undertaking, club owner Cory Weeds bought the establishment in the summer of 2000 and quickly turned it into the premier jazz venue in Vancouver. The focus of the club was to promote Vancouver and Canadian jazz musicians. The room has seen visits by every major player from the Vancouver Scene and across Canada. In addition Weeds has brought in many of the major names on the international scene to the club either with their own band or more often then not, to join forces with the best that the Vancouver jazz community has to offer. Some of these international musicians to perform include David 'Fathead' Newman, Tom Harrell, Charles MacPherson, Benny Golson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Ed Thigpen, Kenny Garrett, Les McCann, Scott Hamilton, Joey Defrancesco, George Coleman and Eric Alexander. The Cellar Restaurant / Jazz Club is often compared to the legendary New York nightspot, The Village Vanguard for its vibe and acoustics. One of the Top 100 Jazz Clubs Worldwide (2002, 2004, 2006, 2008) - The Downbeat International Jazz Club Guide The Best of the City: Best Jazz Joint (2004) - Vancouver Magazine Rising Stars of Vancouver: Best Live Music Venue, 2nd (2005) - Vancouver Courier "Alto saxophonist Cory Weeds, the show's star took a wild ride on the band's rhythm as if it would carry him off the stage." - Peter Goddard, Toronto Star Cory Weeds pretty much covers every role on the Vancouver jazz scene - musician, record producer, radio host, agent, record label owner and jazz club owner. Weeds was born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia by a musical family and attended both Capilano College and the University of North Texas before returning home to pursue his career as a professional musician. In 2000 Weeds took a leap of faith and bought the Cellar Jazz Club and turned it into Vancouver's only full time jazz club. The club has showcased the best Canadian and international talent but Weeds is most proud of providing a place for local musicians to play. A musician himself, Weeds has earned the respect of local musicians and the audience and has turned the Cellar Jazz Club and Restaurant into one of the city's favourite and hippest live music venues. In 2001, after listening to night after night of incredible music, Weeds released a compilation of live performances at the club. Inspired by rave reviews from this release, Weeds intended to release more compilations but instead turned to releasing full albums recorded live at the club. His record label, Cellar Live , was born and to date has released 15 albums. Weeds' experience as a working jazz musician in his own groups as well as a sideman have helped him hone his skills for producing innovative, exciting and influential jazz records. His talents as a producer were recognized with a nomination for Producer of the Year in 2002, 2003, and 2004 at the National Jazz Awards. He has won the award two years in a row (2007 and 2008). The label features jazz legends Charles MacPherson, David 'Fathead' Newman, Lonnie Smith however its biggest accomplishment has been show casing the local talent. Vancouver stalwarts Oliver Gannon, Bruno Hubert, Sharon Minemoto, Chad Makela, Jodi Proznick and James Danderfer all have their debut recordings on this label. In 2006 Weeds started and imprint of Cellar Live called 'Futures' dedicated to the release of CDs by young up and coming talent. The first label in Canada and perhaps in North America to take on a venture of this kind. The first two releases: Amanda Tosoff - Still Life and The October Trio - Day In have been received warmly throughout the country. Cellar Live celebrated its 50th Release this past January with pianist Ross Taggart and his trio's PRESENTING. The label's 51st release, Weeds' own EVERYTHING'S COMING UP WEEDS was critically acclaimed worldwide and spent 18 weeks on the JazzWeek Charts making it as high as #6. "The hardest working man in jazz-business!" - Kate Hammett-Vaughan 3611 W. Broadway St. Vancouver BC V6R 2B8 604 738 1959 (phone) 604 738 1944 (fax) info@cellarjazz.com

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