JazzWorks Combo Mentor Bios
Steve Boudreau
Steve Boudreau is an Ottawa-based jazz pianist and vocal accompanist. He returned to Ottawa after completing a Masters' degree in 2010 from the New England Conservatory in Boston. Since then he has toured North America with musical theatre productions and taught a great deal, including giving a talk on working with pianists for singers at a summer program in Kiefersfelden, Germany in 2012. He has also given lectures on subjects including Wayne Shorter and piano technique for jazz musicians at various jazz camps in the Ottawa area. In working with groups, Steve likes to take a "macroscopic" approach, encouraging musicians to find their place in the big picture and keep the song as a whole in mind. 
Roddy Ellias
For over four decades Roddy Ellias has been one of Canada’s most respected guitarists, composers and jazz educators. He has performed with such international legends as Lee Konitz, Nat Adderley,Tom Harrell, Pepper Adams, Cleo Laine and Lonnie Smith. With a life long study of jazz and classical guitar and a masters degree in classical composition, Roddy has taught jazz improvisation, composition, ear training and guitar at several Canadian Universities including the University of Ottawa, St. Francis Xavier University and McGill University. He currently holds the position of Professor Emeritus at Concordia University and teaches on contract at Carleton University, where he has just introduced that depar tment’s first jazz improvisation course. Teaching and mentoring young musicians has always been high on Ellias’ agenda and he is pleased to have been asked to coach the Ottawa Jazz Festival’s JazzEd program for high school students. In 2009, Roddy received the Ottawa International Jazz Festival Award of Distinction and last year Roddy was presented with the Jazz Journalists of America Jazz Hero Award, the only Canadian to receive this award in 2013. 
Rob Frayne
Rob Frayne is a Canadian jazz saxophonist and composer. Frayne established himself as a unique voice on the saxophone from the 80s on, recognized by artists such as the renowned Kenny Wheeler and Gil Evans. However, his voice as a composer is nothing short of brilliant. Rob has the rare ability to pick out what makes music powerful, combine elements from sources from all over the world, and come up with music that is utterly unique. Rob Frayne has inspired a generation of Ottawa musicians and continues to do so. Rob was leader of Chelsea Bridge, founding Angstone and is now fronting the new groovy jam-band 3Jimmys. Rob also established the Rob Frayne Dream Band of all-Canadian jazz stars in 2012, featuring Mike Murley, Jim Vivian, Petr Cancura, Roddy Ellias-- joined by emerging artists Megan Jerome and Mike Essoudry. Rob has performed with the Shuffle Demons, Mary-Margaret O’Hara, Gil Evans Orchestra, Fred Stone, Angstones, Hemispheres and many others. Besides Canadian folk and jazz festivals and concert tours, Rob has played at the Bluenote in NYC, Washington Jazzfest in the UK and Molde Jazz Festival in Norway. Check out robfrayne.com for more. 
Tim Bedner
Tim Bedner is a modern lyrical composer and improviser, and an award-winning teacher and performer on six- and seven-string guitar. Reviewers have called him “a talent and a force, playing with grace, style, passion, and inventiveness.” His CD recording “Of Light and Shadow” debuted in the #1 spot of the CMJ jazz chart. Tim teaches jazz guitar performance at Carleton University, where he founded the Contemporary & Jazz Guitar Ensemble. In addition to composing, Tim creates arrangements and guitar instructional materials. He performs extensively throughout the Ottawa-Gatineau region. Tim graduated from Duquesne University and Berklee College of Music. - See more at: http://www.timbedner.com |
Garry Elliot
Guitarist, Garry Elliott performs regularly with Ottawa's finest jazz musicians in a variety of settings and has been doing so for over thirty five years. He has recorded a CD entitled Pre-Dawn Skies with Ottawa pianist Stephen Boudreau featuring their own original tunes. He also teaches jazz and classical guitar at Carleton University and privately. Garry has also been on the faculty of JazzWorks Jazz camp as a vocal accompanist for the last 5 years. In a coaching session areas he likes to work on are encouraging group members to listen to each other as much as possible through focusing on the groove and respecting the style whether it be swing, ballad or latin; creating a concept for a tune as a group; discussing accompaniment and improv approaches and having fun! 
Mark Ferguson
Mark Ferguson is an Ottawa based pianist, trombonist, composer, arranger, producer, and music educator. He has performed with many of the world’s great artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Gil Evans, Nelson Riddle, Dionne Warwick, Natalie Cole, Tom Jones, Engelbert Humperdink, Rosemary Clooney, Carol Channing, Rob McConnell & the Boss Brass, Holly Cole, Manteca, The Funk Brothers and the National Arts Centre Orchestra. Mark is a professor at Carleton University’s department of music and directs the Carleton Jazz Ensemble. He has served as a jazz clinician at high schools and universities across Canada. 
John Geggie
John Geggie is on the faculty of the Crane School of Music, SUNY Potsdam and also teaches at the University of Ottawa and Carleton University. He is active in the Ottawa-Gatineau region as a double bass player, educator and composer. For the past 12 years, he has programmed and performed in the acclaimed Geggie Series at the National Arts Center. A member of the award-winning Chelsea Bridge and the Juno- nominated Angstones, John has toured extensively in Canada, the U. S. and Europe. His concert and performing credits include such jazz luminaries as Billy Hart, Marilyn Crispell, Jon Christensen, Susie Ibarra, Floyd Standifer, Barbra Streisand, Henry Mancini, Donny McCaslin, Ben Monder, Joel Frahm, Ted Nash and Vic Juris amongst others. Since 1998, as host for the Jam Sessions at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival, John has performed with such international artists as Courtney Pine, Wynton Marsalis, Ravi Coltrane and Joe Lovano, John Scofield and Kevin Eubanks. John holds a masters degree in Music from Indiana University. johngeggie.com 
Mike Tremblay
A native of Ottawa, Mike has more than 20 years experience in the music industry as a saxophonist and educator. Mike holds a BA MUS from Carleton University, where he now teaches saxophone. His teachers include Kirk MacDonald, Alex Dean, and George Garzone. Mike adjudicates for Musicfest Canada ( jazz ensembles), and the Kiwanis Music Festival (concert bands, jazz ensembles, and woodwinds). Mike is the co-founder of the Carleton University Jazz Camp. This annual camp combines emerging high school students with some of Canada’s elite jazz educators. 
Nicholas Dyson is one of Ottawa’s busiest trumpeters. He performs reguarly with The Beeched Wailers, Los Gringos, Rob Frayne’s Dream Band, The Yohawks, and Tilda.
Nicholas has also played with the National Arts Centre Orchestra Pops, Ottawa Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Gatineau, Capital Brassworks, and musical theatre shows such as A Chorus Line, The Full Monty, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Drowsy Chaperone and The Producers. Nicholas has also worked with Dave Brubeck, Roy Hargrove Big Band, Barbra Streisand, Aretha Franklin, Gladys Knight, Natalie Cole, Jamie Cullum, Kim Massie, Paul Anka, The Temptations, The Coasters, The Platters, Solomon Douglas Swingtet, Patrick Watson and Broken Social Scene. Nicholas has contributed to albums by Solomon Douglas Swingtet, Tilda, That’s The Spirit, SoulJazz Orchestra (‘Rising Sun’ 2011 JUNO nomination and ‘Solidarity’ (2013 JUNO nomination), Slim Moore & the Mar-Kays, Mike Essoudry’s Mash Potato Mashers, The Yohawks, Orienteers, Phil Motion & the Easy Lo-Fi, plus a live concert recording for Radio Canada with Los Gringos. The Beeched Wailers recently released their debut recording: “The Johnson Lake Sessions”. In addition to maintaining a busy private trumpet studio, Nicholas is the director of Capital Youth Jazz Orchestra. CYJO is an educationally driven jazz big band, made up primarily of students from area universities that made their debut in April 2009. Nicholas teaches trumpet and ensembles at Carleton University, is a CU Jazz Camp faculty member, and hosts Ottawa Brass Bootcamp at Alcorn Music Studios. |