Beth McKenna Jazz Orchestra - Home: Montréal (2016)

Home: Montréal is a monumental work which takes the listeners on a unique visit of Montréal without leaving their seats. Inspired by jazz, rock, contemporary pop, fusion, R&B, film genre, orchestral music and indie genres, Beth and her ensemble of 18 of the most versatile professional musicians in Montreal's jazz community deliver a powerful, riveting and epic yet inspired illustration of their city. From the Plateau Mont-Royal, to the developmental process of the Olympic Stadium with Montreal as a competitive world stage, to the chaos of the Montreal downtown among many other places, Beth McKenna Jazz Orchestra will be performing the world premiere of this brand new suite that illustrates the rich, spontaneous, diverse and colourful tapestry which is Montreal.

As a jazz orchestra composer, Beth strives to bring jazz and contemporary big band repertoire back to the mainstream---to re-engage audiences and to attract listeners back to jazz as a genre, pulling her unique writing style away from swing, bebop and straight ahead jazz, greatly influenced by many composers including Brad Mehldau, Maria Schneider, Pat Metheny, Donny McCaslin, David Binney, Christine Jensen, Darcy James Argue and Radiohead.

Beth has studied and collaborated in her work over the past years with renowned award-winning jazz composers including Jim McNeely, Darcy James Argue (NYC), Christine Jensen and John Roney (Montreal), and saxophonists Rémi Bolduc, Chet Doxas and Donny Kennedy.