About Us

Formed in 1984 by lifelong Hamilton resident Russ Weil, Hamilton All Star Jazz Band Inc. has developed into one of the premier amateur big band organizations in Canada.

The "All Star Family" includes three big bands: the Hamilton Junior Jazz Band for 11 to 15-year-olds, the Hamilton Rising Stars Jazz Band for 15 to 19-year-olds, and the Hamilton All Star Jazz Band for musicians up to 25 years. The goal of the younger musicians is to one day play in the All Stars.

Entry to the bands is by audition each September. Membership is open to all student musicians between the ages of 11 and 25 from this part of southern Ontario. Each band consist of approximately 5 saxophones, 5 trumpets, 5 trombones, guitar, bass, drums, piano and vocalist.

Over the past 23 years, over 600 musicians have participated in the All Stars organization and many have gone on to pursue additional studies or professional careers in music all over the world.

Our young people serve as ambassadors for our community. We focus on the development of life skills - responsibility, commitment, teamwork, leadership and respect in an intellectually and artistically challenging environment. We concentrate on excellence in music performance for local, national and international audiences.

Hamilton All Star Jazz Band Inc. provides a proud legacy that is directed by an enthusiastic group of community volunteers who administer a self-sustaining, multi-tiered program for young people. As a registered charitable organization, we have a duly constituted constitution and set of by-laws.

Program

The bands concentrate on "big band" music with special attention to the masters - Duke Ellington, Count Basie and the wonderful music of Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday to name only a few. The All Star Band often performs "tribute" concerts to sold-out audiences, where they focus on the repertoire or style of a particular jazz great. The band has been featured many times at major theatres in Hamilton as well as some of the major jazz venues in Toronto, including Ontario Place, the Montreal Bistro and the Rex Hotel.

In addition to performing with the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, the All Star Jazz Band has released 8 CDs. They feature some of the greatest names in jazz. Stars who have "guested" over the years include Kenny Wheeler. Guido Basso, Rob McConnell, Alex Dean, Pat La Barbera, David Braid, Mike Malone, Phil Nimmons, Rick Wilkins and more.

Making musical history for Hamilton

The All Star Jazz Band has an impressive record, having been twice named the most outstanding band in its class in Canada. It has received 10 consecutive regional gold awards, 3 national gold awards, an award of excellence at the Clark Terry Jazz Festival at the University of New Hampshire, 3 awards of excellence at the Tri-C Jazz Festival in Cleveland, Ohio, and standing invitations to many of the world's great jazz festivals.

In 1995, 2000 and 2003, the band performed at the world-famous Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux, Switzerland, an event that has, over the years, been graced by the greatest names in jazz. As part of their European tours, the Hamilton All Star Jazz Band has been featured at major jazz festivals in Vienne, Avignon, Juan-les-Pins, Aix-les-Bains, Aix-en-Provence, Reims, and Strasbourg in France, along with Freiburg in Germany, San Remo in Italy and Brienz in Switzerland. The band has been featured in-concert for the Canadian Ambassador to France to celebrate Canada Day at his official residence and at the Canadian Embassy in Paris.

Highlights included concerts at Disneyland in Paris in 1995, the promotion of Canadian culture with an "all-Canadian" jazz program all over Europe in 2000, and then in 2003, the All Stars delivered a program of WWII music in Courseulles-sur-Mer, France, to celebrate the opening of the Juno Beach Centre -our memorial to Canadian veterans and the liberation of Europe on D-Day in 1944.

In January 1998, the Hamilton All Star Jazz Band was featured at the International Association for Jazz Education Conference in New York City, an event attended by some 8000 jazz artists and educators from all over the world. In Canada, they have performed for the Prime Minister, the Governal General and at a special celebration for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II before 15,000 appreciative fans.

Currently, our major initiatives are focused on our own studios and rehearsal facilities at the Old Firehall Arts Centre in Ancaster. This is a joint project with the City of Hamilton and our partner, Theatre Ancaster. It is our permanent home and our centre for rehearsal and development.

If you are interested in more information about this exciting project, please contact us.