 |
| |
|
| |
Michelle Gregoire
Scroll down to read about major projects.
For bookings and more info, e-mail me by clicking on the following:
|
|
| |
|
| |
*******************
News:
*******************
April 2007:
Successful MCO Concert will air on CBC Radio on the following programs/dates:
Canada Live (national) on April 30, 8 pm on CBC Radio 2
Symphony Hall (national) on Sunday, May 6, 10 am on CBC Radio 2
Shaken Not Stirred on either May 5 or 19 on local Winnipeg Radio 1 - either date to be confirmed.
The concert of March 27th was great fun and hearing my new piece was amazing, thanks to the MCO for doing such a tremendous job and for performing so beautifully and to Alain Trudel for leading us through an outstanding performance! The CBC did a great job with the recording, it sounds so rich so please tune in. I'll have exact details on times etc, and a link for online streaming in the next few days.
Here's part of the review by Holly Harris of the Winnipeg Free Press:
"Grégoire is quickly making a name for herself both for her tastefully elegant playing chops as well as her burgeoning career as a jazz composer. A regular player with the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, she received critical acclaim for her debut CD, Reaching, released in 2004.
Her latest project, the CBC-commissioned Gratitude Suite, is a mature three-movement work for jazz trio and string orchestra, composed specifically for the MCO concert.
The 15-minute work's hymnal opening and warmly expressive theme showed off Grégoire's innate musicality and expansive writing. Particularly intriguing was the combination of the jubilant third movement's richly harmonized strings and the band's rhythmic groove."
Harris also wrote :
"An arrangement of poignant Miles Away didn't fare quite so well, with the orchestra's doubling of the melody and lush chord structures feeling somewhat superfluous."
I have to say I do agree with Harris' comment there, and it's especially funny to read that knowing I spent weeks and weeks while in Banff trying to get that piece to work, it was an older composition of mine that was added to the program, but I never conceived of it as anything other than a very intimate number so adding strings did indeed seem superfluous in my head. THAT said, I do think the arrangement turned out beautifully in the end, I was very happy with it.
March 2007:
Dear friends,
I hope you will all join me for a very special concert this Tuesday, March 27th, the Michelle Grégoire Trio with the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra conducted by the incredible Alain Trudel!
Westminister United Church
745 Westminister Avenue, Winnipeg.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007, 7:30 pm
The concert is co-presented by the MCO and CBC Radio, and will be recorded for national broadcast by CBC Radio. The programme includes some impressive music for String Orchestra as well as music for my jazz trio (Rob Siwik drums and Steve Hamilton bass) and the orchestra in the second half of the concert.
Two of my compositions appear on the program, one of which, a CBC Radio commission, will receive its world premiere. The work entitled "Gratitude Suite for String Orchestra and Jazz Trio" is in part inspired by the four glorious months I spent at the Banff Centre this past year. The programme also includes an arrangement I did of one of my originals "Miles Away". I am very pleased with how this piece turned out, so anyone familiar with the composition should find it really interesting. Other works include an arrangement by Toronto guitarist Reg Schwager of Gershwin's "Embraceable You" which appears on Mike Murley's recent recording "The Melody Lingers On". We will also perform a Hugh Fraser classic, "Mr J.T".
For more information and programme notes please visit:
http://www.manitobachamberorchestra.org/0607/p27mar07.html
Tickets are available at Ticketmaster (780-3333), McNally Robinson or the MCO ticketline (783-7377) or click here for ticketmaster: http://www.ticketmaster.ca/event/11003CCDEF9E417A
Michelle Grégoire's recent activities:
Pianist and composer Michelle Grégoire has been a fixture on the Winnipeg jazz scene for several years. But since the release of her debut CD Reaching, she has begun to emerge as one of the more significant jazz talents in Canada right now. An active freelance musician since 1984, Michelle maintains a solid reputation as a sideperson and band leader having very recently performed with artists such as Hugh Fraser and VEJI (Vancouver Ensemble of Jazz Improvisation), Fredick Alarie, Liberty Silver, Brian Hughes, Walle Larsson, Mark Appelbaum, and many others.
As a leader she released Reaching which featured her compositions and an allstar cast of some of Canada's finest jazz musicians. Reaching has been widely praised for the sophisticated elegance of Grégoire's compositions and has done extremely well since its release, winning an award nomination as Outstanding Jazz Recording at the Western Canadian Music Awards and garnering excellent reviews and strong national media attention. This media attention included a cover feature story in CODA magazine (a Canadian jazz periodical) as well as a feature in SOCAN's Paroles et Musique. The CD which received excellent reviews in Canada was released this past September, 2006 in the United States and garnered a great deal of airplay and excellent reviews there as well. It has been listed as one of the best of the year by CB''s After Hours, by JazzEnvoy.com, and made many top 10 lists on radio stations across Canada and the United States.
In February 2006, the Michelle Grégoire Quintet completed an 11 city national Canadian tour in support of Reaching thanks to funding from the Canada Council for the Arts and Manitoba Film and Sound. This also led to some exciting performances at some major festivals last summer including the All Canadian Jazz Festival in Ontario, as well as the Montréal Jazz Festival where the quintet was nominated for the Grand Prix de Jazz and Galaxie Étoile competitions.
In the fall of 2006, Michelle received a substantial scholarship to attend the Banff Centre Long Term Career Development Residency (4 months), where she spent focused time studying string and orchestral writing, composing, and performing with guest artists such as Stanford professor, jazz pianist and composer Mark Appelbaum, Canadian composer and orchestrator Rodney Sharman, conductor, violinist and head of Julliard's violin department Joel Smirnoff, New York based jazz pianist and composer Andy Milne, composer John Halle, French violinist Philppe Graffin, and many other world class musicians, composers and conductors.
Michelle received numerous commissions in 2006, one of which included a project commissioned by CBC Radio to write a suite for the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra which will receive its world premiere in Winnipeg on March 27, 2007. She was also asked to arrange an existing composition of hers for this same concert. The concert will feature her on piano and along with members of her jazz trio. The concert will be recorded by the CBC and aired nationally sometime in 2007.
Michelle is also a member of the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra, a group that presents a regular concert season. They are celebrating our 10th year anniversary this year, and to mark this event, the WJO received a Commission and Development Grant from the Manitoba Arts Council so that four of the orchestra's composers (including Michelle) could compose new works for the ensemble. Michelle's new work will be prsented as part of a feature concert with guest Phil Dwyer in October 2007.
Michelle also received a grant this year from the Manitoba Arts Council to attend the Banff Centre, as well as a grant from the Canada Council for the Arts which will enable her to compose and practice for the next six months, as well as study with Toronto based jazz pianist David Restivo among others. Michelle is also preparing a new recording with her quintet which features some of Canada's finest jazz musicians.
Michelle is the creator and artistic director of the Canadian Jazz Concerts, a regular season of concerts which features touring jazz artists from across Canada.
------------------------------------------------
For immediate release, January 12, 2006
Media contact for Michelle Grégoire:
Maurice Hogue info@cameltrainproductions.ca, (204)-783-9236
****************
Michelle Grégoire Quintet
Canadian Tour 2006
****************
Jazz pianist and composer Michelle Grégoire embarks on an 11 city National Canadian tour, February 7-18, 2006 with appearances in Calgary, Victoria, Vancouver, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Toronto, Antigonish, Halifax, Charlottetown, Ottawa and Montréal.
Please check the performances page for a detailed itinerary,
****************
"since the release of her debut CD Reaching, [Michelle Grégoire] has begun to emerge as one of the more significant jazz talents in Canada right now." -Daryl Angier
"a pianist and composer deserving wider recognition, especially outside of her native land." -Ken Dryden, CODA
Winnipeg-based pianist and composer Michelle Grégoire embarks on her first Canadian tour with an all-star cast featuring some of Canada's most impressive jazz performers, Toronto based musicians, saxophonist Kirk MacDonald, trumpeter Kevin Turcotte, bassist Jim Vivian, and drummer Ted Warren. Her debut CD Reaching featuring this dynamic quintet and eight of her original compositions was released last year on the Boat House Records label and has been widely praised for the sophisticated elegance of Grégoire's compositions.
"her ingenious creations are all of interest" -Geoff Chapman, Toronto Star
Nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award as Outstanding Jazz Recording, Reaching was listed as one of the best of the year by CBC's After Hours and has been in regular rotation on Canadian airwaves since its release.
"It is, in very general terms, jazz of the post-bop sort. That's both a temporal and stylistic qualification, dating from the mid-1960s and referring to the twists and turns melodically, harmonically and rhythmically, that forward-thinking musicians of that era employed to free themselves from bebop's strictures." -Mark Miller, Globe and Mail
"strong melody, superb musicianship, a creative but accessible approach, great sound, and continuity of tone." -Andy Sheppard, host of CBC's After Hours
" Without spooking the proverbial horses of jazz tradition, Reaching is a healthy reminder that post-bop jazz need not always be mapped as head, vamp and sequential solos. That this music is as welcoming as a hug is, perhaps, a bonus" -Randall McIlroy, CODA
A talented composer and versatile performer, jazz pianist Michelle Grégoire holds an undergraduate jazz degree from St. Francis Xavier University and a Master of Music degree in Jazz Studies from the Florida State University. She attended the Hugh Fraser Jazz Orchestra Residency in Banff where she worked with Maria Schneider and Kenny Wheeler. She has also studied privately with world renowned composer Bob Brookmeyer. An active freelance musician since 1984, Michelle maintains a solid reputation as a band leader and sideperson and has worked with the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra since its inception in 1997 where she appeared with artists like Bill Watrous, Phil Nimmons, Guido Basso, Kirk MacDonald, Byron Stripling and others. She is also in great demand as a sideperson having performed with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra, Stefan Bauer, Larry Roy, Walle Larsson, and Fred Penner to name a few. A recent performance with Kenny Wheeler was described as a "gorgeous duet by two astounding professionals, one in the twilight of his career and the other just emerging into the full light of day." Michelle was the winner of the Project COOL 2004 jazz competition which awarded her a $15 000 recording grant to use towards the production and marketing of Reaching.
The Michelle Grégoire Quintet tour is supported by the Canada Council for the Arts which enables Canadian audiences to discover artists from other regions and provinces. As part of this cross country tour, the quintet will perform selections from Reaching and will premiere new material thanks to a Commission and Development Grant from the Manitoba Arts Council.
Reaching was released on Boat House Records, BHR CD 018, and is distributed by CMC/Fusion III. The CD was produced with the participation of Manitoba Film and Sound as well as Project COOL 2004. For more information, digital photos, bios, reviews and more, please refer to the Media Online Press Kit at http://www.michellegregoire.com
or contact Maurice Hogue, info@cameltrainproductions.ca, (204)-783-9236.
*******************
News:
*******************
For immediate release
September 30, 2005
Pianist and composer Michelle Grégoire appears in Toronto
Thursday and Friday, October 6, 7, 2005, 9:30 p.m.
The Rex Jazz and Blues Bar
*******************
Winnipeg based pianist and composer Michelle Grégoire returns to Toronto for a weekend performance at the Rex. She will appear with her quintet which includes some of Canada's finest performers, Toronto based musicians, saxophonist Kirk MacDonald, trumpeter Kevin Turcotte, bassist Jim Vivian, and drummer Ted Warren.
"since the release of her debut CD Reaching, [Michelle Grégoire] has begun to emerge as one of the more significant jazz talents in Canada right now." -Daryl Angier
For the Rex performance, the quintet will present new material as well as selections from Grégoire's acclaimed debut disc Reaching which has just received a nomination for a Western Canadian Music Award as "Outstanding Jazz Recording" alonside such notables as Diana Krall, Brad Turner Trio, Ryga/Rosnes Quartet and Oliver Gannon.
"the most beautiful CD I've heard in years...exciting, inspired and new while building on the tradition called jazz." -Hugh Fraser
"a superb effort by a pianist and composer deserving wider recognition, especially outside of her native land." -Ken Dryden, CODA
Grégoire is the cover and feature in this month's issue of CODA magazine, and was recently awarded a Canada Council for the Arts Touring grant which will support an 12 city national tour of Canada in February, 2006.
"Devoted to Grégoire's compositions, Reaching is deep and mobile...That this music is as welcoming as a hug is, perhaps, a bonus." -Randall McIlroy
Reaching was released on Boat House Records, BHR CD 018, and is distributed by CMC/Fusion III
*************************
April 2005:
Reaching is getting a lot of airplay! And excellent reviews.
The Cd has been a regular feature for the last 5 months on CBC's After Hours (National Jazz Broadcast), and on Jazz FM in Toronto, 99.1 Cool - FM in Wpg, Espace Musique, CKUW (Winnipeg)...and more!
We made the After Hours list of top jazz Cd's released in 2004, and UMFM listed the CD as top Canadian Jazz Cd released in 2004.
We are the number 1 jazz album at CKXU Lethbridge this week aside from the #1 again in Kamloops BC this week, #1 in Kelowna, and CKXU also listed my Cd Number 5 OVERALL (that's including other styles!!). We've been getting airplay almost everywhere in Canada and listed weekly within the top 10 in the individual College Jazz Charts in cities like Vancouver, Victoria, Ottawa, Saskatoon, Calgary, and Toronto.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
| |
SOLO PIANO & ACCOMPANIMENT
Michelle performs regularly as a solo jazz pianist and accompanist. Influenced by the likes of Wynton Kelly, Bill Evans and Keith Jarrett, Michelle's style is always swinging, never obtrusive, always musical. She has a natural sense of rhythm and time, and lyricism is ever present in her playing.
Equipped with a large repertoire consisting of originals, jazz standards, popular songs as well as light classics, Michelle is available for concerts and background music functions. "People often ask me if I mind doing background music, and I always say that I actually really enjoy it. It's always a challenge to feel out a room, a situation, to play just the right thing. If I do it right, I can create exactly the right kind of mood and people do listen, perhaps subliminally sometimes, but I can sense when Ive had an affect on them"
Michelle is also a very talented accompanist, receiving much praise for her sensitivity, and artistry, making her in great demand by vocalists and horn players. "I've learnt much from accompaniment. Its just you and the singer many times. You really have to listen, interact and care about where the music wants to go, where the singer wants to take it. I've been told its a real artform to accompany somebody appropriately. It can be a big responsibility but I enjoy the challenge".
"Michelle is a wonderful accompanist; sensitive, intuitive, fluid and supportive. She can swing like crazy and her take on ballads is always meltingly elegant."
Martha Brooks (Vocalist)
"I love Michelles playing!"
Ron Paley (Jazz pianist)
"You really added to the success of our event!"
Dina Wood (Bayer)
MICHELLE GREGOIRE JAZZ TRIO
One of the busiest jazz trios in the city, the Michelle Gregoire Jazz Trio has gained popularity over the years, having been featured at various venues across town. Michelle surrounds herself with the most talented musicians around featuring bassists like Gilles Fournier and drummers such as Rob Siwik . "I rarely if ever use just the same combination of players. I find I get so much from different players, and will pick and choose either on availability or on the circumstance provided for me".
Sticking to the standard piano trio format of piano, bass and drums, Michelle draws from various musical sources including the Oscar Peterson Trio, The Keith Jarrett Trio, the Bill Evans Trio and many more. "I find that certain combinations of players invite certain trio styles. For example, with Gilles and Rob, I find myself venturing into the syles of Red Garland, Oscar Peterson and Bill Evans. With Steve Hamilton and Kelly Marques, I really enjoy the Jarrett-like interaction.
Michelle's Jazz Trio is available for concerts and background music functions.
"The hottest new trio in the city!"
Sylvia Kuzik (CKY)
"Thank you very much for a wonderful performance last night...You made an excellent impression on everyone who attended. I hope that we will be able to have you again at another function"
Donna Kramer (Greystone)
"The music was great! If you only knew how many people congratulated us on our choice of music, and on the ambience that you created."
Suzanne Druwé
"Your selections added tremendously to a beautiful and memorable evening."
Joel Morris, Sandy Hyman (Jewish Child and Family Services)
MICHELLE GREGOIRE BAND
For weddings and corporate events:
Michelle can create almost any size ensemble for wedding receptions, corporate events and concerts. Mainly featuring vocalists Gerry Paquin, Jo-Lynne and other talented vocalists, the group usually consists of piano, bass, drums, one or many horn players and vocalists. Big Band is also available featuring music from the Swing era all the way up to modern pop!
An evening with Michelle's band can begin with cocktail/dinner music featuring solo piano, jazz duo or the Michelle Gregoire Jazz Trio. The group can grow to quartet with horn for dinner dance music, and finally full band with vocalists for the dance portion of the evening. Michelle's band has a very wide repertoire of songs, all styles ranging from jazz standards, ballroom dancing, to current pop/rock and RnB classics. Performances are always very solid and of the highest quality.
Michelle has a solid reputation as a very capable and organized leader. Only hiring the best local talent, Michelle prides herself in providing quality yet affordable entertainment. Prompt and polite service is also important to Michelle "I believe in returning calls and e-mails right away and getting the business side of things taken care of properly. I think this can be the first step in creating an excellent impression, and that's important to me."
"Thank you again for a marvelous evening of music ... You put together a wonderful group of talented individuals, and all of our
guests enjoyed the music at the reception, during dinner and at the dance."
Elaine Goldie, (Executive Director-External Relations, U of M)
"I wanted to reiterate how much we loved your band and all of the music you played. I think that the amount of dancing that occurred is a good testament to the fact that our guests loved the music too!"
Alison Goldie
|
|
| |
|
| |
Michelle Gregoire Quintet
Michelle will be recording her debut CD in July 2004. This long overdue recording will feature the best of her original compostions, as well as an all star verteran cast of top Canadian jazz Musicians. These include Toronto based musicians, Juno winner, saxophonist Kirk MacDonald, National jazz Award trumpeter of the year Kevin Turcotte, and top call Toronto rhythm sections featuring Ted Warren on drums and Jim Vivian on bass.
Musical Direction by Michelle
The bulk of Michelle's work involves doing the musical direction for a variey of concerts, galas, events and recordings. For many years, Michelle has worked on CBC's and le 100 Non's "En Eclosion" (Radio series) and "Le Gala Manitobain de la Chanson". Other CBC contracts include "Le Chant Ouest 2002" and "Chantecler 2003". Contracts outside the CBC include "Les Prix Riels" (2002, 2003), as well as many Spontanum Productions including "Brel: À la vie, à la mort", "Le Gala de la FCCP", "Gala de Pluri-elles", and the fantastic New Year's Eve yearly event featuring Michelle, Gerry Paquin and the Kings of Swing (Big Band). (Go to Spontanum.ca for more info).
Recent recordings include Jeff Staflund's recent release, where Michelle acted as arranger and musical director for the CD.
"Ms. Grégoire has proven herself highly capable and well organized...She has consistently brought strong leadership and creativity to the projects she undertook for us, and I can attest to the importance of her personal contribution to these productions."
Gilles Fréchette, CBC, (Program Manager of French Radio in Manitoba)
Essentially, a big THANK YOU! is in order for you and your group. The positive attitude I get from you makes the project a heck of a lot of fun to work on and it shows in your gang as well. I'm looking forward to the next one! Paul Barnabé (CBC Sound Engineer and Producer of En Eclosion in 2000-2001).
Michelle with the WJO
Michelle has been a member of the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra since it's inception in 1997. The WJO is a 20 piece big band offering a regular concert season presenting the finest works written for big band, and also featuring Canadian and Manitoban composers. Michelle is a featured pianist and composer for the WJO. For more info on the orchestra, visit their website at www.winnipegjazzorchestra.com
|
|
|
