Frank D'Angelo
Mystic Bowie
Olga Osipova
Tom Coles
Mo Jazz
Dale Rasmussen
Allen Christie
Julie Michels
Technical Support
Freelance Musicians
Frank D’Angelo’s music career started in the 80’s as front man of the band Toronto, bringing audiences to their feet with R&B hits as they played to packed houses across North America. His current band - a 15 piece ensemble with a complete brass section –is a musical medley comprised of some of Canada’s top musicians covering a broad range of musical styles, eras, and sensibilities. Whether it’s entertaining Canadian Troops or opening for the likes of Tom Cochrane, Peter Frampton, Burton Cummings, LoverBoy, Gino Vanelli, The Temptations, Cowboy Junkies, Alannah Myles or George Canyon, when D’Angelo hits the stage it’s an unexpected and welcome blast of energy. Singing a veritable discography of his original music combined with all time favorite tunes in his distinctive high energy old-school R&B, D’Angelo woos his audience with his signature style. D’Angelo has sung the national anthem at a Toronto Argonaut game and released his debut effort, You Gotta Believe to Believe in March 2007, the proceeds of which went towards breast cancer research. Just in time for the 2009 holiday season, D’Angelo has released his own version of the holiday classic - Silent Night with proceeds going to charities that support the homeless. He is currently working on his second album of original music slated for release in the first quarter of 2010.
More information can be found at www.frankdangelo.ca.
Contact Entertainment Management to book Frank D'Angelo for festival, casino, fundraiser and other large stage performances.
Entertainment Management is currently booking July and August 2010 festival and club engagements for Mystic Bowie. More details will be posted here soon. Now you will find more information at www.mysticbowie.com. Contact Entertainment Management by phone (250) 851-1180 or email to book Mystic Bowie's high-energy reggae show.
Within a month of the Canadian release of Olga Osipova’s all-original debut CD Velvet & Lace, the CD topped the smooth jazz charts in her native Russia and was added to rotation on many radio stations in Canada, USA, Australia, Brazil, New Zealand, France, Portugal, Italy, Netherlands, Poland and more. Olga’s music is receiving rave reviews on a number of TV stations and local papers; her picture appeared on the cover of BC Musician Magazine in August, she was featured in Madeleine Magazine in November, won the Best Jazz Artist of the Year at the BC Interior Music Awards, and most recently, Olga was announced Finalist in the 8th Annual Independent Music Awards.
Born in St. Petersburg, Russia, Olga grew up in a musical family. Her uncle, a famous concert pianist, recognized her talent from an early age and made sure that Olga received classical piano lessons from the best instructors in the country. At fourteen, she was already an accomplished pianist, winning awards and performing complex arrangements well beyond her years.
As a passionate student, Olga felt like she needed to expand her writing beyond her first language and completed a Masters degree in Linguistics; now fluent in Russian, German and English, she moved to Germany and continued her performance career and musical training at Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg.
JazzTimes Magazine: "Osipova spontaneously suggests the luxuriant smoulder of Marlene Dietrich, but does the iconic screen siren one better...she proves herself an excellent songsmith, crafting a dozen consistently fine tunes."
Contact Entertainment Management to have Olga bring her jazz and cabaret styled show to your venue or event.
Tom Coles has woven together an artful blend of styles within the acoustic genre, incorporating folk, bluegrass, country and contemporary acoustic into his original songs, each as varied as the musical tastes he has acquired in over thirty years of playing.
Tom's music has been described as "Gordon Lightfoot meets Doc Watson", citing two major musical influences in his life. Yet his style is distinctly Tom Coles. His lyrics are infused with life’s stories, enduring love and optimistic passion for true happiness. Wonderful finger-picking accompanies each song. Growing up in Toronto during the folk music heyday of the sixties and seventies gave Tom the opportunity to hear live performances by the legends including Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Arlo Guthrie, Ian and Sylvia, Joni Mitchell and of course Gordon Lightfoot and Doc Watson. Inspired by those experiences, Tom performed professionally at coffee houses in and around Toronto for several years until the folk venues closed under the waning popularity of folk music. He then paid fifteen years of road dues playing country and country-rock music across North America.
Tom Coles has now returned to his music roots. Many of his songs reflect his love of nature and of the simple country life. He sings from experience. Tom and his wife enjoy life off-the-grid with solar power and wood heat.
Tom Coles is currently touring to support his new CD, "A Brand New Dawn".
Mo Jazz is a versatile jazz combo covering several styles. Each member of the group brings his own influences which contribute to the mix. The Mo Jazz repertoire includes swing, Latin, blues, bop and pop. The size of the group fluxuates as the membership evolves, at times being as lean as a trio or as large as a sextet. The current core of the group includes the extraordinary drumming of Buddy Rogers, Grant Porter’s electric and string bass, Ray Nyuli on guitars and the tenor sax of Graham Kay.
Michael Occhipinti recently preformed several dates in British Columbia. Entertainment Management has received unqualified favourable feedback from audiences and presenters. We are now booking dates for The Sicilian Jazz Project in Western Canada with Alberta dates at the heart of the tour. Please contact ray.nyuli@EntertainmentManagement.ca or (250) 851-1180 to discuss booking this terrific band.
The Sicilian Jazz Project has been dazzling audiences with its intriguing mix of Sicilian folk material and the best elements of modern jazz, world music, funk, blues, and chamber music. Combining a unique repertoire with the energy and skills of great musicians, it is a group like no other. The newest project put together by acclaimed Toronto guitarist/composer and 2008 JUNO Award nominee Michael Occhipinti, The Sicilian Jazz Project features some of Canada’s finest musicians, including Roberto Occhipinti on bass, Ernie Tollar on flute/saxophones, Dominic Mancuso on vocals and guitar, Kevin Turcotte on trumpet, Louis Simao on accordion, Barry Romberg on drums, and Michael Occhipinti on acoustic and electric guitars, with vocalist Maryem Tollar, violinist Hugh Marsh and a string quartet all featured on the group’s new CD as well. As with his Juno Award nominated CD Creation Dream, which explored the songs of Bruce Cockburn from a jazz musician’s point of view, The Sicilian Jazz Project has Michael reshaping the traditional folk music of Sicily. In 1954 ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax toured Sicily, recording traditional folk music performed by diverse individuals including sulphur miners, tuna fishermen, and assorted peasants and folk entertainers. Many of these raw field recordings form the basis of The Sicilian Jazz Project, along with traditional dances and ballads gleaned from Michael and Roberto’s cousins in Sicily. As the band’s composer/arranger, Michael Occhipinti has reinvented the music in imaginative ways that nevertheless capture the original emotions behind the songs. The result is a passionate instrumental and vocal repertoire that makes reference to many genres and resonates with listeners. The talented individuals who make up the group have experience in jazz, classical, Arabic, Cuban, Brazilian, and Italian popular music. In inventing new ways of experiencing the source music, Michael uses the eclecticism of the ensemble as a great asset and freely blends Sicilian music with global rhythms and a variety of modern approaches to the music. Michael also incorporates his own unabashed love of electric guitar sounds. Michael Occhipinti released The Sicilian Jazz Project in Canada in June of 2008, and the group’s Canadian festival tour yielded many stellar reviews. The CD will be released worldwide in February 2009, and Michael and the group have already been invited to perform in Italy, Australia, Mexico, and the United States. “The Sicilian Jazz Project is an astonishingly salient new sound in the jazz spectrum” Stephen Pedersen – Halifax Chronicle Herald “Occhipinti’s re-imaginings don’t sound like pure Sicilian music; nor are they intended to. Instead, they’re the sound of a musician who knows where he came from and where he’s going – and that’s a beautiful thing.” Alex Vary The Georgia Straight (Vancouver) “Michael Occhipinti's Sicilian Jazz Project was a winning sextet with exotic ethno-musical influences from Sicily and the Mediterranean stitched to contemporary jazz inventions, rousing a Thursday crowd at the Yardbird. With Occhipinti's wonderful arrangements, it was beautifully rendered with the soulful vocal of Dominic Mancuso and a band of Toronto's best (including trumpeter Kevin Turcotte and drummer Barry Romberg). Sicilian yes, but ultimately Canadian.” Roger Levesque – Edmonton Journal
Contact Entertainment Management to book Allen and his band in your venue. You can listen to samples and see more photos at http://www.myspace.com/allenchristieband. You will find Allen's bio below the following photo.
Allen Christie has been touring North America with a driving acoustic sound that has been getting a lot of attention. By blending elements of alternative country, western, and bluegrass music Allen has taken his roots based sound to new levels. Allen leads his band with strong vocals and a flattop guitar. He has also been known to pull out a mandolin or a banjo on occasion. His easy going nature and sense of humour coupled with his musical talent and showmanship have endured him to audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Allen's first album," The Last Rodeo", and his 2006 self titled album, feature songs, like The Old Bronc Saddle, Borderline, The Last Rodeo, and Alberta May, songs he wrote reflecting his rural Alberta upbringing. Songs that paint vivid pictures of what life is like on the Prairies – you get to share the hopes and dreams of the people that work the land along with their special moments, successes and failures, and ultimately, their ability to not just survive rural living, but to celebrate it. Allen’s talent as a songwriter has not gone without recognition. His songs have been used on the big screen as part of movie soundtracks, TV documentaries, and commercials. Allen has shared the stage with the likes of Ian Tyson, Corb Lund, Danny Mac, Dick Damron, The Poverty Plainsmen, Steve Fox, Tim Hus, Dian Chase, Rex Allen Jr. and many more. Cowboy Country TV aired a segment on Allen and his music in April 2008 as part of their Fifth Season and is available on DVD through Canadian Cowboy Magazine's General Store. He has just finished a new original CD called, "Banjos Broncs & Buckaroos", released in January 2009.
Dale Rasmussen has been performing professionally for 30 years and has won many fans for his outstanding talents as a piano/keyboard player, singer and music arranger. He is also an accomplished guitarist.
Dale performs in most popular styles of music including jazz, swing, blues, pop, R&B, soul and country/roots. He also writes and performs his own compositions. His influences range from the jazz of Cole Porter and Gershwin to the classic pop songwriting of Paul Simon and Elton John. Dale performs as a solo artist and within groups and his versatility and professionalism make him a popular live entertainer.
Over the years Dale has performed at hundreds of venues across Canada, from clubs to theatre concerts, schools, and corporate and community events. Some of his recent appearances include the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, Vancouver Folk Music Festival, Vancouver Island Music Fest and Sunpeaks Resort. He is based out of Kamloops BC where he is in demand as a performer, studio musician and music teacher.
Dale’s most recent CD of original compositions, RAVEN’S WING, is noted for its fine songwriting and, in the words of one reviewer, Dale’s “master musicianship.” The album is heard regularly on CBC radio and college, internet and other public broadcasts.
“Experiencing the music of Kevin Barrett and Julie Michels live in concert is something you won’t forget. They might look like a duo but their music fills the room and commands attention.” [Jaymz Bee - Producer & Host - JAZZ. FM91] The musical chemistry between Julie Michels and Kevin Barrett finds expression in their fresh interpretations of jazz standards and their penchant for bringing songs from other genres into the jazz oeuvre. Julie Michels has been singing as long as she can remember and landed her first paying gig at the age of 15. Starting out in folk, rock, and blues, with a brief detour into Scottish highland dance, Julie had already begun to develop her distinctively soulful sound in clubs and on radio when she was introduced to jazz by legendary bassist Richard Davis, who became a mentor. For several years Julie divided her time between gigs in Europe and North America before settling in Toronto, where she has played with George Koller, Wayne Cass and Kevin Barrett at popular jazz venues The Montreal Bistro, The Rex, Hugh's Room, Statler's Lounge, and others. “Insouciantly slinky” is what Katie Malloch [JazzBeat/CBC] calls Kevin Barrett’s guitar playing. Kevin has been recording and performing as a guitarist in Toronto (and previously in Ottawa) for more than 25 years. He has released two CD's: Kevin Barrett Trio: "JAM" (1999) and Kevin Barrett Group: "Share the Wealth" (2002) and has performed in a wide range of jazz festivals as well as most of Toronto’s night-clubs. In addition to working with Julie and leading his own group, Kevin has worked with a wide range of fine performers including Molly Johnson, Big Rude Jake, David Wall, Deekaye Ibomeka and Jaymz Bee’s Royal Jelly Orchestra. Kevin has appeared as co-producer on several recordings recently, including Lisa Lindo’s “I Hear Music" and Boo Watson’s “Opening Moves”. Ron Davis & Lori Cullen, Jay Boehmer, and Kye Marshall have also recently released CDs featuring Kevin’s playing. In 2003 Julie and Kevin released their first CD together, Live at Statler’s. Recorded live at the night-club where they hold a Thursday-night residency, the CD captures the intimacy and excitement of the duo's performance style. The recording can be heard regularly on Toronto's JazzFM. 91. Don't miss it!
Need technical support? Contact Entertainment Management Associates for sound and lighting technicians and all related equipment requirements. Our expert technicians have years of experience providing sound and light for concerts, theatre productions, conventions, dinner speakers and business meetings. Let us help you make your event a success with professional sound and light.
Entertainment Mangement Associates represents many freelance musicians and is well positioned to help bands fill an empty chair or to facilitate connections. These relationships might be for a single peformance, a tour or something longer lasting. Please contact us with your freelance requirements.
