Dazzling New York City jazz pianist Ray Gallon joins charismatic Canadian vocalist Angela Verbrugge to take you on a trip back to the golden age of the silver screen and on-stage musicals like West Side Story, Singin in the Rain, Sound of Music, and hits from the musicals that featured talent like Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly and Judy Garland. Enjoy the timeless sound of the Great American Songbook, and be introduced to Verbrugge’s own modern day lyrics based on this classic style. Angela is celebrating the release of her new album, Somewhere, on Origin Records out of Seattle. Ray recently released an album with the most recorded bassist in jazz history, Ron Carter, called Grand Company on Cellar Records. Ray will share some thrilling instrumentals from this project as well. 

“One superb song after another; Verbrugge’s voice is now surely one of the most beautiful in the lyric soprano range.” Raul da Gama, That Canadian Magazine

“Verbrugge possesses a winsome, brightly burnished, pliable voice, ample emotional intelligence, considerable songwriting skills and conspicuously good taste!” Andrew Gilbert, JazzTimes

“It would not be surprising if some of Angela’s songs become standards in the future. Highly recommended.” Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Journal

“Gallon is commanding, poised and witty,” Downbeat Magazine.

“Ray Gallon is a pianist with a rich and complex musical vocabulary. <He is> filled with technical proficiency and emotional depth as well as a unique artistic voice.” All About Jazz

Angela and Ray will be joined by two of the finest jazz musicians to hail from Calgary: Kodi Hutchinson and Jacob Wutzke. 

About the Band:

Canadian jazz vocalist Angela Verbrugge – 2020 JazzTimes Readers’ Poll for Best Female Vocalist – infuses passion and emotion with each beautiful note. The charismatic singer / composer / lyricist spent the last three years touring across Canada, Europe, Turkey, and Japan. Joining Angela on her 2024 tour dates is acclaimed New York City bebop pianist Ray Gallon. Mentored by John Lewis, Hank Jones and Jaki Byard, Gallon has been a mainstay on the New York scene for forty years performing with luminaries such as Ron Carter, Lionel Hampton, Les Paul, Art Farmer, Benny Golson and backing artists like Sweets Edison, Dizzy Gillespie, Jane Monheit, Sheila Jordan, and Joe Williams. The ensemble’s sound blends perfectly to create a close-knit chemistry to realize interpretations of classic vocal and instrumental jazz standards as well as original material in a timeless style. Kodi Hutchinson is one of the most active musicians in Canada, and wears many hats as a first-call jazz bassist, CKUA radio host, label head of Chronograph Records, and his involvement in many Calgary arts institutions. He has performed with artists such as P.J. Perry, Lee Konitz, Oliver Jones, Julian Priester, Walt Weiskopf, the Calgary Philharmonic, Theatre Calgary, and many others. His group, the Hutchinson-Andrew Trio won the 2013 Grand Jazz Award at the Montreal Jazz Festival, and all four of their albums were nominated for the Western Canadian Music Awards. Jacob Wutzke is a Montreal-based drummer, bandleader, composer and music educator focused on jazz and creative music. He has toured, performed and recorded with Caity Gyorgy (two-time Juno Award winner), Ira Coleman, Jocelyn Gould, Pat LaBarbera, Sam Kirmayer and more. He is a graduate of Humber College’s renowned Bachelor of Music program, as well as McGill University’s Jazz Performance Master’s Degree. The educational resources he has created have been adopted by students internationally. He has released two albums as a bandleader.