Jim Hutchison Jazzworks - Jazz Band Calgary, Alberta

Jazz Works, led by vocalist Jazz Hutch (aka Jim Hutchison) and including some of Calgary’s finest jazz musicians, performs your favourite jazz standards, from swing to Latin to expressive ballads, with band size and combination tailored to suit the budget, mood and venue, whether it be a jazz club or festival, dining, dancing, a corporate function, a private party, a wedding or other special event.

Jazz Hutch (aka Jim Hutchison) (Vocalist and Band Leader)
An emerging jazz vocal sensation! With his unique phrasing, voice and understated and care-free delivery, he is a distinctively smooth and swinging interpreter of the many moods found in the jazz standard song book, whether it be swing, Latin or expressive ballads. He has studied with jazz luminaries such as Kurt Elling and Rene Marie and is influenced and inspired by the late Mel Torme and Eva Cassidy. He is one of the busiest jazz vocalists in Calgary, having formed Jim Hutchison Jazz Works, a six piece little big band twelve years ago. 200 performances later his recently released album Mood Indigo is the culmination and result of the many friendships formed performing with numerous outstanding jazz musicians over the years, several of whom appear on the album. Prior to forming Jazz Works Jim studied classical voice and was a chorister with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Calgary Opera.

Kristian Alexandrov (Piano)
Born and raised in Sofia, Bulgaria, Kristian is an accomplished pianist, percussionist, composer and producer who has made his home in Canada since 1995. Growing up in a family of musicians, music was revered and celebrated. At six years of age Kristian was accepted into the prestigious L. Pipkov Bulgarian National School of Music where he completed twelve years of intense training. His natural ability, extensive training and passion for performance enabled him to tour much of Europe by the age of nineteen. He has worked alongside some tremendous Canadian and international artists including the Grammy Award winning trumpeter Randy Brecker, kd Lang and trombone legend Wycliffe Gordon. He has been music director for performances by the acclaimed trumpeter Jens Lindemann and Decidedly Jazz Dance Works and has been part of three Juno nominated CDs.He has performed at various international jazz and classical music festivals and clubs and performed with the Order of Canada Big Band at Koerner Hall in Toronto.

Jeremy Coates (Bass)
Currently employed in many areas of the music industry, Jeremy Coates is one of Western Canada’s busiest working bass players, with more than eighteen years of performing and teaching experience. Comfortable in the studio, classroom, and concert hall, Jeremy has developed a variety of approaches to jazz improvisation with respect to his instruments, which include acoustic bass, electric 4, 5, 6-string basses, as well as tuba, guitar, and drum set.
He has traveled throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, and has performed at the Montreux jazz festival.
Jeremy has an undergraduate degree in Jazz Performance from the University of Calgary, a Master’s degree in Music History from Jacksonville State University in Alabama and has completed the course work for a Doctor of Arts degree in Music Theory and Composition at University of Northern Colorado. While performing on electric and acoustic bass, and as a soloist in the Jazz Lab Band I at the University of Northern Colorado, Jeremy played alongside esteemed trumpeter Nicholas Payton, New York composer Maria Schneider, and veteran jazz musician and composer Bob Brookemeyer.

Andy Ericson (Drums)
Andy, ever since discovering his love for music at a young age, has been exploring the many avenues that music has to offer. He is active in the live music and the studio scene, and has been involved in hundreds of different projects ranging from CD recordings to film soundtracks, commercials and music for live theatre shows. Currently he is a teacher and clinician around Alberta and runs his own recording studio, which has recorded Juno nominated albums and has been nominated for top studio in Western Canada. Besides recording, playing and producing in the studio, he is currently working on numerous original CD projects that will be released in the near future.

Steve Williams (Tenor Saxophone)
Steve Williams is a Calgary based sax player and musician. He plays a variety of musical styles including: blues, jazz, rock n roll, and Latino. He is one of the busiest sax players in town, and has been freelancing for over 25 years. He's played regularly with blues master Gary Martin, rockers Dice Deluxe and The Rockin' 58's and Latino funk band Los Morenos. Notable among his recording credits was his participation in The Torchettes track "100 Days and 100 Nights" on the recent Calgary Folk Festival 40th anniversary compilation album release " Cover Art". He has always had a love of jazz, and is pleased to perform with Jim Hutchison's Jazz Works group.

Richard Harding (Alto Saxophone)
Richard has performed and recorded with many outstanding groups such as the Jens Lindemann Big Band, Calgary Jazz Orchestra (CJO), Prime Time Big Band, Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra (CPO), Lorna MacLachlan Quintet, Soul Providers, Penguins on Broadway, TR3, Tim Tamashiro Orchestra and his own jazz quartet. His most recent show experience includes Billie Elliot at Theatre Calgary; Classically Jazzed, Rhapsody in Blue Eyes - Sinatra and Beyond, La La Land with the CPO; and Dancers In Love with Decidedly Jazz Danceworks. Richard’s soulful playing can be found on these recent recordings: Then is Now - Rhapsody In Blue – Jens Lindemann (a Juno nominated recording), Live at the Ironwood – Prime Time Big Band, When It’s Christmas Time – CJO, Bicycle Riding in the Dark – Lorna MacLachlan and a guest appearance on Mood Indigo – Jim Hutchison.

Dave Reid (Trombone)
Dave Reid is one of Canada’s most versatile and sought after low brass musicians. He is Principal Bass Trombone for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra having first joined them in 1984 after an active youthful period as a pianist and brass band cornetist. He obtained performance diplomas in piano and cornet from Trinity College, London while still a teenager, later attending Memorial University in Newfoundland, University of Toronto and Indiana University where he completed a Master’s degree in trombone performance. He has participated in dozens of recordings in various genres including the Albertasaurus Tuba Quartet as well as with Jann Arden, Steve Pineo, Tim Tamshiro, Heather Blush and on the Jazz Hutch and Friends Mood Indigo album. As a jazz musician he can be heard improvising at CPO pops shows, has been a regular member of Calgary’s Prime Time Big Band and is a frequent guest performer and clinician at jazz workshops and, when time permits, a club player in small group settings including performances with Jim Hutchison Jazz Works. For 15 years he was lead trombone with the Grandstand Orchestra of the Calgary Stampede and was first trombone on the soundtrack for the Emmy award winning music at the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. He is first call player for travelling music theatre productions and has worked extensively with Theatre Calgary in local musical productions.

Cédric Blary (Clarinet)
Cédric Blary has been performing on a variety of wind instruments for over 25 years. He has a B.MUS degree in clarinet performance from the University of Calgary and a Diploma from Mount Royal College (now University). He has played in orchestras accompanying Diana Krall, Marvin Hamlisch and as a sub/extra with the Calgary Philharmonic and Red Deer Symphony orchestras. Chamber collaborations have included The Rubbing Stone Ensemble, New Works Calgary and regular appearances at the Mountain View International Festival of Chamber Music and Song. Cédric is also an avid jazz musician and has been featured in the University of Calgary’s Monday Night Jazz series. He has appeared as a soloist with the Prime Time Big Band and with Alberta Winds performing the Alberta première of Black Dog by Scott McAllister. Cédric also sings bass in the award-winning a cappella quartet The Heebee-jeebees.