Since 2007, KidsAbility and the International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation (IICSI) have partnered to bring award-winning musicians to support youth with varying developmental and physical needs. Play Who You Are includes a FREE series of musical improvisation workshops which culminate in a FREE public performance at the Guelph Jazz Festival. The KidsAbility Play Who You Are Ensemble will be facilitated by Ben Finley.
Ben Finley is an experienced collaborative and solo performer, composer, singer, improviser, and writer grounded in creative acoustic and electric bass playing. He leads and co-leads several ensembles and grew up on a music festival farm – Westben! He is a current Ph.D. candidate in the Critical Studies in Improvisation program at the University of Guelph.
The KidsAbility Play Who You Are Ensemble will also be joined onstage by the IICSI Improvisers in Residence, Jimmy Weinstein (drums, piano, guitar, composer) and Lilly Santon (vocalist, visual arts).
Born in Chicago, Jimmy Weinstein moved with his family to California and Spain. A Berklee College of Music alumnus ’89 and leader of a consortium of New York based ensembles, Jimmy has been on the move for over 25 years, touring the US, Europe and Japan. Major associations include recordings and tours with virtuoso improvisers, Ahmed Abdullah, Chris Cheek, Ben Monder, Satoko Fujii, Alex Harding, Jeff Parker, Oscar Noriega, Natsuki Tamura, Frank Carlberg, Elie Massias, Dan Fox, Sten Hostfalt, Masa Kamaguchi and Matt Renzi. As a sideman he has worked supporting Sheila Jordan, Noah Preminger, Rachel Gould, Greg Burk, Marcello Tonolo and Reggie Veal. In collaboration with Abdullah, Harding and Kamaguchi he founded the adventurous and highly acclaimed melodic quartet NAM, whose album Song of Time was voted among the top 25 all time live performances by critic Kevin Whitehead.
As a leader, his discography contains albums released by Fresh Sound, Clean Feed, Accurate, CIMP, El Gallo Rojo and Gunther Schuller’s GM Recordings. Among Weinstein’s current projects, is a quartet featuring the pianist extraordinaire Satoko Fujii, in addition to trumpeter Natsuki Tamura and vocalist Lilly Santon . As a teacher, Weinstein’s experience has brought forth TRAVELING SCHOOL PLAYJAZZ, an organization dedicated to conducting jazz workshops where he often performs with his students. Jimmy’s new quintet features Chris Cheek, Ben Monder, Tom Beckham and Dave Ambrosio, all musicians who he has worked with over the past 25 years, coming together to perform Jimmy’s new compositions on his latest album “Sobrinos”. TRAVELING SCHOOL PLAYJAZZ has been organizing the yearly jazz workshop at the acclaimed Mallorca Jazz Sa Pobla Festival since 2006. Over the years Jimmy has coordinated workshops with leading artists including Lee Konitz, Sheila Jordan, Chris Cheek, Dennis Irwin, Matt Garrison, Noah Preminger,Masa Kamaguchi, Dan Fox, Toni Miranda, Pedro Cortejosa, Perico Sambeat, Marco Mezquida, Paolo Porta, Carlo Cattano and Greg Burk.
Born in Italy, Lilly Santon spent her formative years in Brazil, later attending high school in Padua, Italy. Trained as an architect she received her degree from the University of Venice before venturing into the world of jazz and energy therapy. Lilly lived in New York and Munich between 1980 and 2003 where she worked as an architect and studied jazz with the likes of Barry Harris, Sheila Jordan, Mark Murphy and Jay Clayton. During the 80’s in New York she performed with Don Cherry’s Collective Ensemble alongside Jim Pepper, Bob Moses, Dennis Charles and Clarence “C” Sharpe. While deepening her musical skills, she studied and practiced bio-energetic therapy, which has been integrated into her teaching methods for private classes and workshops. In 2003 she moved back to Italy and co-founded the cultural association Traveling School. Lilly performs regularly with Satoko Fujii, Jimmy Weinstein Quintet, and different formations of the Traveling School Band. Projects include Sten Hosfalt’s Microtonal Ensemble Dimensional States; vocal duet improvisations with renowned composer Constance Cooper; 2014 appereances in NYC recording sessions with Jimmy Weinstein Quintet, Noah Preminger. Recent collaborations include Johnny Lapio’s Porta Palace featuring Satoko Fukjii, Giancarlo Schiaffini and Natsuki Tamura. Story Told By Sound a multi-media project with Elie Massias and Jimmy Weinstein.
For more information, and to register to participate in Play Who You Are, visit the online form.
Saturday 14 September • 3pm • TD Market Square • Free • [Support the GJF]