Cellar Live

I've been really digging several recordings from this fantastic Vancouver-based jazz record label lately. Most notably:

"Blow Up" - Steve Kaldestad Quinet

"Time" - Morgan Childs Quintet

"Transitions" - Joel Haynes Trio w/Seamus Blake

"Foundations" - Jodi Proznick Quartet

"Cellar Groove" - Tilden Webb Trio w/David Fathead Newman

Do-it-all jazz musician/club owner/record producer Cory Weeds has done a great job of putting together a class act label to showcase both Canadian and American artists.

You can learn more about this great record label here:

http://www.cellarlive.com/

Here are a few clips that Cory has posted on youtube.com featuring some of the dynamic ensembles that have played and recorded at the Cellar lately. Cory, please post more !

Here's Steve Kaldestad on tenor saxophone with Montrealers Kevin Dean on trumpet and Andre White on piano, performing music from Kaldestad's outstanding new release "Blow Up":



The Cory Weeds Quintet with Jim Rotundi on trumpet:



*I saw this particular group in Calgary during their cross-Canada tour last fall. One of the best gigs I saw in 2009.

And here's Steve Davis on Trombone and Mike DiRubbio on alto saxophone with my former Montreal mates Tilden Webb, Jodi Proznick and Jesse Cahill:



New York jazz musicians Grant Stewart on tenor saxophone (originally from Toronto) with pianist Tardo Hammer:



And finally, I came across a shot of one of my old friends, Jesse Cahill (featured playing GREAT drums in all the above footage) showing off his sweet new set of Canopus drums during a smoking set at the Cellar:



Jesse and I attended McGill University at the same time during the mid-1990s, split the drum chair in one of the jazz orchestras for two years and often shared a practice space together. He was a great drummer then and is sure playing great drums these days !