Artist Style: Soloists

Denzal Sinclaire is one of Canada’s most popular jazz vocalists and is ranked among the finest jazz singers of his generation. He possesses that rare ability to achieve, from the moment he steps on stage, a profound emotional interaction with his audience. His passionate and sincere delivery caresses every song he sings.

Denzal Sinclaire is one of Canada’s most popular jazz vocalists and is ranked among the finest jazz singers of his generation. A graduate of McGill University’s Jazz Performance program (Montreal, Canada), he possesses that rare ability to achieve, from the moment he steps on stage, a profound emotional interaction with his audience. His passionate and sincere delivery caresses every song he sings. He touches the listener with the purity of the message.

Denzal is a Juno Award (Canada’s Grammy Award) nominee, a recipient of the 2004 National Jazz Award for “Best Album,” a four-time consecutive recipient of the Jazz Report Magazine Award for Male Jazz Vocalist, and the 2007 Choc Jazzman Award (France). His admirers include Grammy Award-winning artists, Diana Krall (“Denzal Sinclaire embodies the tradition of the great singers I love like Nat Cole, yet definitely has his own voice. He is one of my favorite singers…”), Bette Midler, Dianne Reeves, Michael Feinstein, and Michael Bublé, as well as growing legions of jazz fans in his native Canada and abroad. From his early days as a canny interpreter of Nat ‘King’ Cole’s mentholated crooning, he has grown into one of the most distinctive and individualistic singers anywhere.

He has graced the stages of numerous concert halls and festivals around the world and has appeared on several popular TV shows, including Canada’s Bravo! TV, Canada AM, Nashville Now, and Ireland’s The Late Late Show. As a former member of UK soul artist Jamie Lidell’s band, he has appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Manu Katché’s show One Shot Not (France).

Equally at home in the theatre, film, and television arenas, Denzal has delighted audiences with his critically acclaimed performance in Unforgettable, a musical based on the life and music of Nat King Cole; Tapestry: The Music of Carole King (Arts Club Theatre); and William Saroyan’s award-winning The Time of Your Life (Soul Pepper Theatre Company). His TV and film credits include appearances in the new Battlestar Galactica TV Series (dir. Michael Rymer) and Being Julia, starring Annette Bening and Jeremy Irons (dir. István Szabó). Denzal’s voice has also been featured in TV and radio ads in Canada and Japan.

A pivotal role in Denzal’s career was the collaboration with highly sought-after guitarist/composer/arranger Bill Coon, whom he befriended in Montreal. Over the course of 15 years, they performed to rave reviews in a variety of musical settings ranging from duo to symphony orchestras, as well as several live radio, television, and studio recordings for the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) and SRC (Société Radio-Canada). In 1994, they recorded an album of duets, and in 1996, recorded the very first in-studio concert for Canada’s Bravo! TV with a unique ten-piece ensemble. They now enjoy a new type of collaboration as members of the Hammond organ quartet, The B3 Kings, featuring Bill on guitar, Cory Weeds on tenor sax, Chris Gestrin on B-3 organ, and Denzal on drums and vocals.

He has performed with renowned artists such as Patrice Rushen, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Janis Siegal, Dee Daniels, Kevin Mahogany, Michael Feinstein, Marilyn Maye, Bob Mintzer, Jimmy Heath, Barry Harris, The Count Basie Orchestra, Dame Cleo Laine, Sir John Dankworth, Peter Appleyard, Reuben Rogers, Gregory Hutchinson, Russell Malone, Seamus Blake, Nicholas Payton, Brian Blade, Jamie Lidell, Holly Cole, Vince Giardano & The Nighthawks, David Berger Jazz Orchestra, and the WDR Big Band.

The list of artists he has supported includes Diana Krall, Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Anita Baker, Four Tops, Holly Cole, Bill Charlap, Katie Melua, Jane Monheit, and Matt Dusk.

Denzal has recorded three albums for Universal Music: I Found Love (Juno Award Nomination, 2000), Denzal Sinclaire (Best Album, National Jazz Awards, 2004), and My One and Only Love (Choc Jazzman Award, France, 2007).

Dee Daniels is an accomplished vocalist and a musician’s musician who passionately delivers timeless performances in multiple genres, including jazz, blues, gospel, and her original compositions. Dee adds a spellbinding vocal range of over four octaves to her potent, natural, and unique spin on every song she touches.

Dee Daniels is an accomplished vocalist and a musician’s musician who passionately delivers timeless performances in multiple genres, including jazz, blues, gospel, and her original compositions. Several of her recordings have garnered awards in multiple categories from the Global Music Awards, the POP Awards (Germany), the JAZZIZ Top 10 Artists, the Western Canada Music Awards, and many others. A sultry songsmith and master of storytelling, she has performed for royalty and international dignitaries on multiple occasions and has an extensive global list of performances with combos, big bands, and symphony orchestras. Her international career includes performances across Europe, the United Kingdom, Russia, Australia, South America, Hong Kong, Japan, India, Egypt, twelve African countries, and throughout North America.

Dee crossed the threshold of the classical world with the creation of her spellbinding Symphony Pops programs: Great Ladies of Swing, The Great American Swing Book, A Night Out With The Boys, The Soul of Ray: The Music of Ray Charles, and her joyful Christmas Pops. For several years, she also shared a successful Pops program with Juno Award winner, Denzal Sinclaire, entitled Unforgettable: 100 Years of Nat and Natalie Cole. Dee has performed and recorded with orchestras throughout North America and Europe. In addition to her accredited presence and magnetic prowess on keys, she adds a spellbinding vocal range of over four octaves to her potent, natural, and unique spin on every song she touches.

Dee’s vocal style was born deep in the gospel roots of her stepfather’s Baptist church choir in Oakland, California, refined through the R&B era, and polished during a five-year stay in The Netherlands and Belgium. She has performed and/or recorded with the who’s who of the Jazz world, including jazz legends: Clark Terry, Mulgrew Miller, Claudio Roditti, Benny Green, Houston Person, John Clayton, Russell Malone, Wycliffe Gordon, Cyrus Chestnut, Ken Peplowski, Kenny Barron, Bill Mays, Jeff Clayton, Benny Golson, Grady Tate, Toots Thielemans, Jeff Hamilton, Monty Alexander, Steve Wilson, Marvin Stamm, Lewis Nash, Kenny Washington, Norman Simmons, Hank and Elvin Jones, Dennis Mackrel, Martin Wind, Bucky Pizzarelli, Helen Sung, Christian McBride, David Young, Neil Swainson, Dave Stryker, Bruce Forman, Victor Lewis, and many, many more.

Dee is the recipient of numerous awards and recognition, including the Western Canada Music Awards Spiritual Artist of the Year; the National Congress of Black Women of Canada Legacy Award; a nomination for an Atlanta Theater’s Suzi Bass Award; an Honorary Doctorate Degree of Fine Arts and the President’s Award, both from Capilano University; the prestigious and most coveted Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II; her induction into the University of Montana’s School of Fine Arts Hall of Honor; the University of Montana Distinguished Alumni Award; the induction into the British Columbia Entertainment Hall of Fame; and membership in Vancouver’s Granville Street Walk of Fame. These are a few testaments to her dedication to music.

Dee has cultivated a diverse career that has also seen her on theatre stages, including the 2009 premiere of New York choreographer Twyla Tharp’s musical, Come Fly Away, and the critically acclaimed musical Wang Dang Doodle at the Arts Club in Vancouver, BC. She is an inspirational speaker with keynote addresses being delivered at the Women’s CEO & Senior Management Summit in Toronto, the British Columbia Music Teachers Conference, commencement addresses at Capilano University, and many more.

An internationally respected vocal clinician, adjudicator, and mentor, Dee presents clinics, workshops, and master classes globally. In 2019, she was invited to join the faculty of the Conservatory of Music at the University of the Pacific (CA); she served on the President’s Advisory Council for the Jazz Education Network (JEN) from 2016 to 2018; was Artistic Director for the West Coast’s DeMiero Jazz Fest from 2011 to 2018; and was on the faculty of the vocal department of the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College (NY) from 2013 to 2014. In 2013 and 2014, she created the week-long Dee Daniels Vocal Jazz Workshop Camp at the Sitka Fine Arts Camp; from 2001 through 2017, she was the creator and donor for the Dee Daniels Jazz Vocal Scholarship at Capilano University in North Vancouver, BC, and from 2017 to the present, the scholarship continues at the DeMiero Jazz Festival in Washington; in 2024, she became the creator and donor of a second Dee Daniels Jazz Vocal Scholarship administered through JEN (Jazz Education Network). She was the first artist to serve on the Advisory Board of the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival (2002 to 2008) and has received several awards for her contributions in the fields of music performance, music education, and community service.

Dee has 15 CDs as a leader to her credit in addition to being a guest artist on CDs of several other artists and compilation CDs internationally. Visit www.deedaniels.com for further information.

Cathie Ryan’s performances are renowned for their intimacy and power as her signature blend of Irish traditional, original, and contemporary songs sets her and her band apart. The Boston Globe says her singing is “simply sublime,” and The Wall Street Journal says her concerts feature ‘mature, masterful, magnificent singing.”

For over three decades, singer-songwriter Cathie Ryan has been at the vanguard of Irish music. Her career is hallmarked by award-winning recordings and concerts featuring beautiful vocals, first-class songs with superb arrangements played by outstanding musicians, and the captivating stage presence of a singer who loves performing. Cathie’s shows are renowned for their intimacy and power, which she credits to searching for and singing great songs and performing them with musicians who were born to play them. It is all about the songs for Cathie, and her signature blend of Irish traditional, original, and contemporary songs sets her and her band apart.

Cathie and her band have built a loyal following by touring internationally and singing “songs of the heart” at performing arts centers, festivals, folk clubs, and with symphony orchestras. The Boston Globe says her singing is “simply sublime,” and the Wall Street Journal says her concerts feature “mature, masterful, at times magnificent singing.” She has been featured on national and public television throughout the world, including PBS and APT in the USA, RTÉ and TG4 in Ireland, and BBC Alba in Scotland. Her radio highlights include repeat visits to NPR’s Mountain Stage and Thistle and Shamrock, PRI’s The World, BBC in the UK, Radio Scotland, and RTÉ and RnaG in Ireland. Irish America Magazine has twice named her one of the Top 100 Irish Americans, and LiveIreland.com has twice honored her as Irish Female Vocalist of the Decade.

Cathie is also in demand as a public speaker; she presents keynotes and educational programs at colleges and civic venues across the country, both independently of and in conjunction with her concert appearances. Her long history as an advocate for arts in education, along with a BA in secondary education and years of teaching at both the high school and college levels, has led Cathie to bring public attention to several current educational issues, including the importance of music, art, and dance to the developing child.

A self-taught scholar of Irish myth and folklore, Cathie enjoys presenting workshops on the ancient stories and rituals of Ireland and on Irish traditional singing. When not performing, she leads tours of Ireland for her tour company, Mythic Journeys, and for Rick Steves’ Europe.

In 2025, Cathie will release a career retrospective, “From the Well | The Definitive Cathie Ryan Song Collection,” featuring over 50 remastered songs from over 30 years of singing. She is also working on a public television show about Ireland and the Irish diaspora to be released in 2026.