Jazzworks presents 3 Divazzz and an all-star rhythm section

A jazz vocal extravaganza, featuring KellyLee Evans, Christine Fagan  
and Renée Yoxon, accompanied by Roddy Ellias, John Geggie and Mike  
Essoudry.

Wednesday, Dec. 15. First Unitarian Church, 30 Cleary Avenue, Ottawa

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Tickets: $20 in advance, $25 at the door

Call: 613-523-0316, email jazz@jazzworkscanada.com or order online at  
http://jazzworkscanada.com/

KellyLee Evans, a Juno Award and Gemini Award nominee, continues to  
evolve her distinctive sound with her newest release Nina. A second- 
place winner in the prestigious Thelonious Monk Jazz Vocals  
Competion, KellyLee received accolades for her first two albums,  
Fight or Flight and The Good Girl, which seamlessly fuse jazz and her  
own unique style of "soul pop". Nina, her new release, is a beautiful  
tribute to one of jazz's greatest vocalists and pianists, Nina  
Simone. Released in September, it quickly soared to Number One Album  
on iTunes Canada’s jazz charts.

Like all the singers at this concert, KellyLee is a Jazzworks jazz  
camp alum. She says: “I attended JazzWorks summer camp when I was  
just falling in love with jazz and the connection forged with the  
talented mentors there was indelible.”
http://www.kellyleeevans.com/

Christine Fagan has been a professional performer of jazz and cabaret  
music for the past 20 years. She has worked with many jazz  
luminaries, including John Geggie, Mark Ferguson, J.P. Allain, Roddy  
Ellias, and Montreal's Sean Craig and is a member the acclaimed four- 
woman vocal group Cantarra. She has performed at the Ottawa  
International Jazz Festival and does voice work for film and television.

Chris has studied voice with jazz vocalists Geri Childs, Julie  
Michels and Tena Palmer. She has a degree in Fine Arts, and is a  
practicing visual artist, working at the National Gallery of Canada  
in lighting design. She launches her CD Once at the National Arts  
Centre's Fourth Stage on Friday, Dec. 17. The disc features Fagan  
singing her lyrics to compositions by Rob Frayne, Roddy Ellias, Mike  
Rud, Ludwig von Beethoven and others.

Described in the Ottawa Citizen as “Ottawa's hardest working jazz  
singer,” Renée Yoxon has a steady Monday night gig at Bar 56 in the  
ByWard as well as many other engagements throughout the Ottawa  
region. Renée started playing the alto saxophone in grade seven, and  
began singing at 16, in high school. “I got into jazz heavily after  
I went to my first Jazzworks jazz camp, and got my taste of it  
there,” Renée says.
She recently graduated from Carleton University with a major in  
physics and minors in both math and music.  Her album Let’s Call It  
a Day was released in October in a concert at the First Unitarian  
Church featuring guitarists René Gely and Mike Rud.
http://www.reneeyoxon.com/

One of Canada's most respected guitarists and composers, Roddy Ellias  
is equally at home with contemporary new music, jazz, or classical  
repertoire. Known for his energetic performances and his thoughtful  
renditions of both new and existing works, he continues to surprise  
and delight his audiences. Last year he set the stage on fire at  
Ottawa’s Cafe Paradiso in a series of duets with other guitarists,  
including Vic Juris, Gene Bertoncini, Lorne Lofsky, and David  
Occhipinti, showcasing his versatility and his generosity as a  
performer.
http://www.roddyellias.com/

John Geggie Bassist and composer John Geggie has been part of the  
JazzWorks jazz camp since its inception. In addition to his highly  
acclaimed Geggie Concert Series at the Fourth Stage of the NAC, he is  
on faculty at the Crane School of Music, State University of New  
York. He has performed or recorded with such luminaries as John  
Taylor, Seamus Blake, Donny McCaslin, Ben Monder, Cuong Vu, Sheila  
Jordan, David Murray, Andrew Cyrille, Ted Nash, Billy Hart, Vic  
Juris, Marilyn Crispell and Bill Carrothers. His most recent CD  
release Across the Sky has been named as one of the top 10 jazz CDs  
by jazz journalist James Hale.
http://www.johngeggie.com

Drummer-composer Mike Essoudry has a Master of Music degree from  
McGill University. He also plays drums, clarinet, baritone ukulele,  
and glockenspiel with singer/songwriter Megan Jerome. Mike has toured  
Canada with the Mighty Popo in 2001, and with the Megan Jerome Trio  
in 2006.
Mike is active in the improvised music scene as well, having released  
a duo album on Malasartes with Linsey Wellman in 2007. In addition to  
composing for his octet (its album, Passages, was released in 2008),  
Mike also composes new musical settings for silent movies.
http://www.mikeessoudry.com/

Ottawa JazzWorks is a Canadian not-for-profit organization dedicated  
to the development of jazz musicianship in players of all ages, from  
high school to adult, and all levels of playing ability, from  
beginner to professional with a focus on Canada's National Capital  
region. To achieve its mandate and goals, Jazzworks carries out a  
wide range of activities from workshops, to jam sessions, to concerts.
http://jazzworkscanada.com/