Nick Maclean
Based in Toronto NICK MACLEAN is the winner of 8 Global Music Awards, a Toronto Independent Music Award, and has quickly become one of the most in demand piano players in that city’s bustling jazz scene. Nick received his Bachelors of Music from Humber College in 2013, having studied with David Restivo, Bernie Senensky and Nancy Walker. He also holds a Masters in Jazz Performance from the University of Toronto researching synthesizer pedagogy while studying under David Occhipinti, Andrew Downing, Chris Donnelly and David Braid. Braid in particular had an enormous influence on how Maclean approaches playing and composing especially as it relates to solo piano performance. Maclean has also studied and performed with "Canada's pre-eminent jazz trumpet player" (NYC Village Voice), the highly decorated Brownman Ali who signed Maclean to his Brooklyn-based jazz label Browntasauras Records in 2016 and later brought him on board as a label manager. Additional musical influences include the likes of Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Brad Meldau, Weather Report, Branford Marsalis Quartet, Hiromi Uehara, Art Tatum, Miles Davis, Avishai Cohen (bass), Vijay Iyer, and Brian Blade. Maclean leads two award-winning groups who've received international critical acclaim - the groove-based, all-original, eclectic electric-jazz project SNAGGLE, who's 2016 release THE LONG SLOG received 3 'Gold' Global Music Awards and a Toronto Independent Music Award, as well as the exploratory, post-bop influenced modern jazz ensemble NICK MACLEAN QUARTET who's 2017 release RITES OF ASCENSION was awarded 3 Gold Global Music Awards and has performed tours across Canada and internationally. His SOLO PIANO work is his introspective jazz project who's spirit draws influences from the contemplative and thoughtful stylings of jazz piano greats like Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett and Brad Mehldau. His 2021 double-disc solo piano release CAN YOU HEAR ME? won 2 Global Music Awards and went to #7 in the Canadian national jazz charts. The future is bright for this young visionary as he continues his upward ascent in jazz artforms of all shapes and sizes.

Brownman Ali
Trinidadian-born, NYC-schooled & heralded as “Canada’s preeminent Jazz trumpeter” by NYC’s Village Voice, though multi-award winning trumpet player Brownman Ali stands at the forefront of innovation in the Canadian jazz community, he is also a producer in high demand. A protégé to his teacher, Grammy-winning trumpet legend, Randy Brecker, he tirelessly leads 8 unique ensembles of his own including the internationally acclaimed, Miles Davis influenced, BROWNMAN ELECTRYC TRIO. In 2009 he launched his own record label: BROWNTASAURAS RECORDS, which saw the Electryc Trio's two now celebrated recordings garner substantial accolades and press. This is the first label in the world to give 100% of all its proceeds back to its Artists. The label is now home to all his ensembles as well as many newly signed artists, the majority of which he sits in the producer's chair for. Now, using the label as a breeding ground for new and visionary talent in the modern jazz realm, Browntasauras and Brownman himself are widely regarded as vanguards for the evolution of Jazz in Canada.

Daryl Angier