Taurey Butler

Hailing from East Orange New Jersey, Taurey began studying piano at the age of seven. He loved playing, but by the time he reached the age of fourteen he found that the musical direction he was heading in was not fulfilling - something was missing.

During his last year of high school, a prescient teacher, who was also a distinguished percussionist, Barry Centanni handed Taurey a CD of Oscar Peterson and advised him to listen. He did, and from then on, he knew where he was going. " I didn't know a piano could do that!" he recalls and began to focus more on jazz studies.

Taurey went on to Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, where he studied Japanese and majored in Electrical Engineering - he left with a BSc and BE and saw himself as, "a Japanese-speaking electrical engineer who loves playing jazz piano." He decided to return to New Jersey to develop and grow as a musician and found himself attending jam sessions in New York. His powerful swinging style, dexterity and lyrical imagination were duly noted - and gigs started to come his way. Over time, Taurey found himself playing clubs and festivals with various acts - and it was while playing at The Cotton Club and Swing 46 - that he was introduced to bassist/vocalist Eldee Young - the opportunity to work regularly with such a mentor was an inspiration. They played regularly in Singapore and at Bangkok's prime jazz room, The Living Room as well as Hong Kong and Dubai. It was after Eldee's passing in 2007 that Taurey made the move to Montreal - a city he that he had been very anxious to visit since learning it was Oscar's hometown.

Taurey secured a regular gig at one of Montréal's most prestigious jazz clubs, the House Of Jazz as well, he began accompanying Juno Award winning vocalist Ranee Lee, it wasn't long before he signed with Canada's premier Jazz label - Justin Time Records - the result of which is Taurey's captivating debut recording as a leader simply entitled Taurey Butler. Taurey's sophomore album on the Justin Time label, "One Of The Others", was released in 2022 to resounding critical acclaim. He emerges as a fully formed master of hard-driving swing deeply rooted in the blues. It’s easy to get lost in the fire and funk, the sweetness and swing, of Taurey Butler. But you can also follow the light that his music emanates.

Félix Stüssi

Be it on a bicycle or behind the keys, Félix Stüssi loves adventure and fresh air. Since his move from Switzerland to Canada on a cargo ship, Stüssi has turned his back on journalism. Jazz piano and composition are now his main focus. As a leader of his own projects - solo, in duo with Ray Anderson and Jean Derome, in a quartet with SuperNova 4 - or as a sideman in the Jazzlab Orchestra, Stüssi surprises with his good-humoured and spontaneous creativity and music that is strong and fragile at the same time.