Top to bottom: Tyler Hornby,
Jesse Zubot, Sons of Colbourne,
Colin Fisher, Duane AndrewsJazz music has always been defined by a culture of experimentation and pushing-the-envelop. The boundaries have been broadened so far that the question of what is and isn’t ‘jazz’ can be difficult to answer without starting an argument. Last fall Dig Your Roots.ca, a website created by Canadian campus/community radio stations with support from Corus Entertainment, sponsored a cross-Canada search for new and emerging Canadian Jazz artists who continue to push the boundaries. The competition drew submissions from almost sixty artists. Fifteen artists were chosen by regional juries for a CD compilation and a series of live national concert broadcasts airing on campus/community radio stations this month. “We were quite amazed with the number and quality of submissions this year. The range of talent and musical diversity made it difficult to choose which artists would be featured on the final CD,” says project coordinator Melissa Kaestner. 

The featured artists may not be well known outside the jazz world but are talented players with, in most cases, many years of performing and making music under their belts. “One of the great things I’ve seen with this project,” says Kaestner “has been the opportunity to match up more experienced artists who have professionally produced CDs with artists just starting new projects.” True to the eclecticism of modern jazz, they draw upon many traditions and influences, exploit and experiment with new technologies, and generally drive right off the beaten path to create music that often defies simple definition. “It’s true that we drew artists to the project by using terms like ‘free jazz’, ‘avant-garde’, and ‘musique actuelle’. But what we ended up with was a journey through jazz.” Tracks and bios from all the artists who participated What we ended up with was a journey through jazz are available on the Dig Your Roots website.

The concert series will air live across the country on your local c/c radio station (see www.DigYourRoots.ca for more info on the concerts and CDs). All shows begin at 9pm Eastern time / 6pm Pacific.

Check back here for a list of participating stations or visit the Dig Your Roots Website.