See who played and where, going back to our first Jazz Affair in 2006.
Juno Award-winning sisters Christine and Ingrid Jensen headlined our 20th-anniversary benefit with special guest Phil Dwyer. Wellington Jazz Academy students opened the night.
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Drummer and composer Kelby MacNayr led a quintet featuring saxophonist Phil Dwyer at The Queen's.
View event detailsTerell Stafford performed with John Lee, Nick Peck, and Jesse Cahill. Wellington Jazz Academy students opened the evening.
Joe Farnsworth and Sarah Hanahan performed with John Lee after an opening set by Wellington Jazz Academy combos.
Dawn Clement performed with Steve Kovalcheck, Dru Heller, and John Lee. Wellington Secondary Jazz Academy student combos opened the concert.
Vibraphonist Jalen Baker brought his quartet to St. Andrew’s United Church for their first Vancouver Island appearance.
Drummer Joe Farnsworth and alto saxophonist Sarah Hanahan made their first Nanaimo appearance at Shaw Auditorium, joined by Nick Peck on piano and John Lee on bass.
Alexander Claffy and Benny Benack III headlined the society’s 2023 Jazz Affair at Shaw Auditorium. Student groups also performed.
The Cory Weeds Quartet performed at Shaw Auditorium in the Vancouver Island Conference Centre.
Gillian Margot and Geoffrey Keezer performed at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church. The Stevenson/Pearce duo from Wellington Jazz Academy opened the evening.
Dee Daniels and Denzal Sinclaire performed with Sharon Minemoto, Russ Botton, and Dave Robbins. Nanaimo jazz students opened the show.
The New York City quartet featured Benny Benack III, Sean Mason, Alexander Claffy, and Itay Morchi.
Cory Weeds performed with Joe Magnarelli, Tilden Webb, John Lee, and Graham Villette in the Welcome Back Concert Series.
Jazz Affair 2021 featured Emmet Cohen and Samara Joy in an online event.
Benny Benack III performed with Emmet Cohen and Russell Hall in the society’s virtual concert series.
Geoffrey Keezer and Gillian Margot performed in the society’s virtual concert series.
The Ingrid Jensen Trio performed with Christine Jensen in the society’s virtual concert series.
Local jazz students performed with New York bassist Christian Fabian during a Beer and Burger fundraiser for local jazz education.
The Lionel Hampton Workshop Ensemble performed with musicians from VIU and School District 68 at the 2019 Jazz Affair on the Coast.
School District 68 student musicians performed with New York bassist Christian Fabian at a fundraiser for local jazz education.
Terell Stafford and Harold Mabern headlined Jazz Affair 2018 with Cory Weeds, Michael Glynn, Julian MacDonough, Decadence Jazz Band, and School District 68 students.
The society held an evening of food and live jazz at The Old City Station Pub.
Bassist Christian Fabian performed with local student jazz musicians at the Lighthouse Bistro & Pub.
Bria Skonberg performed with Phil Dwyer, Ken Lister, Kelby MacNayr, the Nanaimo Musicians Association Big Band, and local student groups.
Trombonist, composer, and producer Delfeayo Marsalis headlined Jazz Affair 2016 at the Coast Bastion Hotel. The Nanaimo Musicians Association also performed.
Drummer Jeff Hamilton brought his trio to Jazz Affair 2015 at the Coast Bastion Inn, with pianist Tamir Hendelman and bassist Christoph Luty. Nanaimo jazz funk ensemble Decadence also performed.
Grammy-winning bassist, composer, and arranger John Clayton headlined Jazz Affair on the Coast 2014 at the Coast Bastion Hotel. The Nanaimo Musicians Association big band also performed.
Vocalist Sara Gazarek headlined Jazz Affair 2013. The Seattle-born, Los Angeles-based singer was coming off Blossom & Bee, her debut release on the Palmetto label.
Saxophonist Christine Jensen and trumpeter Ingrid Jensen, sisters born and raised in Nanaimo, headlined Jazz Affair 2012 at Beban Park Social Centre. A Nanaimo All Star Band joined them on stage.
Pianist Mike Longo, known for his years with Dizzy Gillespie, and bassist Christian Fabian, from the Lionel Hampton Band, played a one hour mini concert in the Wellington Secondary Band Room. Students, family, and friends were welcome.
New York trumpeter Terell Stafford, then playing with the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, headlined Jazz Affair Harlem 2011 at Beban Park Social Centre with Brad Turner, Jesse Cahill, and Ken Lister. Decadence also performed.
Guitarist Corey Christiansen headlined Jazz Affair Chicago 2010 at Beban Park Auditorium with Ross Taggart, Ed Littlefield, and Christian Fabian. Local big band Decadence also performed.
Vibraphonist and drummer Jason Marsalis, the youngest of the New Orleans Marsalis family, headlined Jazz Affair 2009 at Beban Park Social Centre with Brad Turner, Christian Fabian, and former Wellington student Adam Cormier.
Pianist Gerald Clayton headlined the Old Havana Jazz Affair at Beban Park Social Centre with Ken Lister, Phil Dwyer, and 19-year-old Nanaimo drummer Adam Cormier. Decadence also performed.
Bassist Christian Fabian, saxophonist Phil Dwyer, trumpeter and keyboardist Brad Turner, and young Nanaimo drummer Adam Cormier led the New Orleans Jazz Affair. Vocalist Emma Love returned from east coast studies to perform.
The society launched its first fundraising event, the Manhattan Jazz Affair, with saxophonist, arranger, and composer Christine Jensen as guest artist and principal clinician. The event raised several thousand dollars for clinics, workshops, scholarships, and bursaries.
