BANDS
NICK MACLEAN QUARTET
modern jazz
JUNO Nominee "Jazz Album of the Year"
5X Global Music Award Winner
1st Place 'Unsigned Only' Competition
A recent JUNO nominee, this contemplative and often thrilling quartet's explorations of modern, original repertoire is led by fast-rising piano star NICK MACLEAN -- a 10x Global Music Award winner, a Toronto Independent Music Award winner, and one of the most in-demand young jazz piano players in Toronto -- the group delivers jazz between the two poles of thoughtful introspection and powerhouse conveyance, taking influences from Herbie Hancock's primordial 1960's Blue Note era recordings, while paying tribute to some of the greatest improvisers in jazz history.
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Maclean's quartet heavily features one of Canada's most provocative improvising trumpet players -- BROWNMAN ALI, heralded as "Canada's preeminent jazz trumpet player" by New York City's Village Voice. Recognized as an internationally acclaimed jazz iconoclast, he currently splits his time between Brooklyn, NY & Toronto, Canada and is a 2x National Jazz Award winner. This jazz veteran is best known globally as the last trumpet player with the legendary jazz-hip-hop group GURU's JAZZMATAZZ, having replaced Donald Byrd in that seminal ensemble. Ali & Maclean stand shoulder to shoulder with two of Toronto's top-tier rhythm section 20-somethings: BEN DUFF on bass and JACOB WUTZKE on drums. The synergy of the 4 is always palpable in concert.
"Rooted in bop, Nick Maclean Quartet is the sound of new jazz. Energy and innovation delivered with precision."
- Russell Barling, The Sweet Spot - CHLY 101.7 FM (Nanaimo, CANADA)
SNAGGLE
electric jazz
Toronto Independent Music Award
3X Global Music Award Winner
Int Independent Music Award nominee
Under the leadership of JUNO nominated and 10X Global Music Award winning jazz pianist NICK MACLEAN, SNAGGLE is an electric-jazz-funk ensemble often described by media as “Canada’s answer to Snarky Puppy”. The group features as its frontline the all-star horn duo the ALI BROS. BROWNMAN ALI (Guru, Jay-Z, Randy Brecker) and MARCUS ALI (Matt Dusk, Jason Wilson, Mr Something Something), both highly decorated and renowned musicians, have been featured as a pair on countless records owing to the almost telepathic synergy they share in addition to their highly sought-after talents as individual soloists.
Maclean and the Ali Bros stand shoulder to shoulder with some of Toronto’s top-tier electric jazz players: JAY YOO on guitar, MATT GRUEBNER on bass, and ADAM MANSFIELD on drums. Sporting an all-original repertoire the group has a fearless and muscular yet introspective sound likened to a cross between electric-era Miles Davis and Rage Against the Machine that swings their live show from quietly contemplative all the way to explosively fierce - sometimes all within the same tune.
"... Snaggle is most impressive! The music on Long Slog is very, very challenging, yet groovy, soulful & exploratory at the same time.... Extremely well performed, written and executed. Reminds me of a band I used to play in!"
- Randy Brecker, multi-Grammy winning trumpet legend (NYC, USA)
Nick Maclean solo piano
contemplative jazz
​Maclean's solo piano work delves into his reflective and soul-searching realm of expression, taking influences from jazz piano legends like Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, and Brad Mehldau, as well as that of his two divergent ensembles: SNAGGLE and NICK MACLEAN QUARTET. Maclean, who's groups have frequently been lauded for the strength of their collective improvisatory vision, continues in that unconstrained spirit of spontaneous and courageous personal exploration in order to perform rich and prismatic interpretations of originals, standards, and other contemplations delivered in the moment. Nick Maclean's debut 18-track, double disk solo album "Can You Hear Me?" features 7 Maclean-penned compositions, 8 standards and 2 spontaneous improvisations, all recorded at the renowned Chalet Studio in Uxbridge. Produced by "Canada's preeminent jazz trumpet player" (NYC Village Voice) the highly decorated BROWNMAN ALI, this new double album was released in Canada on Oct 31, 2021, and internationally on Dec 3, 2021 on Browntasauras Records.
#7 Canada Earshot Jazz Charts
2X Global Music Award Winner
'Download of the Day' on All About Jazz
"The prodigiously gifted pianist Nick Maclean... is to be roundly applauded because he literally soars in splendid isolation... to turn in a brilliant recording, where both standards and original compositions come alive with percussive growls, and daintily eloquent phrases."
- Raul Da Gama, The Wholenote (Toronto, Canada)