It was a wintry night in 2008. There was a blackout in Toronto’s west end, no power in “the Meadow” there was a raging house-party in need of music. From the eight-hour acoustic jam session that ensued Safety In Numbers was born.
S.I.N. generates an onslaught of sound that pushes the boundaries of “jazz manouche”. Their fearless playing transforms tradition, using it as a springboard to more unorthodox, “outside” jazz explorations. Their integrated approach leads to full engagement of the ensemble as they extend the standard Django repertoire to include arrangements of composers Berlin, Ellington, Porter, Dameron, Gershwin, Bird and many more.
Chris Bezant – guitar – is a familiar face on the world’s Django scene, having attended Samois for the last four years. Chris’ style taps into a wide range of music, seamlessly combining any and every influence, be it the riffs of Charlie Parker or Jimi Hendrix, or the compositions of Ravel and Chopin.
Chris Kettlewell – bass – cut his jazz chops traveling the globe, working in Spain, Japan, Australia, and the Middle East. No stranger to the Trans-Canada highway, he spent three years as a member of indie-rock band The Adorables, and currently tours with Maylee Todd. His open-hearted approach to life is matched undiluted in his music. His skill and sensitivity, balanced between evocative exploration and the elemental, creates a solid foundation which functions as a bed-rock for the daring improvisations that coalesce around him.
Bob Stevenson – clarinet – plays as if in the eye of a hurricane, alternately laying down the rudimentary framework of the form only to obliterate it in succeeding phrases. His forty-year career working with many of the world’s most adventurous musicians (Terry Riley, Kevin Volans, John Oswald, Jean Derome and Elliott Sharp to name but a few) gives him a unique approach to the jazz idiom.
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