I’d like to introduce you to my friend, Toronto-based jazz crooner Vincent Wolfe who captivates audiences with his velvety voice described by The Manhattan Transfer’s Laurel Massé as “somewhere between Chet Baker and Mel Tormé.” A beloved presence on the Canadian jazz scene, Vincent has performed at top clubs and festivals across Canada, the U.S., and Europe, collaborating with some of the finest musicians in the industry. His global performances include appearances aboard the prestigious Cunard Cruise Line, and he continues to shine as the lead vocalist of the renowned George Lake Big Band. This summer, he reunites with his original trio for a series of highly anticipated festival and club dates, celebrating their thirtieth anniversary.
In a couple of weeks, you’ll have the opportunity of seeing/hearing Vincent in a beautiful new venue in Toronto so I asked him to tell us about the gig, the venue and how his life and career have been going…..
So Vincent, your summer has started off with some great gigs and you have one coming up Saturday July 26 at a new live music venue in Toronto’s Junction neighbourhood called the NeuLokal. Tell us about the club and what songs you have planned for the night. I’m so pleased to be included in the “Jazz in The Junction” series (thank you Ori Dagan!) and I think it’s the closest venue I’ve ever performed at. I can walk there, as it’s literally 10 minutes from my place. It’s a lovely, hip, open concept restaurant, with a great vibe and amazing food. They’re taking this live music thing really seriously, with a stage and PA and all of that. I remember when we moved to the Junction in 2021, it was just post-pandemic and hardly anything was open. It felt desolate but now it’s a vibrant, very happening area again… I love it here. Live music seems to be making a comeback again and it couldn’t be better timing for me to do a jazz “comeback.” I love the NeuLokal’s slogan, “Experience the taste of community, one dish at a time.” It’s important that folks buy their tickets at Eventbrite in advance with the following link, which also gets them a table reservation. Remember it’s a dinner show from 5:30 until 7:30 so it’s best to arrive by 5pm.It HAS been a busy summer so far, thankfully. When I was asked to perform at the Grange Winery (in PEC) and the Cobourg Waterfront Festival last month, I’d been thinking about reuniting my original trio and diving back into intimate jazz performances, since it’s been 30 years!!! I started when I was seven… HA! I’ve been mostly singing with big bands for the last decade and I missed the freedom of being in a trio setting. So, announcing this “30th Anniversary Summer Tour” has really given us some momentum, and for that I’m grateful.
We’re going to do tunes from my four albums and add some other faves. I love throwing in something from James Taylor or Stevie Wonder or even Bonnie Raitt. I love taking pop or folk tunes and re-imagining them in a jazz setting. I did this on my very first album and confused the record execs, who called me “eclectic.” As one A&R manager told me a couple of years later… “You did a Norah Jones thing four years before she did it.” Timing, huh?You sing jazz, cabaret style and big band classics – do you have a favourite artist’s song catalogue? There are so many varied artists and songbooks I admire. Steve Lawrence (below), Jack Jones, Sammy Davis Jr. among them. Of course there are the obvious standards people ask for, but I love to mix it up with material that’s not as familiar… to keep the audience guessing. Also Fred Astaire, Peggy Lee, The Manhattan Transfer, Sarah Vaughan, Kay Starr, Joe Williams and Dionne Warwick… really different stuff influences me. Often, big band, cabaret, and jazz tunes are the same songs but with different approaches. I love the challenge as a singer to cover these styles, but you can’t beat being in a trio setting.
Who or what first inspired you to sing? My Mom told me I used to get on a stool and watch the record player intently when I was very young. I remember being fascinated with the Capitol Records label, spinning round and round. I also used to put my ear against the speaker and imitate instruments. Strange kid huh? There was always singing around the house and I always loved vintage Hollywood musicals, so the singing thing had been brewing for a long while.
Who are your bandmates, what do they play? My original trio is yours truly on vocals, Anthony Donato on keys, and Paco Luviano on bass. For this gig we have Paco on bass and Peter Hill (who I really dig) on piano. Peter and I have also worked extensively together in the past, so it will be an amazing night of jazz energy. Anthony couldn’t make this one and I hated to keep switching dates so I got Peter and how lucky am I?
Will you have your albums available for sale on the night? Yes indeed. I still have two CDs that are available: “Until Tomorrow” with several of my original tunes and an all-star band and the more recent “Weaver of Dreams” which is a real mixed bag of styles, all within the jazz framework. I wrote a couple of the tracks and even got to sing “Vivo Sonhando” in Portuguese.How can fans follow you on social media?
They can reach me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/vincentsings/
Instagram at www.instagram.com/wolfejazz70/
YouTube at www.youtube.com/@vincentwolfejazz
and of course there’s my BRAND NEW website: vincentwolfe.com
Thanks, Vincent and I hope to see you on the 26th….bravo and congrats on this new show…maybe a regular gig?