The Blue Water Jazz Collective is Stuart Steinhart (Bass), Robert Gasidlo (Keys), Ward Cornforth (Drums). This March BWJC event will feature Jason Hunter who is one of the finest Musicians and Jazz Soloists in Canada!
Several member’s of the collective group are among the top Jazz musicians in Canada on their respective instruments and bring decades of experience having performed with several world class jazz artists and musicians. The group’s high energy combined with a varied repertoire of swing, latin, fusion and funk delivers a dynamic professional show that engages the audience from start to finish.
Formed in 2023, the group’s members live in the region of Grey Bruce/Simcoe. Having performed together in a variety of different acts previously this newly formed group has received rave reviews in it’s debut shows.
Jason grew up in Kincardine, where as a high school student he “wiggled my way” into playing big band jazz with both the Stardust Big Band and the Lighthouse Swing Band. He pursued the big band jazz interest for four years at McGill in Montreal, known then for its focus on big band and 1960s bebop and post bebop styles. Hunter went next to Boston’s New England Conservatory of Music for a Masters of jazz performance. He wanted to expand into more contemporary jazz styles and explore modern improvisational music.
During 10 years gigging Boston and New York he worked with jazz luminaries like Bob Brookmeyer, George Garzone, Jimmy Heath, Joe Lovano and Kenny Wheeler. He was a member of George Russell’s Living Time Orchestra, the Artie Shaw Orchestra, played on on dozens of recordings, most notably with Guaranteed Swahili, Dead Cat Bounce, Charlie Kohlhase, Kakalla, Patrice Williamson, and on the Boston Modern Orchestra Project’s Journey into Jazz.
In Canada, he has performed with Michael Bublé, the Temptations, Barry Elmes, Lorne Lofsky, singer-songwriter Kate Schutt, and Sploink, the Noodle Factory Jazz Orchestra, and the Stardust Big Band.
