New Vibes Jazz

Andy Macpherson

vibraphone & percussion

Andy Macpherson has been playing vibes and percussion for over three decades and is the leader of the NVJQ. He has worked in many large and small ensemble settings, spanning Latin, classical, rock, and jazz. His studies at Humber College under the tutelage of Canadian jazz giants Ron Collier and Pat Labarbara in the late 80’s were very formative. He continues to make music with many of the region’s finest musicians and recently performed with Canadian jazz icon Don Thompson. Besides the NVJQ, which he co-founded, he currently plays with Kitchener Waterloo’s Big Band Theory and occasionally with Jazz Farm, an eclectic band that plays folk, jazz, jigs, reels, and polkas. He was the principal percussionist with the former Waterloo Stage Theatre. He loves playing the vibraphone, a visually interesting instrument with lots of tonal variety whose classic jazz sound is not often heard in a live setting.

Andy has retired from teaching mathematics at St. Mary’s High School in Kitchener where he also directed the SMH Hypercussion Ensemble. He now dedicates his time to being active, creative, his learning and lending a hand where he can.

Dan Brennan

bass

Dan Brennan is often called on by local jazz musicians to play stand-up bass for their groups in performance and recordings. Dan’s percussive bass playing style is very complementary to the sound of the NVJQ that already boasts two other percussionists. While Dan is classically trained, he grew up playing everything from rock to R&B, classical to jazz. Dan continues to play with the Waterloo Chamber Players as well as the NVJQ. He has recently retired from teaching the strings program at Waterloo Collegiate, getting many local musicians off to a great start in their musical careers.

John Zadro

piano

John Zadro who has brought many genres and stylings to the group as well as a vast repetoire of tunes. He is an experienced soloist and band member and has wowed our audiences with his Gospel influenced, striding honky-tonk, traditional and contemporary jazz playing. He is both exciting and expressive in his playing.

Jerzy Kaplanek

violin

Jerzy Kaplanek has been playing violin regularly with NVJQ since May of 2012. Jerzy brings virtuosity and sensitivity to his interpretation of jazz standards and is a wonderful addition to the sound of the New Vibes Jazz Quartet. Regularly, Jerzy leads The Pendercki String Quartet and plays as a soloist and chamber musician throughout Europe, Asia, and North and South America over 80 concerts each season. His impressive discography includes over two dozen CDs (Marquis, Eclectra, CBC, CMC, EMI labels), including the acclaimed recording of the complete string quartets of Béla Bartók with the PSQ, and Arnold Schoenberg’s Pierrot Lunaire with the Blue Rider Ensemble. Jerzy Kaplanek is presently Associate Dean and an award winning professor at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, where he has been teaching violin and chamber music since 1991. In addition to his duties at WLU, he is in great demand as a soloist, adjudicator and teacher at international competitions and summer festivals, and masterclasses given in Canada and abroad.

Jay Boehmer

drums

Jay Boehmer has been playing the drums with NVJQ since 2018. He is an active musician in the Toronto scene heading up his own trio and quartet as well as ‘driving the bus’ with the Mississauga Big Band. Jay is a drumset clinician partnering with Charlie Cooley and available for school and educational shows. He composes and arranges and has now contributed a couple of original tunes to the New Vibes repertoire.

Ted Gibbons

guitar

Ted Gibbons occasionally augments the sound of New Vibes Jazz on his custom Tedecaster guitar. Ted’s past endeavours are broad: from music to physics, geometry to creative writing. He presently works at The Working Centre as an employment counsellor.

Tom Wilson

piano

Tom Wilson is one of the founding members of the New Vibes Jazz Quartet in 1999. Sadly, Tom passed away January 8, 2019. Tom was the ever funny, optimistic, positive, loving person who is dearly missed by Dan and Andy and the New Vibes community. Tom introduced Dan and Andy to many wonderful jazz standards. Duke Ellington’s “Things Ain’t What They Used to Be” is often now part of our set list and is always in memory of Tom. Tom’s wish for us, in his own words: “that you also show extra compassion toward other friends and family. As friends of mine, I know that you have the capacity to bring the Kingdom of God a little closer in this way.”

Gary Tomlin

drums

Gary Tomlin was a well-known percussionist in the K-W area. He started playing the drums while attending K-W Collegiate and has worked in many aspects of percussion. He was head of percussion at Waterloo Music for 10 years and worked 25 years as percussion specialist with the Separate School Board. He has conducted clinics and served as an adjudicator for many music competitions across Canada. For many years Gary has taught privately through the Tomlin Percussion Studio and at Sherwood Music in Kitchener. In fact, Andy Macpherson was one of his students, as were a great many other drummers in the region. Gary is a graduate of the Advanced School of Contemporary Music, where he studied with Ed Thigpen, Ray Brown, and Oscar Peterson. He has played on the air, in musicals, and with many local bands, including: George Kadwell Trio, Pat Ludwig Trio, Fritz-Patrick Trio, Bill Gillard, the John Kostigan Big Band, the Sensation Jazz Band, and of course, the New Vibes Jazz Quartet. Gary passed away April 2, 2018 and is dearly missed.

With the passing of Tom and Gary, there is the makings of a wonderful jazz band in heaven with New Vibes roots. Rest in peace friends.