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Jay Danley

Canadian recording artist Jay Danley is a world-class session musician who contributed instrumentally to multiple Juno award-nominated records (Hilario Duran) and is the featured guitarist on the Juno award-winning (Julian Fauth), blues album of the year release.   He has performed with a multitude of legendary musicians from around the world. His coveted tenure with British–Canadian jazz vibraphonist, percussionist, and composer Peter Appleyard is a memorable chapter is in his storied career, along with performances with primary members of Buena Vista Social Club and Salsa star Oscar D'León, to name a few.   Danley is recognized as one of Canada’s leading Jazz and Latin multi-instrumentalist musicians/composers, who as band leader delivered many memorable performances, at the highly acclaimed “Beaches International Jazz Festival,” performed at Toronto’s legendary Massey Hall and graced the stage at the “Barbados Jazz Festival.”   Known as the creator of his own compelling style of “Ethiojazz,” Jay was selected by the “Ontario Arts Council,” in a rigorous juried competition, to receive funds to create his current album release titled "Ethiojazz Volume 1." The album contains memorable melodies, themes and incredible performances, showcasing tracks that flow from high energy dance music to sweet ballads. A definitive record that captures the true essence of Ethiojazz.   His unique stylings are warming the hearts of Jazz fans at numerus concert performances on the southern Ontario Jazz circuit, with some of the most sough-after session players in the region. The group leaves audiences in awe of the Danley trademark fusion of genres, that are a melting pot of five tone scaling Ethiopian Jazz, ‘70’s Soul, World-Jazz Fusion, Afro-Funk and Afro-Cuban music.   The Jay Danley Band have performed at many festivals that include; Hamilton World Music Festival, Lulaworld Fest and Small World Music Society festival. Jay is looking at performing at select music industry conferences across North America, garnering further festival bookings, and organizing a national tour across Canada, in the near future. He has assembled a team of respected industry professionals, that will contribute to an increased level of success, that this ground-breaking recording artist deserves …

Awards

guitar player on 2009 Juno Award winning album "Ramblin' Son"


Tags

4
Album Review

Jay Danley: Robicheaux

Read "Robicheaux" reviewed by Dan McClenaghan


It is possible to leave the hubbub of the big city behind and still maintain a jazz career. For guitarist Jay Danley that meant pulling up roots in Toronto and relocating to Kaslo, a small village with a population of 1000 in British Columbia, where he built his own recording studio and went about crafting Robicheaux, playing (almost) all of the instrumental parts himself. The title Robicheaux may ring a bell with fans of crime fiction. Detective Dave ...

4
Album Review

The Hogtown Syncopators: Rotman's Hat Shop

Read "Rotman's Hat Shop" reviewed by Martin McFie


For 75 years, Rotman's hat shop on Spadina Avenue in Toronto was the place for the Jewish community and others still wearing hats to buy a fedora, a beret, almost any kind of hat. More than that, it was the story of one man's life; David Rotman lived and worked there, every day fighting a forlorn sartorial rearguard. Finally, the ailing hat shop, a Toronto institution, closed. In some part Mr. Rotman's tenacity served as inspiration for this group; singer ...

2
Album Review

Jay Danley: Ethio Jazz Volume One

Read "Ethio Jazz Volume One" reviewed by Anya Wassenberg


Complex rhythms and relentless grooves are what set music from the so-called golden era of Ethiopian jazz apart, and it's that essential and even hypnotic energy that guitarist and composer Jay Danley captures in Ethio Jazz Volume One. Arguably the most important--certainly the most recognizable--element of classic Ethiopian jazz is its bass-heavy groove patterns. In the hot music scene of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from the 1950s to the mid-1970s, musicians fused traditional Ethiopian music with North American jazz, ...

1
Album Review

Jay Danley: Ethio Jazz Volume One

Read "Ethio Jazz Volume One" reviewed by Geno Thackara


The roots of Ethio-jazz may date back to the '50s, but Jay Danley and crew show that it's too fresh and funky to be chained to any era--the grooves are slick, the bass catchy, the brisk rhythms expertly woven like the strands of a rope, and the cast is clearly having a good time. The Canadian guitarist covers a lot of figurative ground with Ethio-Jazz Volume 1, though it's the kind of mix that welcomes everyone to the party regardless ...

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Review of Ethio Jazz Vol. 1 - The Whole Note Magazine Ethio Jazz Vol.1 Jay Danley Band Independent (http://jaydanleyband.wixsite.com/jaydanleyband) Ethiopian Jazz (Ethio Jazz) began with Mulatu Astatke, the first African student at the Berklee College of Music in the 1960s. He fused jazz with Ethiopian music to create a sub-genre which employs heavy rhythm, horns and several minor sounding scales. On Ethio Jazz Volume One, the Toronto jazz guitarist Jay Danley states Ethio Jazz has shown him “an entirely new way to play guitar, compose and most importantly how to hear” by combining the freedom of jazz with the “discipline of applying the scales, rhythms and ‘feel’ of Ethiopian music.” The Jay Danley band has a core group of guitar, bass, drums, percussion and two saxophones

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Primary Instrument

Guitar

Location

Toronto

Willing to teach

Intermediate to advanced

Credentials/Background

I teach guitar, bass, voice and drums. 20 years experience. $60/hr.

Charlie Christian
guitar, electric

Photos

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Robicheaux

Jay Danley Records
2023

buy

Bauza Suite

Self Produced
2023

buy

Nova

Self Produced
2023

buy

'72 Dart

Self Produced
2022

buy

Weeding The Garden

Self Produced
2022

buy

Rotman's Hat Shop

Self Produced
2019

buy

Backbone

From: Nova
By Jay Danley

Salt In The Wound

From: Robicheaux
By Jay Danley

Bauza Suite 2

From: Bauza Suite
By Jay Danley

The Lost Get Back Boogie

From: Robicheaux
By Jay Danley

Weeding The Garden

From: Weeding The Garden
By Jay Danley

'72 Dart

From: '72 Dart
By Jay Danley

Clean Water And A Bag Of Rice

From: Ethio Jazz Volume One
By Jay Danley

Clean Water And A Bag Of Rice

From: Ethio Jazz Volume One
By Jay Danley

Videos

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