The Composers Collective Big Band

Originally started as a writers workshop, this group has evolved into one of the most original and dynamic big bands in Canada. Their live show consists of the most eclectic mix of music you've ever heard from straight ahead swing to hip-hop to classical and everything in between as seen through the lens of Canada's top contemporary jazz composers.  

new record available now on bandcamp!

What is the sound of a city?

The Composers Collective Big Band has put together it’s most ambitious project yet, commissioning Toronto’s top jazz composers to write about the neighbourhoods and aspects of their city that inspire the most culminating in a musical journey titled The Toronto Project.

The Stories Behind the Music

West Toronto Ode (Composed By: Pablosky Rosales)

Written by Cuban Canadian Pablosky Rosales, the tune celebrates the warm welcoming community of Little Portugal,

where Pablosky says you can hear people “mixing Portuguese , Spanish,

Italian and the common mangled English that we immigrants use as "lingua franca”.

Non-Sequitur (Composed By: Tom Richards)

Have a coffee and watch the quirky cast of characters go by on St. Clair West.

Tom Richards introduces us to the wild and wonderful!

Spadina (Composed By: Christian Overton)

Explore the history of Spadina avenue, from a small community into one of the largest

and busiest China towns in North America. Featuring Amely Zhou on the Erhu.

Finding Home (Composed By: Maya Killtron & Erik Patterson)

Maya Killtron explores feelings of solitude surrounded by a city of millions.

Was moving to the big lights of the city everything we expected it to be?

Inside the Toy Factory (Composed By: Chelsea McBride)

What would it be like to spend the night as a kid in a Toy Factory?

Liberty Village’s most notorious building inspires this composition by Chelsea McBride.

Interweave (Composed By: Justin Gray)

Justin Gray explores the weaving of how hundred of years of Indian culture in peaceful shops on

Gerard street empty out into the modern hustle and bustle of North America’s 5th largest city.

Two divergent philosophies woven together.

The Commuter (Composed By: Erik Patterson)

One commuters story of surviving the

white knuckle gauntlet that is Toronto traffic!

Transit (Composed By: Shirantha Beddage)

Imagine what the city looks like from a birds eye view.

Millions of individuals travelling their

own ways culminating in points and patterns intersecting

and diverging in smooth lines and abstract patterns.

WHat They’re saying about The Toronto project:

The musicianship and arrangements are excellent throughout and serve the material extremely well. The eight composers who contributed to The Toronto Project must, one presumes, be thrilled by the dynamic treatments their material receives on the release. As a musical portrait of the city, it flatters the writers and Overton's ensemble in equal measure.

Ron Schepper - Textura

As a portrait of a vibrant city, The Toronto Project is fabulous; as a portfolio of superlative big-band jazz, even more so. ★★★★1/2

Jack Bowers – All About Jazz

The Composers Collective Big Band’s response to the Toronto sound question is a bit more implicit. The symbolism of John MacLeod’s contribution to this album is not lost on me. MacLeod leads the The Rex Hotel Orchestra and along with Terry Promane, he is a second-generation torchbearer of the “Toronto sound,” a style of playing and writing that came out of Rob McConnell’s bands and the Toronto studio scene. Toronto has since changed and accordingly, its big band music has changed as well. The Toronto Project reflects an increasingly diverse populace and integrates a wide range of musical aesthetics all executed in the Toronto way, thoughtfully and with precision.

Jacob Chung – Rhythm Changes

…a beautiful mosaic of a town that cares about its tunes.

Mike Greenblatt – Goldmine Magazine

The Toronto Project encapsulates inspiration and local character in an unforgettable expression of contemporary jazz, highly recommended especially for connoisseurs of the genre.

Jim Cox – Midwest Book Review

Here’s some of our other music:

The Composers collective big band 2017 self titled release

In 2017 we released our self titled CD. Check it out on Spotify or iTunes or buy it here. Listen to a sneak peak of "Cities and Cell Phones" below:

Some of the composers we've featured are: Christian Overton, Erik Patterson, Andy Ballantyne, Jason Logue, Allison Au, Shirantha Beddage, Tom Richards, John Pittman, La-Nai Gabriel, Mark Grieve, Anthony Rice and more...

The Band Is:

Christian Overton - Musical Director/Trombone

Marcus Ali -  Alto/Soprano Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet

Chris Roberts - Alto Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet

 Paul Metcalfe - Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet

Jared Welsh- Tenor Saxophone, Flute, Clarinet

Shirantha Beddage - Baritone Saxophone, Bass Clarinet

Pat Blanchard - Trombone

Tom Richards - Trombone

Karl Silveira - Trombone

Sylvain Bedard - Bass Trombone

James Rhodes - Lead Trumpet

John Pittman - Trumpet

Patrice Barbanchon - Trumpet

Steve Dyte - Trumpet

Erik Patterson - Guitar

Todd Pentney - Piano

Justin Gray  - Electric/Acoustic Bass

Jeff Halischuk - Drums