Toronto Jazz Festival 2012 will feature the music of Natalie Cole, Kurt Rosenwinkel, John Pizzarelli, Karrin Allyson, 
Spectrum Road, Roy Hargrove and many more!

With less than four months to go, the TD Toronto Jazz Festival is already swingin' to the sounds of jazz as it announces its next wave of confirmed artists performing this summer. Featuring some of the jazz world's top artists, the 26th edition of the summer's largest music festival gets underway from June 22 - July 1, 2012. Tickets are on sale now.

Natalie Cole - Monday, June 25, Sony Centre: Spend an unforgettable night with one of music's finest when singer, songwriter Natalie Cole returns to Toronto for a very special performance. The nine-time Grammy award winner will perform standards from the Great American Songbook, selections made immortal by her father, Nat King Cole, and music from her award winning releases.

Spectrum Road - Wednesday, June 27, Sound Academy: Featuring Jack Bruce (bassist for Cream), Vernon Reid (guitarist for Living Color), John Medeski (keyboardist for Medeski Martin & Wood) and Cindy Blackman-Santana (former drummer for Lenny Kravitz), this band was originally formed as a tribute group to the groundbreaking work of Tony Williams. A jazz fusion super-group comprised of the most prolific players on the music scene today, Spectrum Road is a heavyweight line-up that is inspired by the work by Williams, a drummer for Miles Davis who charted the course for jazz-rock.

Radio Deluxe with John Pizzarelli Quartet featuring Jessica Molaskey - Friday, June 29, Koerner Hall: Radio Deluxe literally hits the open road when John Pizzarelli brings his nationally syndicated radio program to Koerner Hall.  Join John, his co-host (and wife) Jessica Molaskey, the quartet and special guest Emilie-Claire Barlow for a night of music and smart, sassy repartee. This broadcast will be recorded and aired at a later date.

Peter Appleyard & The Sophisticated Ladies - Tuesday, June 26, Koerner Hall: Peter Appleyard & The Sophisticated Ladies is a new studio album of jazz standards that will come alive for one very special night of music. Join Jill Barber, Jackie Richardson, Heather Bambrick, Emilie-Claire Barlow, Carol McCartney, Diana Panton, Elizabeth Sheperd, Lily Frost and Ranee Lee as this all-star stellar cast of vocalists joins one of Canada's most celebrated jazz musicians.

Kurt Rosenwinkel - Friday, June 22, Church of the Holy Trinity: Arguably one of the most beloved guitarists of his generation, Kurt Rosenwinkel is one of those rare musicians who deftly navigates between different musical worlds. Earning a co-sign from the likes of Q-Tip and ?uestlove while being loved by jazz critics, Rosenwinkel is a guitar hero to his legion of dedicated followers for always keeping it lyrical and emotionally gripping. This will be a solo performance. 

Roy Hargrove's RH Factor With Special Guest Roberta Gambarini - Monday, June 25, Mainstage Marquee, Nathan Phillips Square: Whether it is straight ahead swingin' or the funky underground, Roy Hargrove's distinctive trumpet remains at the heart of the music. Hargrove's hip-hop/jazz collective, The RH Factor, returns to Toronto after a seven-year hiatus. With an incredible band behind him, Hargrove's blistering solos are fused with urban grooves, hip-hop, funk and R&B to create up-to-the-minute contemporary jazz that would have Miles Davis smiling.

Karrin Allyson - Sunday, June 24, Enwave Theatre, Harbourfront Centre: Described as a musician's musician, singer and pianist Karrin Allyson moves with ease and authority from the Great American Songbook of Gershwin and Porter to the Great American Jazz Songbook of Miles and Dizzy. Her body of work, documented in thirteen critically acclaimed CDs, is best described as utter musical fearlessness and is "the stuff shivers are made of" (Washington Post).

Nellie McKay / Becca Stevens - Saturday, June 30, Horseshoe Tavern When an artist draws comparisons to both Doris Day and Eminem, with a touch of Billie Holiday thrown in for good measure, the music can only be described as distinctive and impressively unorthodox. Singer, songwriter Nellie McKay is part cabaret, part sparkly pop but what lies underneath is a wit that cuts and a sharply tuned social conscience. The New York Times called Becca Stevens' debut album, "a best kept-secret" that was "impressively absorbing." As a singer/songwriter of enormous talent, Stevens' music expands and blurs the boundaries of folk, jazz and pop, all the while engaging listeners through keen poetic observation, rich musical language and beguiling singing. .

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