Hamilton All Star Jazz Band - Stompin' At The Tivoli (2002)

Formed in 1984 by lifelong Hamilton resident Dr. Russ Weil, the HASJB has developed into one of the premier amateur big band organizations in Canada. The HASJB has an impressive record, having been twice named the most outstanding band in its class in Canada. It is the recipient of 10 consecutive regional gold awards, 3 national gold awards, an award of excellence at the Clark Terry Jazz Festival at the University of New Hampshire, 3 awards of excellence at the Tri-C Jazz Festival in Cleveland, Ohio and standing invitations to many of the world’s great jazz festivals.

In 1995, 2000, 2003, 2007, and 2012 the band performed at the world -famous Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland, an event that has over the years, been graced by the greatest names in jazz. The band has played eight concerts in Montreux and has made appearances at jazz festivals in Vienne, Avignon, Juan-les-Pins, Aix les-Bains, Aix-en-Provence and Reims in France along with Freiburg in Germany, SanRemo in Italy and additional concerts in Brienz, Switzerland. Special appearances came at the request of the Federal Minister for Canadian Heritage and the Canadian Ambassador to France to promote Canadian culture by performing an all-Canadian program in 2000 and 2003 at the Canadian Embassy in Paris and again at the Ambassador’s home for a private diplomatic function to celebrate Canada Day 2000. In 2003 and 2012, the tour included a special concert for the Juno Beach Memorial to Canadian Veterans in Courseulles-sur-Mer, France, with a program featuring the music of WWII. In 2007, the HASJB was the headline act in Ste. Die-de-Vosges, France for the 400th anniversary of the naming of the Americas by the scholars of Ste. Die.

In 1998, the HASJB was featured at the International Association for Jazz Education Conference in New York City, an event attended by some 8000 jazz artists and educators from all over the world. In Canada, they have performed for the Prime Minister, the Governor General and at a special celebration for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II in Hamilton before over 15,000 appreciative fans.