Events Calendar

1218 Cartwright St, Vancouver, BC V6H 3R8

A drummer who The New York Times says “takes a back seat to no one,” Ulysses Owens Jr. “balances excitement gracefully and shines with innovation.” The three-time Grammy-winner has been the driving force behind great artists like Nicholas Payton, Christian McBride, Kurt Elling, Gregory Porter, and Wynton Marsalis, but over the past five years, Ulysses’ career has shifted from “young lion” side-man to leader and mentor, guiding the next generation of talent via his many performance, production, and educational outreach projects.

His eighth album as leader, A New Beat, was recorded at the legendary Rudy Van Gelder Studios in New Jersey and is out now on the Cellar Jazz record label. In the inter-generational tradition of Art Blakey and Betty Carter, Ulysses introduces the new ensemble Generation Y, building bridges to success and paying it forward by featuring a new crop of remarkable jazz talents that he’s discovered through his professorship at Juilliard and the other educational positions he holds internationally. With a repertoire that includes Mulgrew Miller, Roy Hargrove, George Cables, Wayne Shorter, and many others, Generation Y dynamically affirms the power of the jazz tradition and shows us that the future of the music is in very good hands.

For this Vancouver show, the maestro calls on “young lions” Benny Bennack III trumpet, Erena Terakubo saxophone, Tyler Bullock piano, and Thomas Milovac bass.

No refunds.