Get to know the superheroes of The Achromatics

EL JEFE

Jay (Javier) Vazquez is a vocalist/multi-instrumentalist/composer/arranger based out of Pickering, Ontario. Born and raised in Mexico City, Jay moved to Toronto in 2006, bringing with him a wealth of experience in the music industry that ranges from composing, to band leading, to production. Jay joined Spectrum Music as a composer and Artistic Producer in 2016 and currently studies composition with Roger Bergs. He owns the entertainment company JV Music, and enjoys creative writing in his spare time. Jay attended the National University of Mexico (UNAM), where he studied music, life sciences, and Hispanic literature.

 

GINGEY O’GAMS

Toronto-based musician Shannon Graham has played many parts throughout her life: classical violist, jazz saxophonist, experimental composer, pop singer, and chamber-jazz concert producer. Shannon’s passionate and high energy saxophone performance style has made her a busy performer in the pop and world music scenes. Shannon released her second record “Modus Tollens” featuring new compositions for saxophone and piano in February 2017. She also runs Dialectica (an all-female saxophone quartet) and is the Managing Artistic Director of Spectrum Music (a composers collective dedicated to presenting the work of Toronto’s chamber-jazz community). When she isn’t a starving artist she works as an entertainer for JV Music.

THE CHARMER

Kathryn Scobie started her interest in music at a young age, playing piano and singing in choirs. In high school she developed her love for the trombone and proceeded to study music graduating with a degree from Laurier University and has performed music in Canada, Mexico, the United States and Europe. She now plays a variety of styles ranging from classical and musicals to pop and latin, and continues to perform on trombone, piano and sing back-up vocals.  She is currently playing with Groove Marmalade, Big Band Theory and the Royal City Big Band.

 

 

ERMAHGERD

Emma Rowlandson-O’Hara is from Salt Spring Island, BC, where she began studying trumpet with Dawn Hage. She went on to obtain a Bachelor of Music from McGill University, where she studied with Russell DeVuyst and Edward Carroll. Now based in Toronto, Emma is a member of the Vox Aeris Brass Trio, and freelances as a soloist, and with several chamber and orchestral ensembles in the GTA. She has a particular affection for piccolo trumpet. She arranges music (from Brian Eno to RJD2) in various other instrumental combinations. She is a Director of Music at Our Lady of Sorrows Church, and often works with amateur choristers. Emma teaches trumpet, piano, and voice after-hours at Northmount School, and teaches in-home for Albano Piano Lessons in the East End.

 

DE LUPO

Matt De Luca has had a bass attached to his hands for over a decade. Starting in his teens, he inevitably cut his teeth in the local underground hard rock and heavy metal scenes. After receiving a B.Mus from Humber College, Matt toured extensively in Ontario, Quebec, and the United States and now splits his time between performing and working in a recording studio. Though his musical tastes may have mellowed since his rebellious teen years, Matt always strives to put the same edge and passion into every performance.

 

 

SHNEK

Reuven Grajner is an award winning pianist / singer / bandleader/ composer / arranger / teacher based in Toronto. Reuven performs and writes music in various styles including with his dream pop band Selfoss, a cappella quartet Yonge Guns, jazz group Trio Mosaic, and of course The Achromatics. Reuven has performed, recorded, and toured extensively as a bandleader and sideman for various local and international artists throughout Ontario, as well as the USA and Europe. Reuven recently graduated Jazz Piano Performance at the University of Toronto.

 

 

OCTO

After studying Jazz Performance for Drums and Percussion at Humber College, Aaron Spink embarked on a performance career that has seen him play with a variety of talented musicians as well as countless theatre productions and studio sessions. In addition to being a performer, Aaron is also a clinician, educator and adjudicator. For the past 9 years Aaron has been the head of the Yamaha Drum Course at the Yamaha Music School in North York, Ontario and is a certified National Yamaha Drum Instructor Trainer and Yamaha Drum Exam Adjudicator for all of Canada. Aaron is endorsed by Canadian Drum Gear, Aquarian Drum Heads, Soultone Cymbals and Headhunters Drumsticks.

 

RICO

Josh Molina was born in Canada. His love and passion of music came growing up with his parent’s culture, who were both from El Salvador. He started percussion when he was 6 playing timbales. He became the drummer boy at church on Sundays. In university he took afro Cuban lessons and developed his conga sound.