Saxophonist Ryan Oliver Quartet

JUNO-nominated Victoria saxophonist RYAN OLIVER has become a cornerstone of Canada’s modern jazz landscape. With over 20 years of international performance experience, Oliver has toured extensively across the globe, previously appeared at TD Victoria International JazzFest and returned in 2026 with a dynamic ensemble.

Oliver has carved his musical journey along Canada’s west coast and beyond, with stints in Amsterdam, Toronto, and New York City. Renowned as one of Canada’s foremost saxophonists, Oliver boasts an impressive resume spanning continents. He’s a familiar face on the global jazz circuit, having toured extensively with the iconic jazz funk ensemble, The Shuffle Demons, captivating audiences across Canada, India, Australia, New Zealand, South America, Europe, and the United States. Co-leading The Cookers Quintet, Oliver has left an indelible mark on the Canadian jazz scene, with numerous recordings and broadcasts under their belt, including a notable live video broadcast for CBC. Oliver’s partnership with Toronto-based Do Right Music has yielded four acclaimed albums, including 2024’s, “Live In Vancouver” by the Ryan Oliver Quartet, featuring vocalist Dee Daniels and Canadian jazz legends, Sir Terry Clarke on drums and Neil Swainson on bass.

Oliver’s musical prowess is matched by his academic achievements, holding a master’s degree in music from Rutgers University. He has not only led the undergraduate big band at Rutgers but also shared his expertise in saxophone and ensemble clinics at universities worldwide for over two decades. Currently, as director and founder of the West Coast Jazz Academy in Victoria, he imparts his knowledge to aspiring saxophonists across Vancouver Island, directs both student and adult jazz combos and runs an annual weeklong saxophone camp.
Beyond performance and education, Oliver has contributed to the jazz community as an adjudicator for prestigious scholarships and festivals, including the Fraser MacPherson Scholarship and the Victoria and Powell River Jazz Festivals. He has been recognized as a nominee for numerous awards including the Prix De Jazz at the Montreal Jazz Festival, a Juno nomination and the Western Canadian Jazz musician of the Year in 2022.

A native of Vancouver, DR. TONY GENGE on piano is one of Canada’s leading jazz organists and jazz pianists. He is also a respected music educator, and a well-known and much-recorded composer of classical music.

Genge started as a jazz organist performing for several years in Vancouver, before studying classical composition in the late 1970s. He completed a Ph.D. in composition with the composer Morton Feldman in 1984.

From 1989 until 2005, Genge taught jazz piano in the Dept. of Music at St. Francis Xavier University. During that time, he also performed extensively with many leading jazz artists, at the same time maintaining an active career as a classical composer.

As a jazz pianist, his cool and swinging style references the great jazz piano tradition of pianists such Ahmad Jamal, Red Garland, Wynton Kelly, Horace Silver and Les McCann.

As a jazz organist, Genge presents his bluesy, soul-jazz influenced style on the Hammond B3 organ in concerts and clubs. His roots are in the stylings of the great jazz organists such as Jimmy Smith, Don Patterson, Jack McDuff and Richard ‘Groove’ Holmes, combined with a variety of modern jazz influences.

Over the years Genge has performed with many leading international jazz artists, including Eddie ‘Lockjaw’ Davis, Paul Horn, John Abercrombie, Randy Brecker, Jerry Bergonzi, Jeff Hamilton, Roberta Gamberini, Adam Nussbaum, Gene Bertoncini, Joey Baron, Randy Brecker, Peter Erskin, Larry Grenadier, Lew Soloff, P.J. Perry and many others.

Genge’s work can be heard on many recordings, including his critically acclaimed piano trio CD ‘Blues Walk’, and as an organist on the recording ‘Bicostal Collective Chapter Four’.

As a classical composer, Genge’s solo, chamber, and orchestral music has been performed and commissioned by leading soloists and ensembles throughout Canada, the United States, Europe and Japan. His music has been characterized by its distinctive harmonic language, elegant orchestration and postmodern mix of musical elements. It is available on many recordings and has also been used for dance and film. 

He currently lives in Victoria, Canada, where he maintains a very busy performance schedule as a much sought after jazz organist and pianist.

Bassist/arranger/composer DAN HOWARD is an established voice on the Vancouver jazz scene and has shared the stage with local greats such as Mimosa, Victor Noriega, Triston Paxton, John Lee, and Chris Davis.

Howard has a broad range of influences ranging from the great hard-bop piano trios to Radiohead and Nirvana.

Drummer JOE POOLE is gradually gaining an international reputation. Since earning his degree in Jazz Performance under the guidance of Oscar Peterson, Joe has been steadily honing his craft.

His tasteful playing, sense of groove, rhythmic fluidity and creativity have led him to accompany many top musicians from the U.S.A, Europe and Canada, including: Ernestine Anderson, Curtis Fuller, Marcus Belgrave, Red Holloway, Houston Person, Don Thompson, Lew Tabackin, Guido Basso, Terell Stafford, Phil Dwyer, Brad Turner, Nick Brignola, Russell Malone, Bob Mover, Denzal Sinclaire, Scott Hamilton, Harry Allen, Richard Underhill, Jeff Healy, Champian Fulton, John Stetch, Jeremy Pelt, Danny Grissett, Dayna Stephens, Ned Goold, Taylor Eigsti, Dee Daniels, Jens Winther, Oliver Gannon, P.J. Perry, Tony Foster, James Danderfer, and Dmitri Shapko.