Events

Every so often a jazz musician comes along who makes you rethink what the bass is for. Aretha Tillotson is one of them. The Edmonton-based bassist, composer, and bandleader has spent the last few years quietly becoming one of the most talked-about voices in Canadian jazz — and one listen to why is all it takes.

Her credentials read like a wish list: a JUNO nomination, a Western Canadian Music Award for Jazz Artist of the Year, a presidential scholarship to Berklee’s elite Global Jazz program, and studies under giants like John Patitucci, Linda May Han Oh, and Joe Lovano. She’s shared stages across North America with the likes of Kris Davis and the Jensen sisters, and even held down the bass chair for Broadway’s SIX.

At The Dream she brings her quartet — a bold, chord-less lineup in the daring tradition of Sonny Rollins and Ornette Coleman, where horns and rhythm converse with nothing to hide behind. Expect music from her acclaimed album Kinda Out West (Spotify / Apple), a love letter to the prairies, mountains, and coastlines of Western Canada: compositions that swing hard, breathe wide open, and reward close listening at every turn.

This is jazz built on conversation — four musicians thinking out loud together, with Tillotson’s warm, muscular bass anchoring every twist. Pull up close, order something good, and watch a rising star do her finest work. An evening for the ears and the imagination alike.

Click here to reserve your seat!