Saskatoon Jazz Society

43 Years of Jazz in the City of Bridges

tbt-secondary-bg

The Saskatoon Jazz Society (SJS), a not-for-profit community-based organization, has been a vital part of the Saskatoon music scene for over 40 years. The SJS strives to meet its mandate to present, promote, and foster the art of jazz music in our community a number of ways. The SJS is the sole member of the Sasktel Saskatchewan Jazz Festival and as such oversees the Festival at arm’s length to enure that it continues to offer jazz quality programming while maintaining a prudent and competitive business model. The SJS owns and operates a 180 seat live music venue, The Bassment. Of the 180 shows presented at The Bassment each year, approximately 120 fall under the jazz category. The SJS seeks to help in the development of younger jazz musicians by presenting monthly Jazz Jams, High School Big Band Nights, University of Saskatchewan Jazz Ensemble performances, and a $10 student price to all ticketed performances.

The Bassment

The Bassment provides a world-class stage for local, national, and international artists. The Bassment is one Canada’s premier jazz clubs and provides musicians of all skill levels a venue to showcase their talents in front of a live audience while accessing a variety of professional, concert grade instruments. The club offers an intimate, personal concert space with capacity for approximately 180 people, state of the art lighting and sound system complete with acoustic panels.

The SJS owns a Yamaha S6 grand piano. This piano was purchased with funds donated by club members, the Saskatoon Kinsmen Club, and the Yamaha Piano Centre. The SJS also owns a Yamaha C7 grand piano which was donated by the Whitt Firor family. Other backline items include a Hammond B3 organ/Leslie speaker, a Shen SB800 Rogeri fully-carved upright bass, a Yamaha Custom drum kit, a Fender Delux Reverb amp, a MiniMark bass amp, an Aguilar DB 751 bass amp, an EA IAMP doubler bass amp, and 4 Ten Bergantino bass cabinet.

Saskatoon’s Home of Live Jazz & Roots Music
A carpeted raised stage, a fully accessible 370 square foot backstage area, green room, small kitchen and fully functional bar make the club the perfect place to present live music. The society maintains this facility with the aim of it remaining cutting-edge and nationally respected as a quality performance venue. Programming at The Bassment highlights jazz, but incorporates other genres, such as roots, folk, classical, and blues.

The club presents live music acts three to five nights of the week, with rentals offered on available nights. The Saskatoon Jazz Society and The Bassment are important contributors to Saskatoon’s cultural milieu.

SJS Board

  • Shawn Tillman President
  • Jolene Zidkovich Vice-President
  • Kevin Veitenheimer Treasurer
  • Dwayne Demeester Secretary
  • Julie Dell Executive Director
  • Don Griffith Artistic Director
  • Laurel Beaumont
  • Randy Boyer
  • Michael Conlon
  • Kyle Drever
  • Gisele Dumonceaux
  • Sherry Fitzimmons
  • Glen Kovatch
  • Shelly Loeffler
  • Heidi Munro
  • Jamie Peever
  • Sandra Stack