Don Byron & Michael Occhipinti Quartet with Rich Brown & Jinu Isac

Featuring:
Don Byron - clarinet and saxophone
Michael Occhipinti - guitar
Rich Brown - bass
Jinu Isac - drums

Don Byron and Michael Occhipinti have performed together for over 20 years, with Don being a featured guest on two of Michael's big band NOJO’s albums, and subsequently as part of Michael’s Creation Dream: The Songs of Bruce Cockburn and with the Sicilian Jazz Project, all Juno Award nominees. In February 2024, the two performed together with a new quartet, featuring electric bass virtuoso Rich Brown and dynamic young drummer Jinu Isac. The  group’s high energy and imaginative set thrilled packed crowds over four nights at Toronto’s Rex Jazz Bar, performing original music by the two leaders and a repertoire that touches on everything from the music of Hank Williams to Jeff Beck and James Brown.

DON BYRON has been a singular voice in an astounding range of musical contexts, exploring widely divergent traditions while continually striving for what he calls "a sound above genre." As clarinetist, saxophonist, composer, arranger, and social critic, he redefines every genre of music he plays, be it classical, salsa, hip-hop, funk, rhythm & blues, klezmer, or any jazz style from swing and bop to cutting-edge downtown improvisation.

MICHAEL OCCHIPINTI is a sound sculpting guitarist, composer, and arranger, who has spent decades freely moving between jazz, popular song, chamber music, Sicilian, Indian, and Turkish music, rhythm and blues, funk, and experimental music. Celebrated nationally for his fearlessness in imagining and realizing new projects, Michael leads several acclaimed groups including ES:MO, his 2022 JUNO nominated duo with singer/pianist Elizabeth Shepherd, The Sicilian Jazz Project, In Orbit (featuring Jeff Coffin and Felix Pastorius), and the acclaimed16- piece group NOJO (Neufeld-Occhipinti Jazz Orchestra). Michael won the 2022 JUNO for Jazz Group of The Year as a member of the group Avataar.