Tuesday Night Jazz at the Church proudly presents a master class in the fine art of jazz improvisation with multi-instrumentalist John Lee!

The jazz art form has always been passed from person to person, from mentor to student, from peer to peer. In the days of early bebop, visionaries like Thelonious Monk or Lennie Tristano would hold frequent gatherings at their apartments to discuss the philosophy and practice of the art form. Visionary composers like Gill Evans and Gunter Schuler would do the same. And now we create such an opportunity here in Victoria with our guest facilitator John Lee.

Join us for a fun and inspirational deep dive into what it means to play on instrument, learn the language of jazz and perform with others!

The master class will happen on Monday, August 18, 4 pm – 6 pm
Admission by donation (suggested: $40 for participants / $10 for observers)

All levels and all instrument types are welcome.

About our facilitator:

John Lee's experience as a sideman reaches far beyond his years. Growing up on Vancouver Island, he cut his teeth performing with notable Canadian musicians including Phil Dwyer, Christine Jensen and Ingrid Jensen.

At just 19, he made his U.S. debut with Cyrus Chestnut at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola (Jazz at Lincoln Center) in New York City. Throughout the early 2010s, Lee was a prominent figure in the Victoria jazz scene, performing alongside visiting artists such as Larry Fuller, George Colligan and Misha Piatigorsky.

In recent years, Lee has built a strong association with saxophonist and Jazz impresario Cory Weeds which has opened the door to performing alongside many of today’s jazz luminaries. His appearances in Vancouver have included performances with Eric Alexander, Peter Bernstein, Joe Farnsworth, Mike LeDonne, Stafford, Dick Oatts, Jeremy Pelt, Ralph Moore, Seamus Blake, Joe Magnarelli, Grant Stewart, Michael Weiss, Jim Rotondi, Roy McCurdy, Jerry Weldon, John Webber, Benny Benack III, Lucy Yeghiazaryan, Nicole Glover, Sarah Hanahan, Brian Charette and Alexander Claffy.

With the support of the Cellar Music Group, Lee released his debut album The Artist in 2021 on the Cellar Live label, featuring Carl Allen. His sophomore album, Second Wind featuring Peter Washington and Kenny Washington was released in July 2024.

In addition to his own projects, Lee appeared as a guest artist on Carl Allen’s 2025 album Tippin’ featuring Christian McBride and Chris Potter, as well as Mike Clements’ 2024 release Hittin’ It featuring Herlin Riley. Lee can also be heard on several of Cory Weeds' albums, including Just Coolin’ and With Strings: What Is There to Say?

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