COURAGE4
Ottawa-based jazz quartet
Jazz standards with adventurous arrangements, trancy moods and compelling grooves
Courage4 plays off-the-wall arrangements of funk, pop
and folk-infused jazz standards.
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The quartet features Martine Courage’s creative, lush vocals and stripped-back piano stylings, Vince Halfhide’s rootsy, bluesy guitar playing, Rob Frayne’s jazzy harmonic bass (and sometimes tenor sax), and Mike Essoudry’s groovy and inventive drumming. Also occasionally features Laura Nerenberg’s nimble and warm violin tones.
Three Courage4 members met at JazzWorks Jazz Camp in Perth, Ontario in the early 2000s, and have played together in different formats over the years.
Courage makes a splash with buoyant, homespun music that grabs from pop and funk to make its jazz more effervescent.
— Peter Hum, Ottawa Citizen (album review, Things Are Looking Up!)
Upcoming & Recent Events
Courage4 is planning a few gigs in the coming months.
Check back or follow us on social media!
04
July 4, 2024
Montgomery Scotch Lounge
03
April 3, 2024
Montgomery Scotch Lounge
28
June 28, 2023
Ottawa Jazz Festival
Debut Release
Listen to Things Are Looking Up by Courage4
From the rollicking “If I Only Had a Brain”, and the funk-inflected “Just Friends” to the atmospheric “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home to,” and the French bistro-style, “Nos Trois Jours a Paris” (an original), this debut recording of the quartet’s music hits all the right notes.
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Recorded in October 2019 and released in July 2021, the recording amps up the usual musical adventure with top-notch guest artists, including Scott White (bass), Zakari Frantz (alto sax), and Alvaro de Minaya (percussion), plus track guests Dave Bignell (guitar), Petr Cancura (tenor sax), Chris Bartos (slide guitar), Liz Hanson (shaker) and Ross Murray (percussion). Expertly and patiently recorded, mixed and mastered by Ross Murray.
Contact
Twinkly lights, sparkling drinks and great music -- Courage4 can add a special touch to an event, play a concert at your house or liven up a street party. To learn more about Martine Courage, Courage4 and our music, don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Ottawa, ON, Canada