Multiple Juno Award winning flutist, saxophonist and pianist, Jane Bunnett is an internationally acclaimed musician known for her creative integrity, improvisational daring and courageous artistry. Known for turning her bands and recordings into showcases for the next musical talent from Canada, the U.S and Cuba, she has been nominated for several Grammy Awards and received The Order of Canada, The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and The Premier’s Awards for Excellence. Her exploration of Afro-Cuban melodies expresses the universality of music and her ability to embrace and showcase the rhythms and culture of Cuba has been groundbreaking. An educator, spokesperson and social activist, Bunnett created Maqueque, an all-women ensemble of up and coming young female musicians from Cuba, in 2013. The name “Maqueque,” which translates to “the spirit of a young girl,” in the Yoruban language, captures the vibe of the group and the song that shares its name. The sextet has released three CDs, including their self-titled debut in 2014, which received a Juno award for Best Group Jazz Album of the Year; Oddara (2016) which LatinJazzNet called “an intoxicating spirit of joy and electricity… their shape-shifting enthusiasm is contagious,” and their most recent, On Firm Ground/Tierra Firme (2019). Voted as one the top ten jazz groups by the prestigious DownBeat magazine’s critics poll, Maqueque was one of the highlights of the 2017 New Mexico Jazz Festival. The band features three of its original members – Bunnett on soprano saxophone & flute; Dánae Olano, piano; and Yissy García, drums; plus Tailin Marrero on electric and acoustic bass; Mary Paz Fernandez on percussion, and Joanna Tendai Majoko, on vocals. Majoko, who lives in Toronto, is originally from Zimbabwe and is the first member of the band not from Cuba.
