Biography
Company B Jazz Band is one of Canada's foremost vintage jazz ensembles, featuring a harmonizing vocal trio. Inspired by renowned female harmony groups such as the Andrews Sisters and Boswell Sisters, the band offers a vast repertoire that dates from the 1920s through to current day, all performed in classic Swing Era style. Since their inception in 2007, Company B has toured internationally, performing at renowned venues and festivals throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.
The original 6-piece lineup now performs with as many as a dozen members as Company B Big Band, and as few as four, featuring the three vocalists (each doubling on an instrument, either trumpet, ukulele or percussion) with upright bass.
The band has released seven studio recordings. Their most recent release, “Charmed Bad Luck”, is the first to feature their original compositions inspired by the many experiences of touring the world. They will be releasing a new EP in November, 2025 (Snowbird’s Carols), as well as a live-recorded album featuring a 6-piece horn ensemble (Live From The Hive) in May, 2026.
From the Beginning…
The members of Company B Jazz Band met in the Jazz Studies program at Capilano University in 2002, honing their skills studying modern jazz. It was however their interest in early jazz, and their passion for vocal harmony, that led to the creation of the band in 2007. It wasn't long before they'd built up a large repertoire of both transcribed arrangements and original works, and right from the start the band had the honour of being featured performers for CBC concert series' hosted by the internationally celebrated Chan Centre for the Performing Arts (2008), and garnered interest on an international level in 2009 when they were invited to perform at the Sacramento Jazz Festival.
As their reputation grew, so did their opportunities to perform at world-class festival events: 2010 saw their first performance in the Vancouver International Jazz Festival, one of many in years to come; in 2014, Company B was the only Canadian band invited to New Orleans for the internationally-broadcast Boswell Sisters Review; in 2015, they were again the only featured Canadian act in the Jiangsu Jazz and World Music Festival, to which they were invited back in 2018. That same year saw their first tour of Europe; the popularity of their act was such that they were invited to return to multiple venues, which they did in a second tour of Europe in November of 2018.
Company B’s popularity is just as strong in their native BC as it is abroad, and is inclusive of fans of all genres of music. They have performed for local festivals and music societies such as the Pender Harbour Jazz Festival & Society (2009, ‘11, ‘15, ‘18, ’25), Rogue Folk Club’s April in Paris (featuring their big band repertoire), the Harmony Arts Festival (2014, ‘16, ‘17), Tiny Lights Festival (2015, ‘16, 17), and Arts on the Fly (2013, ‘18). They are also recognized by the CBC with frequent airplay, and as featured performers in CBC’s Open House & Food Bank Day (annually 2012-2023).
In addition to events that feature the band, the members have also had the privilege of collaborating and recording with celebrated local artists. Among others, this includes touring with CR Avery in 2012, as well as recording and arranging the background vocal parts on his albums Magic Hour Sailor Songs, Great Canadian Novel, and Act One. They also had the honour of touring with Canadian Tenor Ken Lavigne, setting the tone for his act the Old Time Radio Roadshow.
Company B Jazz Band has released 4 full-length albums as well as 3 EPs,(with a new EP set to be released Nov 15th 2025) and has explored a variety of instrumentations. The band frequently performs as a 12-piece big band, a project originally commissioned by the Pender Harbour Jazz Festival in 2009, and since featured in swing dance events, Vancouver’s April in Paris music festival, as well as in self-produced events. In recent years, the band has modified their arrangements to perform as a quartet that includes the three vocalists also playing trumpet, ukulele and percussion, as well as upright bass.