VENDOR SPOTLIGHT: TORONTO JAZZ COLLECTIVE
Unique in design and theme, each Pop-Up Chapel works with some of the best-in-class vendors in the city to bring our vision to life and create a one-of-a-kind experience for our couples! Providing live entertainment across the GTA, The Toronto Jazz Collective is an Award Winning Music Collective whose romantic renditions and processional songs has helped our Chapel couples move and groove down the aisle! Today, they have been featured in over 10 of our Chapels!
Tell us a little about your business and how long you have been in the industry?
TJC is an award winning collective comprised of talented musicians from across the GTA. We provide live music for events of all types and have a number of acts on our roster from jazz bands and cover bands to string ensembles and DJ's/MC's. TJC was founded by Josh Lane in 2012 with the goal of providing something fresh and unique (with a jazzy twist) from the typical entertainment agencies in Toronto. Since then TJC has grown into a collective of over 50 members, performing for over 100 events per year across Ontario. We LOVE bringing the joy of music to peoples ears and aim to provide a one of a kind experience for each and every wedding and special event we play. :)
Which chapel has been your favourite?
That's a tough question as they have ALL been fantastic! If we had to choose one it would have to be the 3 day Chapel at the BrickWorks in October. This absolutely beautiful venue paired with all the fall colours is definitely our top pick!
What do you love about working in the wedding industry?
We always feel so honoured and excited to share our music, love and art with each new couple and their families. Every wedding is unique and its such a pleasure to be a part of each and every one of them.
How is the chapel unique to your typical work/weddings? What do you love about it?
Its unique in so many ways. One of the biggest differences is the fact that we get to be a part of so many celebrations in one day and switch up the music and feel for each one. You really have to wear a lot of hats, get things right and have a big effect in a short period of time which is challenging and extra rewarding at the same time.
Our favourite part about the popup chapel is working with the incredible popup chapel team and all the fantastic vendors. The team is absolute amazing to work with. They are super fun people who have great energy and are such pros at what they do. They make the job look easy which it is not!
If you could design a chapel what theme would you pick?!
An old school Speakeasy, 1920s Jazz Themed Chapel. 100%. When do we start planning?!
What is your fav processional song?
That's another really tough question! If we had to choose one it would be "Love" by the legend Nat King Cole.
Who are your musical influences?
SO many. We are made up primarily of Music School Grads from Humber College so our taste is quite eclectic. To name a few (So hard!) we'd go with Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, Roy Hargrove (RH Factor), Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Paul Simon, The Beatles, Jamie Cullum, Snarky Puppy, Joshua Redman, Radiohead, James Brown, Beyonce and Bruno Mars.
During the months of quarantine, have you found a new hobby or project you've grown to like?
Many musicians from our collective this year have turned to the great outdoors, coordinating adventurous canoe camping voyages as well as weekly tennis matches keeping our minds and bodies busy and healthy. It has literally been a breath of fresh air.
What has been your biggest learning curve during quarantine and how have you stayed creatively inspired during this time?
The biggest learning curve has been learning how to do the whole virtual show thing. We just recently performed as the house band (fully virtual) for RBC's annual town hall event. It was very interesting doing this remotely without a crowd but it was an absolute blast! We played everything from Pearl Jam and The Beach Boys to the Johnny Carson and Stephen Colbert Theme Songs.
We were also doing a weekly (virtual) live show during the last lockdown to provide free live music for everyone at home and it felt really nice to give back and keep spirits up. :) You can check out some of the past live concerts on our instagram and Facebook pages.