Beach United Church is excited to welcome dynamic jazz duo Ben Bishop (jazz guitar) and Jonathan Meyer (bass) to their venue on Saturday, Sept. 30 at 4:30pm.

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Jazz Guitarist Ben Bishop favours a freewheeling, bop-based guitar style, most reminiscent of the classic guitarists of the 1950s and 1960s. Players including Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery, and Grant Green are major inspirations to his sound and musical approach. He currently resides in Toronto, Canada, where he regularly performs with many of the city’s finest jazz musicians. After a number of years living in New York, during which he earned a DMA in Jazz Studies from the prestigious Eastman School of Music, he is also active as an educator at Toronto’s Humber College.

As of late, the co-led organ trio known as Donnybrook has been a primary musical outlet for the guitarist. The trio, consisting of Bishop’s guitar, Jeff McLeod’s Hammond organ, and Morgan Childs’ drums, has a recent release: Donnybrook – Live at the Bassment. The recent pandemic postponed a planned collaboration between Donnybrook and the great American saxophonist Ian Hendrickson-Smith (The Roots, Amy Winehouse, Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings) as part of a recently awarded TD Discovery Series Special Project Grant. This collaboration with Hendrickson-Smith is still in the works.

Other highlights in Bishop’s career include an acclaimed big band residency with Ryan Truesdell’s Gil Evans Project at the Umbria Jazz Festival in Perugia, Italy, and a 2009 DownBeat Jazz Award with Dave Rivello’s New Jazz Ensemble. In addition, Bishop has shared the stage with musicians including Cory Weeds, Alex Dean, Maureen Kennedy, John Riley, Perry White, Bernie Senensky, Phil Woods, Helen Merrill, Pat LaBarbera, Nick Hempton, Neil Swainson, Lee Konitz, Steve Wallace, and many others.

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Jonathan Meyer, born and raised in Toronto, has performed professionally for over fifteen years with internationally renowned and award-winning artists such as Peter Appleyard, Allison Au, Tony “Oulabula” Bazley (Wes Montgomery, Leroy Vinnegar), Ned Goold (Harry Connick Jr.), Pat Labarbera, Michael Kaeshammer, Bill Murray, Mary Margaret O’Hara, Norman Marshall Villeneuve, and David Virelles to name just a few. He has played on numerous film and television soundtracks including the Chet Baker biopic “Born to be Blue” and has toured extensively throughout North America and Europe. He has recorded over twenty albums with artists encompassing a diverse range of styles, including jazz, rock, pop, folk, avant-garde electronic, and everything in between.

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Beach United’s warm, inviting hall serves as the perfect backdrop for this concert – donations are welcomed, and proceeds support the Beach United Church food programs.