Ladyfinger & ELL Trio + 1

Ladyfinger with Diane Roblin (piano, keyboards) and Kayla Milmine (soprano sax) is an ensemble of two distinguished players within Toronto’s creative music scene. They are composers of original music and interpreters of compositions by jazz greats like McCoy Tyner and Carla Bley. Jazz music is all about improvisation and interpretation, and it's clear that Ladyfinger is a group that takes this approach to heart. By creating their own original compositions and interpreting the works of established jazz composers, they are able to showcase their own unique musical voice while also paying tribute to the artists who have inspired them. Both playful and expressive they explore their original compositions through whimsical dialogues and progressive improvisation.

ELL is a group devoted to the power of Three --- as in the classic symmetry of the trio formation, and in the musical pulse that Milford Graves spoke of as the lifeblood of jazz. Formed as one in a series of improvised ensembles, the trio balances the eternal instinct to 'show up and start playing' with a vision for a mutable, multi-tonal and trance-inducing percussion performance. Wielding an array of bells, gongs and shakers on top of WaveDrum, trap kit and organ tone generator, they evoke the the 'verbed out clattering of Sun Ra's NYC period, the tonal explorations of AMM and the darkest corners of Mort Garson's occult-focused soundtrack work.
For this performance, they have added an additional member, Marilyn Yogarajah!