Rebecca Hennessy/Biography

Biography

Rebecca Hennessy

Trumpeter.Composer.Teacher

With a beautiful tone reminiscent of Chet Baker and an understated and clear vocal style, Rebecca Hennessy is equally comfortable in a classic standard jazz setting, as in more modern ECM and improvised settings. Rebecca can also be found playing in Mexican Mariachi, pop and indie rock projects.

Trained as a jazz trumpet player at University of Toronto, and previously at Malaspina College in Nanaimo, British Columbia, where she grew up, Rebecca now can be found playing in various venues around the Toronto area.

Rebecca toured Mexico in 2006 and Belgium in 2007 with Viva Mexico Mariachi and played jazz dates in Amsterdam and Dublin in September 2007. Rebecca Currently writes and performes with a group named Hobson's Choice. Hobson's Choice music falls somewhere between alt-folk and chamber-jazz. Using an idiosyncratic line-up of vibraphone, trumpet, voice and acoustic guitar, Hobson's Choice combine folk/roots sonwriting and jazz composition to shape songs that are sometimes rich in their words and melody, other times in their colour and architecture. In 2008 Rebecca formed jazz trio with two strong voices emerging in Toronto’s jazz scene: bassist Michael Herring and guitarist Don Scott. This versatile trio draws on the inflections of Chet Baker and his standard repertoire, bringing it to the band’s original music as well as inspiring their reworking of current pop tunes.

In 2007 Rebecca participated in Banff’s International Workshop in Jazz and Creative music directed by Dave Douglas. During her time at Banff she collaborated with some of the world’s top musicians including Dave Douglas, Thomas Heberer, Scott Colley, Mark Feldman, Clarence Penn, Steve Cardenas, Sylvie Courvoisier and the entire ICP (Instant Composer’s Pool) to name a few. Inspired by the ICP, Rebecca wrote the ICP blues which the ICP performed it at the final concert.

Rebecca can be heard on the following albums: Sarah Jerrom's "Illuminations" featuring Mike Murley; The 10 O'Clock Jazz Orchestra's "Awakening", featuring Quinsin Nachoff and directed by Paul Read; Nathan Lawr's "A Sea of Tiny Lights".

Rebecca has performed with: Ab Baars, Ken Vandermark, Felicity Provan, Mike Murley, David Krakauer, “Socalled”, Sylvie Courvoisier, Cindy Doire, FemBots, Sarah Jerrom, Pat Coleman, Nathan Lawr, Jake Wilkinson, and the Powder Blues Band.