Rebecca Hennessy is an award-winning trumpeter, vocalist, composer, and bandleader whose work bridges jazz, roots, and the singer-songwriter tradition. Known for her warm, distinctive voice and lyrical trumpet style, she creates music that is direct, poetic, and emotionally poignant—inviting listeners into an intimate, resonant experience that lingers well beyond the final note.

Her upcoming studio vocal album, set for release soon, marks a new chapter in her artistic evolution. The record draws on poetic storytelling and personal history, reflecting on her paternal family’s journey from Constantinople (now Istanbul) to Canada. Through original songs rooted in memory, migration, and inheritance, the album weaves intimate narratives with richly textured arrangements, expanding Hennessy’s long-standing interest in story-driven composition. Her single Crickets, released in November, gives a first glimpse of this deeply personal and evocative project.

The project brings together world-renowned collaborators Kevin Breit (guitar and vocals), Tania Gill (piano), Michael Herring (bass), and Dave Clark (drums), creating a lush and expressive soundscape where voice, trumpet, and song are seamlessly intertwined.

This release follows her acclaimed albums Joy Will Find Us (2023), All the Little Things You Do (2020), and Makeshift Island: Live at the Jazz Room (2025). Each recording highlights her enduring musical partnership with guitarist Kevin Breit and her ability to fuse heartfelt songwriting with adventurous musicianship.

Beyond her vocal projects, Hennessy has released nine additional albums as a bandleader or co-leader and has toured extensively throughout Canada, the United States, Europe, Mexico, Panama, and Sri Lanka. She has performed and recorded with artists including Adele, Ron Sexsmith, Andy Kim, Owen Pallett, Feist, Broken Social Scene, and Yellowjackets.

A longtime fixture at Toronto’s Massey Hall, Rebecca led the Women’s Blues Revue band from 2013 to 2022 and returned as a featured vocalist in 2024. She is the recipient of the Toronto Arts Foundation Emerging Jazz Artist Award (2018) and has been a proud Yamaha Artist since 2021, performing on the YTR-8310Z trumpet.

Words from other people about Rebecca’s 2020 album, “All The Little Things You Do”

…have found it increasingly endearing after many listens. It is extremely enjoyable in a package that might be considered “light” if one didn’t pay attention. ★★★★ out of five

Keith Black – Winnipeg Free Press

It is a sonically-inspiring recording that is warm, clear, balanced and engaging… Hennessy’s trumpet playing is warm and expressive and Breit burns through some spirited and soulful guitar lines.

David Reed – Kingston Whig Standard (PostMedia)

Now and then, an album arrives that not only surpasses expectations but demands a wholesale reappraisal of the artist. A case in point is All The Little Things You Do, which recasts Rebecca Hennessy from jazz trumpeter to a singer-songwriter of the first rank. Having already distinguished herself with her FOG Brass Band project, the Toronto-based artist does so as arrestingly with this latest endeavour… The album makes one excited to contemplate what the future holds for this singular talent. For now, Hennessy can draw immense satisfaction from the wondrous accomplishment that is All The Little Things You Do. Clearly a major step in her development, it’s an album that can’t be recommended too highly.

Ron Schepper – Textura.org