Lorne Lofsky Quartet
December 26 & 27 @ 8:00 PM
Lorne Lofsky - Guitar
Neil Swainson - Bass
Barry Romberg - Drums
David Occhipinti - Guitar
A master guitarist known for pianistic voicing and virtuosic skill; Lorne Lofsky is considered one of Canada's great musical treasures. Over the course of a 40+ year career, Lofsky has played, toured and recorded with some of the most prominent names in Jazz including Oscar
Peterson, Chet Baker, Ed Bickert, Pat LaBarbera, Ray Brown, Joey DeFrancesco, and many others.
Born, raised and based in Toronto, Canada, Lorne’s career began when Oscar Peterson offered to produce his first record, It Could Happen To You (Pablo Records), in 1980. During the years that followed, he worked extensively in the Toronto area, and toured with the likes of Pat LaBarbera, and fellow guitarist Ed Bickert. Lorne’s fruitful collaboration with Bickert ran from 1983 through 1991 and produced two widely acclaimed recordings including the well-known 1990 Concord release This Is New. in the mid-1990's, he gained further recognition as a member of the Oscar Peterson Quartet. From 1994-1996, Lorne toured with Peterson's group at venues all over the world from Carnegie Hall to the Montreal Jazz Festival and appeared on three recordings. Lorne was Chet Baker's go to Canadian guitarist - heavily featured on the legendary Jazz Trumpeter's 2000 release Live at the Renaissance II. His other notable collaborations include performances with Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Brown, Benny Carter, Joey DeFrancesco, Dave Holland, Rosemary Clooney, and Clark Terry among others.
While Lorne has built a widely respected reputation as a world-class player, he has also become known as a prominent and sought-after educator. Lorne taught at York University for 48
years and is currently teaching in the Community Music Program at Humber College in Toronto. He also has an extensive private teaching practice, and has guest lectured at a plethora of top-notch institutions such as St. FX University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia McGill University in Montreal and Capilano University in British Columbia. In 2022/23, Lorne performed extensively throughout Europe as a featured member of the Canadian Jazz Collective. This resulted in two recordings: a studio recording at MPS Studios in Villingen, Germany and “Live at Le Vauban”, recorded in Brest, France. As well, the group played twice at the world famous U.K. club, Ronnie Scott’s. In 2024, the CJC did a western Canadian/ U.S. tour which included playing at Birdland and Dizzy’s, both in New York City. In 2022, Lorne did a tour of the U.K. with the great British guitarist Nigel Price, playing 9 concerts over a week and a half.
Lorne continues to be a mainstay of the jazz scene on the national and international stage.