Rebecca Hennessey's Makeshift Island
October 15, 16, 17, 18 @ 8:00pm

Rebecca Hennessy - Trumpet / Vocals
Band - TBA

Rebecca Hennessy is an award-winning trumpeter, vocalist, composer, and bandleader whose  music bridges jazz, roots, and singer-songwriter. Her upcoming studio vocal album, All Is  Falling Rain, is a lush and heartfelt journey inspired by the poetry of acclaimed author Thomas  King. The project began in 2017 when Rebecca was commissioned by Silence in Guelph to  compose a night of music using King’s poetry. The experience proved so inspiring that, with  King’s blessing, she returned to his book 77 Fragments of a Familiar Ruin to set seven of its  poems to music. To complete the collection, she added two of her own original lyric-based  songs. 

All Is Falling Rain brings together world-renowned collaborators Kevin Breit (guitar and  vocals), Tania Gill (piano), Michael Herring (bass), and Dave Clark (drums), weaving a  soundscape where King’s evocative words and Hennessy’s distinctive composing, voice and  trumpet meet in organic harmony. 

This new 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 long-standing musical partnership with guitarist Kevin Breit and showcases her ability to  fuse heartfelt songwriting with adventurous musicianship. 

Rebecca’s artistry is often shaped by literature and deep collaboration. Her arrangement of  King’s Dig Up the Stories for big band was premiered by Christine Jensen’s Orchestra at the  National Arts Centre in 2019. Beyond her vocal projects, she has released nine other albums as a  bandleader or co-leader and has toured extensively throughout Canada, the U.S., Europe,  Mexico, Panama, and Sri Lanka. She has performed and recorded with artists such as 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 received the Toronto Arts  Foundation Emerging Jazz Artist Award in 2018 and has been a proud Yamaha Artist since 2021,  performing on the YTR-8310Z trumpet.

Short blurb version:  

Rebecca Hennessy is an award-winning trumpeter, vocalist, composer, and bandleader whose  music blends jazz, roots, and singer-songwriter. Her upcoming studio vocal album, All Is Falling  Rain, is a lush and heartfelt collection inspired by the poetry of acclaimed author Thomas King.  The project began when Rebecca was commissioned in 2017 by Silence in Guelph to set King’s  poetry to music. With King’s blessing, she later returned to his book 77 Fragments of a Familiar  Ruin, writing seven new songs, and added two of her own lyric-based pieces to complete the  album. 

Featuring world-renowned collaborators Kevin Breit (guitar and vocals), Tania Gill (piano),  Michael Herring (bass), and Dave Clark (drums), the album weaves King’s evocative words  with Rebecca’s warm vocals and expressive trumpet. 

Rebecca has released nine other albums as a leader or co-leader, including Joy Will Find Us (2023) and All the Little Things You Do (2020), and has performed with artists such as Adele,  Ron Sexsmith, Feist, and Broken Social Scene. A 2018 recipient of the Toronto Arts Foundation  Emerging Jazz Artist Award, she has toured internationally and proudly performs as a Yamaha  Artist.