Quick Facts
Biography
Cory Weeds is a Canadian jazz saxophonist and impresario. He is the founder and owner of the Cellar Music Group record label.
Weeds has performed alongside musicians including Christian McBride, Joey DeFrancesco, Peter Bernstein (guitarist), Eric Alexander (jazz saxophonist), Mike LeDonne, and Joe Farnsworth.
Early life and education
Weeds was born and raised in Burnaby, British Columbia. His interest in jazz began in secondary school, which he then chose to pursue in his post-secondary education, attending Capilano University and University of North Texas.
Career
At the age of 26, Weeds purchased a jazz club which would become Cellar Jazz Club. This led to the establishment of the Cellar Live/Cellar Music Group record label in 2001. According to The Sage International Encyclopedia of Music and Culture,American jazz magazine DownBeat named Cory Weeds' Cellar on its list of the world's greatest jazz clubs. The Cellar Jazz Club shut down in 2014. Weeds has since continued to book musicians at Frankie's Jazz Club in Downtown Vancouver and the Shadbolt Centre for the Arts in Burnaby.
In February 2023, Cellar Music Group was awarded their first Grammy Award for Grammy Award for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. The Grammy was awarded to Steven Feifke and Bijon Watson's Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra for their album Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra.
Discography
- Big Weeds (2008)
- Everything's Coming Up Weeds (2009)
- The Many Deeds of Cory Weeds (2010)
- Just Like That (2011)
- Up a Step: The Music of Hank Mobley (2012)
- With Benefits (2013) - with Bill Coon Quartet
- Let's Go! (2013)
- As of Now (2014)
- Condition Blue: The Music of Jackie McLean (2015)
- This Happy Madness (2015) - with Jeff Hamilton Trio
- It's Easy to Remember (2016)
- Let's Groove: The Music of Earth, Wind & Fire (2017)
- Dreamsville (2017) - with Jeff Hamilton Trio
- Explosion (2018) - Cory Weeds Little Big Band
- Live at Frankie's Jazz Club (2019)
- Dream a Little (2019) - with Champain Fulton (duo)
- Day by Day (2020)
- O Sole Mio! Music from the Motherland (2021)
- Cory Weeds With Strings: What Is There to Say? (2021)
- Just Coolin' (2022)
- Home Cookin' (2023) - Cory Weeds Little Big Band