Miles Black & Walter Martella

Multi-instrumentalists Miles Black and Walter Martella are combining forces for a brand new event at the Wildwood Public House. From original tunes to swingin’ standards, anything can happen! Especially with no fewer than four instruments to choose from!

Miles Black – Piano, Guitar & Soprano Saxophone

Based in Vancouver, BC, Miles Black is a highly respected career musician bringing an enormous wealth of musical experience and expertise to most every facet of the music industry. Firstly known as one of Canada’s most accomplished jazz pianists, Miles is also highly acclaimed and sought after as an arranger, producer, composer, session musician, guitarist, vocalist, bassist, saxophonist, songwriter, and musical theatre director. Adding to that, he has worked as a music therapist and collegiate music instructor. Especially in Vancouver, Miles Black is well know as the “first call’ when musicians are looking for top professional enhancements to their projects.

Just some of the artists and acts with whom Miles has worked with include Mark Murphy, Lee Konitz, Slide Hampton, George Coleman, Scott Hamilton, Sheila Jordan, Chuck Israels, Dee Daniels, Paul Horn, Skywalk, Max Roach, Harry “Sweets” Edison, Maynard Ferguson, Lew Tabackin, Claudio Roditi, Ingrid Jensen, Houston Person, Johnny Frigo, and Von Freeman. The list is lengthy and includes many other well known stars of the music world too numerous to note here.

Always in high demand, Miles is currently involved in several high level projects at this time. At the present he is co-leading a modern jazz quartet with the aptly named “Altered Laws” group that also highlights saxophonist and flautist Tom Keenlyside (seetomkeenlyside.com). As a prolific composer and writer, and with lyricist/vocalist Glenda Rae alone, Miles has over 400 written song credits.

As well since 1993, Mr. Black has proudly been a member of the Oliver Gannon Quartet performing keyboard duties including the Hammond B3. Mr. Gannon is a Juno-award winning jazz guitarist with extensive performance experience around the globe. (www.olivergannon.com).

Miles is currently working as pianist/composer with The Mike Allen Quartet. This group is also known as the “Faculty Jazz Collective” at Western Washington University, where they perform as musical mentors for the jazz students. (see mikeallenjazz.com).

Since 2009, Black has been a member of TRIOLOGY, which features Bill Coon on Guitar, and Jodi Proznick on Bass. Their first album is to be released on the CellarLive label, soon followed by album #2. This group is fashioned after the great Jazz Trios of Oscar Peterson and Nat King Cole. (see triologymusic.com)

On the education front, Miles has been working for Victoria based PG Music since 1991. As a performer and teacher he has helped to produce countless music software programs for public consumption. Just a few of these include “The Jazz Pianist 1&2”,”The NewAge Pianist”, “The Children’s Pianist”, “The Modern Jazz Pianist”, “Jazz Piano Masterclass”, “Blues Piano Masterclass” and an Oscar Peterson CD Rom, complete with transcriptions. He has also written, produced and performed many add-ons for PG Music’s popular “Band-in-a-Box” programs.

Walter Martella – Trumpet & Piano

Walter Martella is a Powell River musical phenomenon. A pianist, trumpeter, accordionist, conductor and composer, he is one of the great gems of the Sunshine Coast and has a dedicated fan base to prove it. Walter has taken the stage with many other world class musicians, including Don Thompson, Tom Keenlyside, Phil Dwyer, Dave Robbins, Alan Matheson, Rene Worst, Henry Young, Rick Killburn, Keith Copeland, to name just a few. His musical versatility has him equally comfortable from classical through rock, but his first love is jazz.