Harry Vetro
Harry Vetro | |
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| Background information | |
| Born | August 28, 1995 Mississauga, Ontario, Canada |
| Genres | Jazz[1] |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer |
| Instrument(s) | Drums, piano |
| Years active | 2018–present |
| Website | harryvetro |
Harry Vetro (born August 28, 1995) is a Canadian drummer and composer. He is scarcely in his mid-20s but has begun forging a jazz career to watch. He already has performing credits with such potent Canadian jazz players as Mike Murley, Steve Wallace and Lina Allemano.[2] In January 2020, Harry was the runner-up for the CJSF 90.1 FM 9th Julian Award of Excellence.[3]
Vetro has received multiple grants from Canada Council for The Arts, Ontario Arts Council, and FACTOR (The Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings).
Harry Vetro's Northern Ranger
Harry Vetro's Northern Ranger is a Canadian contemporary band led by drummer and composer Harry Vetro. "...he and his band, who are some of the top players in Canada, are very dedicated to bringing jazz to different communities and really trying to expand the art form.” - Kodi Hutchinson (Calgary Herald)[4]
Northern Ranger's influences range from Gordon Lightfoot, The Band, and Fleet Foxes to Bill Frisell, Kenny Wheeler and Brad Mehldau.
Northern Ranger LP (2018)
In 2017, as Canada celebrated 150 years of confederation, Harry Vetro took to the road. He traveled coast to coast, visiting communities in the six Indigenous cultural areas in Canada (Arctic, Subarctic, Northwest Coast, Plateau, Plains, and Eastern Woodlands), in an effort to connect with musicians and artists from different cultural backgrounds, and to better understand the land's long cultural history.
Vetro released his self titled debut album Northern Ranger on T.Sound Records in 2018. He melded improvised music, with folk and classical influences creating a unique “Canadian” sound. Vetro's album topped fourth on the National Jazz charts in Canada [5] in November 2018 and was well received by critics around the world.
Starbucks Jazz Spotify Feature
In 2018, Harry Vetro distributed his single “Buffalo Jump” worldwide on the Spotify Network. In late 2019, the music curators at Starbucks U.S discovered Vetro's single on Spotify. In January 2020, Playnetwork, a Starbucks partner contacted Vetro about obtaining the licensing rights to his single. In February 2020, Vetro's single was added to the “Starbucks Jazz” Spotify playlist. Through the Starbucks/Spotify partnership, Vetro's single “Buffalo Jump” is now receiving airtime in thousands of Starbucks retail locations across the United States. Harry Vetro is the only contemporary Canadian Jazz musician featured on the “Starbucks Jazz” Spotify playlist.[6]
Harrison²
Harrison² (pronounced Harrison Squared) is a Toronto-based jazz quartet featuring up-and-coming instrumentalists Harry Vetro and Harrison Argatoff alongside Canadian Jazz legends Mike Murley and Steve Wallace. Harrison² formed in January 2016 at the University of Toronto during a lesson with Wallace and Vetro. Vetro invited his friend Argatoff in to play jazz standards part way through the lesson, and the three immediately recognized a natural musical connection. In September 2016, they landed a gig at The Rex Hotel and Murley joined on forming the Harrison² Quartet.
They continued playing around Toronto forging an exciting musical relationship. Three years later, the group recorded a self-funded album at Union Sound in Toronto.
Trout in Swimwear (2020)
Trout in Swimwear, Harrison²’s 2020 release, is a collection of contrafacts composed by Argatoff and Murley. Trout in Swimwear is a collaboration across generations. The album introduces Vetro and Argatoff to the Canadian jazz scene and displays Murley and Wallace’s knowledge of the jazz tradition. Their contrasting voices draw inspiration from jazz history creating a well-informed jazz album.[7]
"The absence of a chordal instrument opens up the music, encouraging the saxophonists’ dialogue and heightening Wallace and Vetro's presence. It puts Wallace's strong lines in the foreground and adds more room for his sculpted solos; Vetro is a very good drummer, precise and assertive with a keen sense of form." - Stuart Broomer (The Wholenote Magazine) [8]
Discography
As Leader
| Year released | Title | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Northern Ranger | T.Sound | Lina Allemano (trumpet), Harrison Argatoff (saxophone), Dan Pitt (guitar), Noah Franche Nolan (piano), Andrew Downing (bass), Phil Albert (bass), Jacob Thompson (piano), Ian McGimpsey (guitar), Jessica Deutsch (violin), Aline Homzy (violin), Anna Atkinson (viola), Andrew Downing (cello) |
| 2019 | Eastern Stranger EP | Independent | Quartet with Nelson Moneo (violin), Noah Franche-Nolan (piano) and Victor Vrankulj (bass) |
| 2019 | Trout in Swimwear | Independent | Harrison² featuring Harrison Argatoff (saxophone), Mike Murley (saxophone) and Steve Wallace (bass) |
References
- ^ Bilawsky, Dan. "Harry Vetro: Harry Vetro's Northern Ranger". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
- ^ "Going out best bets, Nov. 15 to 21". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 2018-11-13.
- ^ "The Jazz Spectrum Announces 2020 Julian Award Winners". CJSF 90.1 FM. Retrieved 2018-01-30.
- ^ "Five to see: Canadian Jazz Festival". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
- ^ "!earshot The National Jazz Chart". earshot-online.com/. Retrieved 2018-11-06.
- ^ "Starbucks Jazz". Spotify. Retrieved 2020-03-14.
- ^ "Trout in Swimwear". allaboutjazz.com. Retrieved 2020-01-05.
- ^ "Trout in Swimwear - Harrison²". The Wholenote. Retrieved 2018-02-04.