Monday, February 24, 2014

Recently relocated back to his home province of Nova Scotia, Marcel worked in Toronto as a composer, arranger, pianist, singer songwriter and educator from 1998 to 2020. During this time he held weekly gigs at the Cameron House, Gate 403, and the Rex Hotel Jazz and Blues Bar, was a featured performer at the TD Toronto Jazz and Distillery Festivals, and was a guest keyboardist on many recording projects. In 2005 he stepped out of his role as a sideman to release his first CD as a leader: Weird Cocktail, a quirky mix of funk, jazz and classically inspired original pieces. Marcel's current projects include a trio album entitled The Chameleon Returns, and a solo album of original compositions entitled Chalant, which was released in the summer of 2020. In addition to performing, Marcel has also helped organize several music series. From 2004 to 2005 he co-organized the monthly music series called Strange Folk with guitarist Geordie Haley. The series was held at Holy Joe’s in Toronto, and featured improvised music, singer-songwriters, dance, and short plays. From 2009 to 2014 Marcel and Michael Holt ran a monthly house concert series entitled The Piano Salon, which paired diverse musical performances with inspiring conversations on a variety of topics. In 2014 they held the first annual Festival of House culture, which took place in the West Bend neighbourhood of Toronto. The series continued for the next two years and expanded into neighbourhoods all across the city. In addition to hosting the weekly Jazz series at Daniel's pub and eatery In Sydney, he has also performed and recorded with local musicians and ECMA nominees Keith Mullins and Elyse Aeryn.