TQM Recording Co.

Ted Warren is one of Canada’s most respected and versatile jazz drummers, known for his dynamic touch, deep groove, and instinctive musicality. A sought-after performer, bandleader, and educator, he has built a distinguished career at the heart of Canada’s jazz scene, performing with artists including Kenny Wheeler, Mike Murley, Sheila Jordan, Slide Hampton, Jeff Healey, and Chuck Mangione. As a longtime member of the legendary Boss Brass, Warren appears on six recordings, including Velvet and Brass with Mel Tormé and From Lush to Lively with Oliver Jones. His playing is also featured on Richard Underhill’s Juno Award winning Tales from the Blue Lounge and Mike Murley’s Conversation Piece, named Jazz Report’s Album of the Year. He was honoured with the Jazz Report Drummer of the Year award.

As a composer and bandleader, Warren leads his modern jazz quartet, Ted’s Warren Commission, an ensemble praised for its adventurous interplay and inventive writing. The group has released three independent recordings, including First Time Caller, named one of Coda Magazine’s top ten jazz recordings of the year. Warren is also deeply committed to music education and mentorship. His studies include McGill University, St. Francis Xavier University, Thompson Rivers University, and a Master’s in Community Music from Wilfrid Laurier University, where he now serves on the jazz faculty. On stage, in the studio, and in the classroom, he continues to shape the sound and future of Canadian jazz.

This live-off-the-floor studio album is a triumph that harkens back to the music of the early 1960s. Three tunes in particular are sure to excite listeners: I Will Persevere finds the group on solid ground driving home a melody that only Macklem could compose. While Nostalgia: For A Past Life is as beautiful a ballad as anything that has been recorded in the past 50 years. And Mr. Anderson, a nod to the group’s pianist, is a frantic number that feels like it was written many decades ago.

For his debut album, The South Detroit Connection, Macklem chose to record live in a club packed with music fans but don’t be fooled by Introducing: the Russ Macklem Detroit Quintet being a studio recording. This album feels as live as live music can. Recorded in a single session in a converted church in Willis, Michigan also known as Willis Sound the band was set up tight together, looking each other in the eye. Capturing the magic of this magical group in single takes was the engineering team of Ron Skinner and Ben Lorenz. Like Macklem’s debut the album was produced by Russ Macklem and Ron Skinner and is released on TQM Recording Co.