Instructor, Bass, Contemporary Harmony, History of Jazz, Stage Performance Techniques, Ensembles
Always a cup of coffee in hand, Jill McKenna finds as much joy in bringing other artists’ music to life as she does her own.
Jill is a professional bass player originally from Hamilton, Ontario. She moved to New York City to study jazz performance on the upright bass at the New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. While living in New York, Jill had opportunities to study with jazz legends, including Reggie Workman, Peter Washington, David Wong, Matthew Wilson and Joel Frahm. She has toured internationally, including shows at the Bern Jazz Festival (Switzerland), Les Journées Musicales de Carthage (Tunisia), Tallinn Music Week (Estonia) and Fringe Milan (Italy).
After leaving New York, Jill spent time at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity before moving to Nelson, BC, in 2019. On top of being the assistant producer for the Tiny Lights Festival and working as a project coordinator for the Nelson and District Arts Council, Jill has toured extensively throughout the Western Canadian folk scene. With a particular love of collaboration and improvisation, Jill currently finds herself working alongside a variety of artists in an array of musical situations, including on NPR’s Tiny Desk with dodie and on the road with singer-songwriter Maddie Storvold.
Jill released her debut full-length album, entitled None of this is Mine, in March 2023 under the artist name Marivon and an EP with her jazz trio, The Jillian McKenna Project, in September 2018. Jill prioritizes showing up for the music first and honouring the process. She is grateful to live on the traditional territories of the Sinixt (Lakes), the Syilx (Okanagan), the Ktunaxa and the Secwépemc (Shuswap) Peoples.