Biography

Ingrid Stitt is a Canadian musician, based in Vancouver who is highly regarded as a saxophonist, composer and arranger. She formed The Legends of Burnaby in 2015 to reconnect with the pop songs of her youth, “songs that shook and shaped my world.”

The band’s first recording, When Days Were Long, was released in December, 2018 featuring two original compositions and six jazz influenced arrangements of such vintage pop songs as Help by The Beatles and Sweet Dreams by the Eurythmics.  The music is soulful and pensive, playful and feel-good, highlighting vocal and instrumental artistry.

For many years, Stitt has led her own jazz quintet, performing with some of Canada’s finest musicians. Classical harmony and counterpoint influences her writing and arranging for the quintet. The music is lyrical with contrapuntal layers and composed sections that frame the improvisation. The Ingrid Stitt Quintet is poised to begin recording in the fall of 2019.

Stitt also co-leads the hard bop sextet Sonny’s Cousin with trumpeter Daniel Hersog. The band has performed at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival as well as the premier local venues, Frankie’s and Pat’s Pub. Both leaders write and arrange for the band creating contemporary music that swings and soars in a unique and inimitable style.

Stitt is one of the resident musicians with the Good Noise Vancouver Gospel Choir, along with Mike Kilanj, Laurence Mollerup, and Elliot Polsky. Led by Gail Suderman, the choir performs concerts at Christchurch Cathedral and has also released two recordings, both nominated for Canadian Gospel Music Covenant Awards.

As a member of the Vancouver Legacy Big Band Orchestra, Stitt plays with some of Vancouver’s finest musicians. Led by Michael Kim and Fred Stride, the band pays tribute to such brilliant big band composers as Duke Ellington, Bob Brookmeyer, Rob McConnell, Thad Jones, Oliver Nelson, Bill Holman, Gerry Mulligan and Fred Stride to name a few.

For more than two decades, Stitt has been a dedicated educator in the Burnaby SchoolDistrict, teaching music to students firstly at Burnaby South and then Burnaby North Secondary Schools. The experience of sharing her passion with young people has been deeply rewarding and enriching. Some students have developed a keen interest in jazz, such as the talented young pianist Howard Chi who had only recently graduated from high school when he recorded with Stitt on When Days Were Long.