"Musicians should never forget that we're blessed. We have a special gift that people can enjoy through us. We've had the good fortune to receive this and pass it along to others." - Ed Thigpen, long time drummer for Oscar Petereson.
Quintessential was formed in 2003 by happy accident - Dean (former sax player) and Gerry (bass player) met in the parking lot one day after a Sunday church service. Conversation turned to their passion for jazz. A jam session was planned and things just evolved from there. A couple of other jazz loving friends were invited and soon invites to play started coming in. As we near our 200th gig we continue to grow both musically and professionally. At the heart of it is that first and foremost we are great friends who love playing jazz together. Our listeners comment over and over about how much this 'friendship factor" comes through in the music. As the gigs have become a steady part of band life, more than ever we see playing for our listeners as a tremendous honor and privilege - a gift God has given us to share. You can find out more about each band member below.
Our music is heavily influenced by jazz greats like Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett. But it gets what we call the "Quintessential twist" because we love the voicing of the Fender Rhodes and Gerry plays electric bass (fretted and fretless) as opposed to upright. So the classic jazz sound gets a bit more of an edge. We love to play a wide range of jazz styles from slow ballads to bebop funky fusion tunes. We love to play all the best loved jazz standards along with a growing list of originals.
Quintessential has recorded three CD's to date - Almost Live in 2006, Quintessential Christmas in 2007 and Quintessential Coffee in 2010. We are currently writing new material for our first album of all original tunes which we plan to record solely as a digital release.
Phyllis Heppner - Keyboards
Phyllis is a well-established piano teacher and festival adjudicator. In 2003, she was awarded the ARCT Teacher’s degree with the highest mark in Canada. She has also earned a Licentiate Performance Degree with the London College of Music and Media greatly benefiting from instruction from Darlene Brigadier, Joanne Sommer and Edward Parker. Though classically trained, Phyllis enjoys expanding her musical experience into the jazz scene as a performer and composer. Her husband Ken is her own personal fan and “roadie”. Phyllis owns and operates a busy music studio - The Musik Shop
Doug Dunbar - Guitars and Sax
Doug began his formal music education playing saxophone in high school. At 15 he took up guitar and hasn’t put it down since. His jazz training began in private lessons with Bruce Childs in Elkford , BC. Bruce introduced Doug to the great jazz guitarists Joe Pass, Herb Ellis, Pat Metheny and the world of jazz in general. After two years at Briercrest College, Doug attended Grant MacEwan Community College, where he studied with Tom Gilroy and Bobby Cairns. He graduated from GMCC with a Diploma in Music Performance in 1993. Doug teaches guitar, bass, and saxophone, passing on his knowledge and experience with students. Doug has extensive experience in live performance, music theory, composition, arranging, and recording.
Lionel Duperron - Drums
Lionel's passion for the drums started in his preschool years when he visited a cousin who owned a drum kit. The dynamics of the drums captivated his imagination and stuck. At the age of eight Lionel phoned about drum lessons, but was told he needed a drum set before he could start. At the age of 14 Lionel got a paper route and earned the money to purchase his first kit. After graduating from Grant MacEwan College with a performance major Lionel toured with various groups and played a wide range of styles from jazz, rock, country, pop, reggae, metal and Latin. His 30 year drum career has expanded to teaching as well. For the past 20 years he has dedicated himself to advancing a wide variety of drummers, from children to senior citizens, beginner to advanced. Lionel's teaching goes beyond just the private student. He can be seen online at freedrumlessons.com the drumrudimentsystem.com and his drumfillsystem.com websites. He continues to work with Railroad Media to develop new education systems and online lessons. Lionel is also an endorsement artist for Casey Drums. Lionel's diversity as a performer and creativity as a musician makes him a vital member of Quintessential. More about Lionel
Gerry Teichrob - Bass
Gerry’s introduction to jazz started when he built his own radio at age 10. The only station it picked up played jazz in the evenings. In no time he was hooked, always listening while supposedly doing his homework. Even though he took piano and clarinet lessons, his musical career came alive when he got his first bass at age 15. He quickly discovered that it wasn't so easy to play those walking bass lines and continued his musical education with private lessons, classes, and playing every chance he got. Gerry’s inspiration comes from listening to the great jazz bassists. Gerry is a registered music teacher with the Registry of Guitar Tutors - London College of Music and has taught and performed extensively. Visit his One 2 One Guitar studio website.
