…brimming with Sullivan’s original composing voice and consummate craftsmanship…Peter Hum, Ottawa Citizen

…music that is at ease in the twenty­ first century as it carries on the time-honored jazz traditions of creative improvisation and emphatic swing. The presumption is that this is the sort of path that Ellington or Kenton may have followed had they lived to see this day…Jack Bowers, All About Jazz

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Unfamiliar Surroundings, is a double CD set that features original music composed and arranged by Joe Sullivan. This well-established Canadian ensemble features 18 outstanding musicians, including such notable jazz soloists as Lorne Lofsky, André White, Rémi Bolduc, André Leroux and Al Mclean. The music, rooted in the jazz big band tradition, is in a contemporary style that is melodic and accessible yet still very modern in its complexity. It will appeal to lovers of modern mainstream jazz. The album contains a total of 11 tracks, grouped into three extended suites, including the expansive October Suite which Sullivan has dedicated to his friend and mentor Slide Hampton.