CESAR /biography
laura
Laura Cesar deep in the groove.
Photo: Paul Stehrenberger
Laura Cesar is a dynamic and versatile bass player who has drawn influences from Canada’s Jazz center, the rich multicultural city of Toronto, where she was born.
Laura studied music at Humber College and York University in Toronto.
Her key mentors, who inspired her style, are Jim Blackley in Toronto, where she developed her deep feeling for groove, and Rufus Reid in New York, where she developed her driving bass lines. On the other end of the spectrum, studying the classical bass with legendary Professor Ludwig Streicher in Vienna brought out her feather-light attack and her melodic style.
Laura has toured extensively across Canada, the USA and Europe as bass player in many bands. While living in Switzerland since 1995 she has broadened her scope by playing with Clark Terry, Bobby Shew, Charlie Mariano, Al Porcino, Daniel Kramer, Isla Eckinger, Peter Schmidlin, and Alain Brunet to name just a few.
She has led her own bands, “Blues me Jazz” and “Windrose”. Her current band is “JazzIMpuls”. She also plays with well known Swiss Big Bands and smaller formations which have performed in venues ranging from the Montreux Jazz Festival to Marians Jazz Room, from the KKL Luzern and the Mozarthaus Vienna to “Art on Ice", the unique show combining figure skating and world class live music in Zürich.
Dedicated to sharing her knowledge and passion of music, Laura teaches at international music camps, coaches small groups in Jazz and World Music and offers private lessons for acoustic bass.
SWITZERLAND
"Art on Ice" Hallenstadion, Zürich with Blues me Jazz
Canadian Embassy, Bern, Canada Day celebrations with JazzIMpuls
Casino Zug with Bläserphilharmonie Zug, “Westside und andere Storys" Leonard Bernstien Prelude, Fugue and Riffs
Commihalle, Zürich with JazzIMpuls
Jazz Club Luzern Grand Casino with Marc Hunziker Trio
Jazz Live in Aarau with Windrose
Jazz in Widnau with Kalpana Rao Band
Jazz in Kloten, Büchlerhus with Cool Cat Combo
Kiff, Aarau with Charlie Mariano and Umberto Arlati Rehearsal Big Band
KKL Luzern, Concert Hall, “Rain Bow Concerto” with Sue Mathys
KKL Luzern with 21st Century Big Band with Cary Hoffman “My Sinatra”
Miller Studio Zürich with the Zurich Jazz Orchestra
Montreux Jazz Festival with RSP Quartet
NONAM - North America Native Museum, Zürich with UMKA
The Permanent Mission of Canada to the United Nations, Geneva Opening ceremonies with JazzIMpuls
The Bird’s Eye, Basel with JazzIMpuls
Schützi, Olten with Clark Terry and George Robert and Umberto Arlati Rehearsal Big Band
AUSTRIA
Mozarthaus, Bösendorfer Hall, Vienna with Marc Hunziker Trio
CANADA
Montreal Jazz Festival with the Herbie Spanier Quartet
Toronto DuMaurier Jazz Festival with the RSPJazz Quartet
Vancouver Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, Victoria Jazz Festival, Calgary Jazz Festival, Saskatoon Jazz Festival, Edmonton Jazz Festival,
Lunenberg Folk Festival, Folk on the Rocks NWT, Winnepeg Folk Festival, Vancouver and Victoria Folk Festivals with FBKB
CBC Live at Glen Gould Theatre Toronto
WITH THE FLYING BULGAR KLEZMER BAND (FBKB)
UK
BBC Live For Mayfest, Glasgow, Scotland
Bass Cleff Jazz Club, London
Hotel Savoy, London
Shetland Folk Festival, Shetland Island Scotland
WITH THE FLYING BULGAR KLEZMER BAND (FBKB)
IRELAND
Portlaoise Jazz Festival with FBKB
FRANCE
Parfum de Jazz, Buis Les Baronnies with Alain Brunet, Daniel Kramer
Festival Jazz Cèret with Alan Brunet, Daniel Kramer
Folk Festival Corsica with Monique Lansdorp String Trio
GERMANY
Steingraeber-Haus, Bayreuth with Marc Hunziker Trio
Café Hahn, Koblenz with FBKB
HOLLAND
CQ Centrum voor de Kunsten Emmen, with Monique Landsdorp String Trio
U.S.A
Knitting Factory, New York City with FBKB
International Association of Jazz Educators, Chicago with Vince Benedetti
Laura has toured extensively throughout Europe and North America,
participating in both Jazz and World music festivals. A few highlights.
career highlights
"Laura Cesar was effective on two levels; her strikingly clear and taut bass lines fit in well with the rhythm section as a supporting and accompanying component, while at the same they are of such melodic quality
as if they were part of a collective improvisation. The way she built her solo parts was just as clear and strongly expressive." — (jbl) Aargauer Zeitung, 02.10.03
JazzIMpuls | lauracesar.wix.com/lauracesar
Marc Hunziker Trio | www.marchunzikertrio.ch
Cool Cat Combo | www.coolcatcombo.com
Kalpana Rao | www.kalpanarao.ch
Baroness Nica in Wort und Jazz | www.jazzmusiker.ch
Joseph Bachmann Trio | www.josephbachmann.ch
Umka with Atsynga Olga Letykai (throatsinger) and Laura Cesar (Bass)
current projects
Arlati, Umbi
Basso, Gianni
Benedetti, Vince
Burghardt, Victor
Canonico, Alberto
Chutzpah
Clark, Terry
D'Episcopo Alessandro
Eckinger, Isla
Eigenmann, Peter
Grünwald, Thomas
I Quattro (4 Tenors) Christmas Tours
Jo Sarjeant Trio
Kramer, Daniel
Kuert, Matthias
Liebmann, Nick
Lindzon, Fern
Malcolm, Ann
Mariano, Charlie
Mathys, Sue
Moeckel, Thomas
past projects
A selection of musicians and combos Laura has collaborated with
throughout her career
Morgenthaler, Jürg
Münchinger, Christian
Odermatt, Tutilo
Philipp, Roland
Porcino, Al
Rehearsal Big Band Olten
Robert, George
Schmidlin, Peter
Schmidt, Jasmine
Shew, Bobby
Ten and One Orchestra
Terry, Clark
Thomman, Paul
Von Flüe, Roland
Weber, Rainer
Weber Robi
Weil, Kurt (vibes)
Widmer, Roger
Zurich Jazz Orchestra
21st Century Big Band