Joel Untinen Jazz

You can expect a professional, timely, and organized planning process, including a meeting by phone or video call (optional) to discuss your event, the atmosphere you want to provide with jazz music, and your budget. Alternatively, I will send you a brief questionnaire to determine the jazz ensemble that best suits your event and your budget. We will also discuss the program of your event prior to the date, and you will provide me with the names of important contacts in order that the band has a firm idea of the timing and flow of the event.

At your event, you will get to enjoy the music and ambiance of your special occasion without having a band to manage! We will perform our own setup well in advance of the start time and then perform the tear-down after we finish playing. Not only will you love the music, you will love seeing the enjoyment of all your guests!

Canadian guitarist Joel Untinen, from Calgary, Alberta is currently living in Montréal, Québec, where he works as a guitarist and music instructor. Prior to relocating to Montréal, Joel lived in New York City, where he completed his Master of Music under jazz guitarist Peter Bernstein at New York University in 2020. While in New York, He also had the pleasure to study with such musicians as Ari Hoenig, John Scofield, Martin Wind, Billy Drewes, Tony Moreno, John Hadfield, Ron McClure, Brad Shepik, and Chris Potter. Prior to his studies in New York, Joel earned his Bachelor of Music from Ambrose University in Calgary (Canada), where he studied with guitarist Ralf Buschmeyer. In the summer of 2019, Joel was a participant at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity’s Jazz and Creative Music Workshop under the direction of Vijay Iyer and Tyshawn Sorey.

His New York City based trio, the Joel Untinen Trio, featuring Dan Montgomery (bass) and Tim Angulo (drums), released their debut album Facing Paradise on July 1 of 2021. In Calgary, Joel has led projects including the performance of original compositions and jazz standards for trio and quartet, as well as an ongoing improvised project with pianist Bronwyn Schuman. The duo premiered Joel’s composition Threads in the spring of 2017 at Calgary’s Buckingjam Palace.

Joel has collaborated with many of Calgary’s leading jazz musicians, including Jon McCaslin, Andre Wickenheiser, Nate Waters, Steve Shepard, Jeff McGregor, Carsten Rubeling, Mark Dejong, and Tyler Hornby. Large ensemble collaborations include performances with the Calgary Creative Arts Ensemble, the Prime Time Big Band, Sonuskapos Jazz Orchestra, and the Westwinds Jazz Orchestra. Joel has performed with Calgary’s improvised music society, Bug Incision, and has been lucky to perform alongside visiting artists such as Quinsin Nachoff (New York), Dylan Bell (Toronto), and Robi Botos (Toronto). He can also be heard playing on the Nate Waters Quartet album, Fact Contrafact, which has received radio play on Alberta radio stations since its release in 2017.

Joel’s interests in music theory and musicology have led to several academic presentations at the Ambrose Research Conference in subjects ranging from the music of Anton Webern to the music and aesthetics of the French “spectralists” and to contemporary approaches in learning and performing jazz.

We will provide all our own sound equipment. Our only requirement is that we're near a power outlet. For outdoor performances, it would be ideal to be under some kind of shade to protect our instruments from the weather.