j o e s o r b a r a [ d o t ] c o m . p r o j e c t s . n e v e r w a s
madeleine ertel . trumpet
naomi mccarroll-butler . alto saxophone, clarinets
patrick o'reilly . guitar
joe sorbara . drums, percussion
Never Was is a quartet featuring Madeleine Ertel on trumpet, Naomi McCarroll-Butler on alto saxophone and clarinet, Patrick O'Reilly on guitar, and Joe Sorbara on drums and percussion.
The group often gathers in the Southern Cross Lounge of Toronto's much-beloved Tranzac Club for a semi-monthly residency exploring original music in the Black American Creative Music tradition. Of late, they have been joined by a group of friendly adventurers including bassists Brandon Davis and Adrian Russouw, violinist Kelvin Mansaray, vibraphonist Racha Moukalled, and multi-instrumentalist Kae Murphy. Perhaps the expanded ensemble could be called Never Was No Net.
The group's name comes from a Sorbara composition called "It's a line that never was," itself named after a curious sentence from The You Train by science fiction and fantasy writer, N.K. Jemisin.
Madeleine Ertel
Madeleine Ertel (she/her) is a trumpeter, composer, and arranger known for her honest and melodic approach to music making. A recent graduate of the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Performance (2020), she can be found performing in a wide variety of musical contexts throughout the Greater Toronto Area. In 2022, Madeleine was selected as a finalist for the Toronto Arts Foundation’s Emerging Jazz Artist Award.
In her hometown of Kelowna, BC, Madeleine grew up playing original music around town with her sister, as well as studying classical piano and violin. Now based in Toronto, she continues to incorporate these diverse influences into her composing and improvising.
madeleineertel.ca
Naomi McCarroll-Butler
Naomi McCarroll-Butler is a saxophonist, clarinetist, and instrument maker based in Montréal. She is interested in the elegance of the overtone series, breathwork in the unique somatic journey of trans and gender-non-conforming people, and the creation of trance environments through drone, repetition and fluid tuning systems. An active collaborator, Naomi plays with Jeremy Dutcher, Colin Fisher, Germaine Liu, Juliet Palmer, The Labyrinth Ensemble, Karen Ng, Francesca Remigi, Lesley Mok, The Queer Songbook Orchestra and many others. Her work as a composer and improviser has been featured by the Canadian Music Centre, Women From Space Festival, The Music Gallery and Guelph Jazz Festival. The Toronto Jazz Festival selected Naomi as the inaugural recipient of the Immersive Artist in Residence program in 2022, commissioning her to write and perform a piece for a 13-piece large ensemble. Naomi’s teachers include Jen Shyu, Matana Roberts, Pat Labarbera, Amir ElSaffar, and Jacob Adler.
naomimccb.com
Patrick O'Reilly
Patrick O’Reilly is a composer/guitarist and a community-driven fixture in the Toronto creative music scene. Patrick’s open-minded approach embraces both beauty and brashness; he is co-curator of the Furniture Music and Ornate Presents concert/workshop series and operates the W/DRWN record label. His trio Wire Circus have released two albums showcasing Patrick’s compositions alongside the pixilated/frenetic improvisation that is the culmination of their longstanding collaborative history. He also co-leads the international quartet Sonic Perfume who have released two albums together, and the trio WAPAMA who explore freedom of expression through rhythm, melody, and harmony.
A sought-after collaborator, he contributes to a diverse range of projects that have all added to the rich musical landscape of his own work, including indie-pop group Language Arts, afro-dub-tryp band D'bi & The 333, Robert Diack's modern jazz quartet, folk-leaning tunesmith Cassie Norton's band, Stefan Hegerat’s Icterus, and Eastern-European Inspired Ensemble DoVira.
Patrick holds a bachelor’s degree in Contemporary Music from Humber College, and a Master's in Musical Arts degree from the University of Toronto where he is currently completing a Doctor of Musical Arts Degree.
patrickoreillymusic.com
Joe Sorbara
Canadian drummer and percussionist Joe Sorbara has spent more than two decades developing a reputation as an imaginative and dedicated performer, composer, improviser, collaborator, organiser, listener, writer, and educator. A consummate sonic adventurer, Sorbara’s music draws on a vast array of influences, most notably the African American Creative Music tradition. Joe has performed and recorded with the AIMToronto Orchestra, Ken Aldcroft, Jared Burrows, Anthony Braxton, Nikita Carter, Paul Dutton, François Houle, Germaine Liu, Evan Parker, Allen Ravenstine, Clyde Reed, Steve Sladkowski, and Friendly Rich, among many many others. Their own projects include a new sextet (more soon!) in addition to Alien Radio, Never Was, The Imperative, Other Foot First, Reliable Parts, Mars People, My Misshapen Ear, and the Imaginary Percussion Ensemble.
ovalwindowmusic.org/joesorbara
[ i ]
bio
[ ii ]
events
[ iii ]
projects
never was
françois houle & joe sorbara
(SoHo)
the rest
(jonathan kay & joe sorbara)
norm adams & joe sorbara
alien radio
(houle/ meger/ sorbara)
the imperative
aurealities
imaginary percussion ensemble
reliable parts
paul dutton & joe sorbara
~
my misshapen ear
other foot first
remnants trio
squash recipe
[ iv ]
discography
[ v ]
gallery
[ vi ]
contact