North Vancouver Schools Jazz Festival 2019
We are very pleased to welcome three esteemed adjudicators who are masters of their craft to work with the teachers and students at the NVSJ Festival. This year's adjudicators are Dennis Esson, Steve Kaldestad, and Jodi Proznick.

Dennis Esson
Since moving to Vancouver in 1980, Dennis Esson has established himself as a highly respected and sought after trombonist for a wide variety of musical endeavors.
As a jazz musician Dennis has recorded numerous CBC sessions as a featured soloist. He is also the lead trombonist with groups such as the “Vancouver Ensemble of Improvisation (VEJI)”, “Orquesta Goma Dura”, “Jill Townsend Big Band”, “Hard Rubber Orchestra” and the “Fred Stride Jazz Orchestra”. Some of the musicians he has performed with include Kenny Wheeler, Phil Woods, Eddie Daniels, Marvin Stamm, David Foster, Maynard Ferguson, Natalie Cole, Clark Terry, Bud Shank, and Phil Nimmons. He has appeared and performed at all of the major jazz festivals across Canada.
In addition Dennis was the recipient in 1993 of a Canada Council of the Arts “B” grant to study jazz trombone in New York where he studied with Conrad Herwig, Steve Turre, Benny Powell and Slide Hampton. More recently he resumed his studies and completed a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Orchestral Performance from the University of British Columbia.
As a music educator Dennis has been the Jazz Trombone instructor at Capilano College since 1997 and has been the director of the UBC Jazz Ensemble 2 since 2000. In addition he has been on the faculty of the Courtney Youth Music Center since 2000 and prior to that time he was on the faculty of the Okanagan Summer School of the Arts from 1984-1999.
As an adjudicator Dennis has appeared at many festivals throughout B.C. and western Canada including Kelowna, Edmonton, Whistler, Surrey, Burnaby, and Vancouver. He has also performed clinics and master classes at universities, colleges, and secondary schools throughout Canada.
Dennis has also recorded music for movies, commercials, soundtracks and cartoons in addition to albums with many pop and rock groups such as Stephen Fearing, The Paperboys, Buddy Miles, The Salteens, Veda Hille and others. He has also been in the pit orchestras for Broadway shows such asChorus Line, The Full Monty, and 42nd Street.
Dennis is a Yamaha trombone artist and performs and records on the YSL697Z trombone.
Since moving to Vancouver in 1980, Dennis Esson has established himself as a highly respected and sought after trombonist for a wide variety of musical endeavors.
As a jazz musician Dennis has recorded numerous CBC sessions as a featured soloist. He is also the lead trombonist with groups such as the “Vancouver Ensemble of Improvisation (VEJI)”, “Orquesta Goma Dura”, “Jill Townsend Big Band”, “Hard Rubber Orchestra” and the “Fred Stride Jazz Orchestra”. Some of the musicians he has performed with include Kenny Wheeler, Phil Woods, Eddie Daniels, Marvin Stamm, David Foster, Maynard Ferguson, Natalie Cole, Clark Terry, Bud Shank, and Phil Nimmons. He has appeared and performed at all of the major jazz festivals across Canada.
In addition Dennis was the recipient in 1993 of a Canada Council of the Arts “B” grant to study jazz trombone in New York where he studied with Conrad Herwig, Steve Turre, Benny Powell and Slide Hampton. More recently he resumed his studies and completed a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Orchestral Performance from the University of British Columbia.
As a music educator Dennis has been the Jazz Trombone instructor at Capilano College since 1997 and has been the director of the UBC Jazz Ensemble 2 since 2000. In addition he has been on the faculty of the Courtney Youth Music Center since 2000 and prior to that time he was on the faculty of the Okanagan Summer School of the Arts from 1984-1999.
As an adjudicator Dennis has appeared at many festivals throughout B.C. and western Canada including Kelowna, Edmonton, Whistler, Surrey, Burnaby, and Vancouver. He has also performed clinics and master classes at universities, colleges, and secondary schools throughout Canada.
Dennis has also recorded music for movies, commercials, soundtracks and cartoons in addition to albums with many pop and rock groups such as Stephen Fearing, The Paperboys, Buddy Miles, The Salteens, Veda Hille and others. He has also been in the pit orchestras for Broadway shows such asChorus Line, The Full Monty, and 42nd Street.
Dennis is a Yamaha trombone artist and performs and records on the YSL697Z trombone.

Steve Kaldestad
is a jazz saxophonist and the academic coordinator of the Jazz Studies program at Capilano University.
Originally from the prairies, Kaldestad spent the 1990s studying and performing in Montreal, obtaining his Bachelors and Masters degrees from McGill University. During this time, he was awarded a Quebec Arts Council grant to study with the legendary Lee Konitz in New York.
In 2000, Kaldestad began an eight year stint in London, England. He joined the Kate Williams Quartet, the Matt Wates Sextet, the Pasadena Roof Orchestra, and performed with the BBC Big Band, the Humphrey Lyttleton Group and others.
Based in Vancouver since 2008, Kaldestad has become one of the most in-demand saxophonists on the jazz scene, performing as a sideman with the Dan Brubeck Quartet, Jodi Proznick's Quartet, the Jill Townsend Jazz Orchestra and various other musical projects. He has released three CDs under his own name on the Cellar Live label to great acclaim, including Straight Up featuring the Mike LeDonne Trio and his newest release, New York Afternoon with the Renee Rosnes Trio.
Kaldestad is a D'addario Artist and plays Select Jazz reeds on all of his saxophones.
is a jazz saxophonist and the academic coordinator of the Jazz Studies program at Capilano University.
Originally from the prairies, Kaldestad spent the 1990s studying and performing in Montreal, obtaining his Bachelors and Masters degrees from McGill University. During this time, he was awarded a Quebec Arts Council grant to study with the legendary Lee Konitz in New York.
In 2000, Kaldestad began an eight year stint in London, England. He joined the Kate Williams Quartet, the Matt Wates Sextet, the Pasadena Roof Orchestra, and performed with the BBC Big Band, the Humphrey Lyttleton Group and others.
Based in Vancouver since 2008, Kaldestad has become one of the most in-demand saxophonists on the jazz scene, performing as a sideman with the Dan Brubeck Quartet, Jodi Proznick's Quartet, the Jill Townsend Jazz Orchestra and various other musical projects. He has released three CDs under his own name on the Cellar Live label to great acclaim, including Straight Up featuring the Mike LeDonne Trio and his newest release, New York Afternoon with the Renee Rosnes Trio.
Kaldestad is a D'addario Artist and plays Select Jazz reeds on all of his saxophones.

Jodi Proznick
Juno-nominated bassist, composer, bandleader, and educator Jodi Proznick has earned a reputation as one of Canada’s finest jazz artists. She has won numerous National Jazz Awards, including Bassist of the Year in ’08 and ’09. Her group, the Jodi Proznick Quartet, was awarded the Acoustic Group of the Year and Album of the Year in ‘08 and the Galaxie Rising Star at the Vancouver International Jazz Festival in ’04. Her recent critically acclaimed release Sun Songs (Cellarlive), is a collection of original compositions featuring her quartet and special guest vocalist Laila Biali (Sting, Paula Cole, Chris Botti).
In addition to leading her own group, Jodi has performed with many of Canada’s top jazz musicians, including PJ Perry, Don Thompson, Kirk MacDonald, Guido Basso, Oliver Gannon, Dee Daniels, Phil Dwyer, and Laila Biali. She is regularly in demand to perform and record with visiting jazz artists including Michael Bublé, Byron Stripling, Michael Feinstein, David “Fathead” Newman, Bucky Pizzarelli, Ed Thigpen, Jeff Hamilton, Peter Bernstein, Charles McPherson, Seamus Blake, George Coleman, Sheila Jordan, Mark Murphy, Harold Mabern, Eric Alexander, and Lewis Nash. In addition to recording her own Juno-nominated CD as a leader, Jodi has been featured on over 40 recordings as a side person.
Jodi began playing bass at the age of 13 under the direction of her father David, an award-winning music educator. In ‘93, Jodi received the General Motors Award of Excellence, establishing her as one of the top young musicians at Musicfest Canada, and then went on to receive a scholarship to study bass at McGill University in Montreal. After graduating, Jodi played with many of the top musicians in Montreal, including Juno winners Christine Jensen and Renee Lee as well as Montreal greats Andre White and Greg Clayton. She was awarded the IAJE Sisters in Jazz award in ‘98 as one of the best up-and-coming female jazz musicians.
Jodi moved to Vancouver in ‘00, where she now lives with her husband and collaborator, pianist Tilden Webb, and young son Tristan. Her personal highlights include opening for Oscar Peterson in 2004, performing as a featured soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and recording numerous times for CBC Radio. Another highlight in Jodi’s career was when she was asked to be the featured bassist in the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games’ closing ceremonies and soundtrack.
Jodi’s deep passion for education lead her to pursue a Masters Degree in Education at Simon Fraser University. She is a faculty member at Kwantlen Polytechnic University where she teaches improvisation, jazz theory, jazz history, popular music history, rudiments, jazz combo and bass lessons. She is the Artistic Director of the VSO School of Music Summer Jazz Workshop where she also teaches jazz bass, combo and jazz theory. She has been a guest adjudicator and clinician at many festivals, colleges, universities, and conferences across Canada.
As well as an extensive background as a jazz educator, Jodi was involved in teaching early childhood music classes for over 15 years. Her methodology included a combination of Orff, Kodaly, Dalcroze, Montessori and Suzuki philosophies of music education. Her areas of interest include arts-based research, embodied educational practices, attachment, phenomenology and creativity.
She has been described as “… armed with an arsenal of talent sure to develop recognition as one of the finest bassist in the jazz world today” (Ejazznews), “… (playing with) an infectiously in-the-pocket sense of groove” (Cadence Magazine), “… a jazz bassist with great time and a rock-solid sound ” (Katie Malloch, CBC Radio), “ a great player, who plays with intoxicating passion” (RivitingRiff.com), and “a wonderful bassist who really digs in and plays from the heart” (David Fathead Newman – Coda Magazine interview).