WAG Wednesday Nights

Emmanuel Bach is a Brazilian guitarist, composer, arranger, and educator based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Recognized for his expressive playing and stylistic versatility, he seamlessly blends Brazilian music, jazz, blues, funk, and contemporary improvisation, creating performances that are both deeply rooted in tradition and refreshingly modern.

With nearly three decades of professional experience, Emmanuel has performed alongside internationally acclaimed artists including Ivan Lins, Airto Moreira, Flora Purim, and Filó Machado, and has contributed to more than 100 studio recordings as a guitarist, producer, and arranger. He has released three albums as a bandleader and has appeared at major festivals and concert series in both Brazil and Canada, including the TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival, Jazz Winnipeg’s concert series, and performances with the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra.

Originally from Brazil, Emmanuel studied at Berklee College of Music before earning his Bachelor of Music (Honours) in Jazz Performance from Brandon University and a Master of Music in Jazz Performance from the University of Manitoba. He currently teaches jazz guitar and ensembles at the University of Manitoba while maintaining an active career as a performer, clinician, and private instructor.

Karl Kohut is a jazz bassist, composer, and educator with an international career spanning over two decades. He is Associate Professor of Jazz Bass at the University of Manitoba, where he teaches improvisation, theory, performance, and ensembles, and mentors both undergraduate and graduate students.

He has performed throughout North America and Europe with artists including Wynton Marsalis, Ralph Peterson Jr., and Pasquale Grasso, and has appeared with the Royal Winnipeg Ballet and the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra. His discography includes Grammy- and Juno-winning recordings, as well as projects recognized by the Western Canada Music Awards.

Karl holds a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from The Juilliard School and has worked as a clinician, adjudicator, and performer with Jazz at Lincoln Center, among other organizations. His compositions and arrangements have been performed in a range of jazz settings, and he remains active in Winnipeg’s jazz community, hosting jazz jams and outreach programs for student and community musicians.

Karly Epp is a Canadian jazz vocalist and educator known for a style that prizes nuance, rhythmic assurance, and unaffected delivery. She is full-time faculty in the jazz area at the University of Manitoba’s Desautels Faculty of Music.

Epp holds a Master of Music in Jazz Studies from the Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with Grammy-nominated vocalists Gretchen Parlato, Theo Bleckmann, and Kate McGarry. She previously earned a Bachelor of Music in Jazz Vocal Performance and a Bachelor of Education from the University of Manitoba, and spent several years as a choral director and clinician. During her time in New York, she held a year-long residency at the historic 55 Bar, and in 2017 was named a semi-finalist in the Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition.

She is the featured vocalist on pianist Earl MacDonald’s Consecrated, released internationally on Outside in Music and reviewed across North America and Europe; the album earned MacDonald Jazz Artist of the Year at the 2022 Covenant Awards. Her discography also includes two Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra recordings, Twisting Ways, featuring music by JUNO-winning composer David Braid, and Forgotten Stories Suite. Epp has led her own groups at the TD Winnipeg International Jazz Festival and appeared alongside artists including Jon Gordon and Quincy Davis. A longtime collaborator with bassist Karl Kohut, she performs with him in duo and as co-leader, and she sings with elRoy Blue, a Manitoba jazz-rock ensemble whose recent Western Canadian tour sold out. She remains active as a performer, recording artist, clinician, and adjudicator.