Denzal Sinclaire

Denzal Sinclaire is one of Canada’s most popular jazz vocalists and is ranked among the finest jazz singers of his generation. A graduate of McGill University’s Jazz Performance program (Montreal, Canada), he possesses that rare ability to achieve, from the moment he steps on stage, a profound emotional interaction with his audience. His passionate and sincere delivery caresses every song he sings. He touches the listener with the purity of the message.

Sinclaire is a Juno Award (Canada’s Grammy Award) nominee, a recipient of the 2004 National Jazz Award for “Best Album,” four-time consecutive recipient of Jazz Report Magazine Award for Male Jazz Vocalist, and 2007 Choc Jazzman Award (France). His admirers include Grammy Award-winning artists, Diana Krall (“Denzal Sinclaire embodies the tradition of the great singers I love like Nat Cole, yet definitely has his own voice. He is one of my favorite singers...”), Wynton Marsalis and the JALC Orchestra, Dianne Reeves, Michael Feinstein, and Michael Bublé, as well as growing legions of jazz fans in his native Canada and abroad.

He has graced the stages of numerous concert halls and festivals around the world and has appeared on several popular TV shows, including Canada’s Bravo!TV, Canada AM, Nashville Now, and Ireland’s The Late Late Show. As a former member of  soul artist, Jamie Lidell’s (Warp Records) band, he has appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, Jimmie Kimmel Live!, and Manu Katché’s show One Shot Not (France).

Equally at home in the theatre, film and television arenas, Sinclaire has delighted audiences with his critically-acclaimed performance in Unforgettable, a musical based on the life and music of Nat King Cole; Tapestry: The Music of Carole King (Arts Club Theatre); and William Saroyan’s award-winning The Time of Your Life (Soul Pepper Theatre Company). His TV and film credits include appearances in the new Battlestar Gallactica TV Series (dir. Michael Rymer); and Being Julia, starring Annette Bening and Jeremy Irons (dir. István Szabó).

A pivotal role in Sinclaire’s career was the collaboration with highly sought-after guitarist/composer/arranger Bill Coon whom he befriended in Montreal. Over the course of 15 years they performed to rave reviews in a variety of musical settings ranging from duo to symphony orchestras, as well as several live radio, televison, and studio recordings for the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation) and SRC (Société Radio-Canada). In 1994, they recorded an album of duets, and in 1996, recorded the very first in-studio concert for Canada’s BRAVO!TV with a unique ten-piece ensemble.

Sinclaire has performed with renowned artists such as Wynton Marsalis and the JALC Orchestra, Patrice Rushin, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Janis Siegal, Dee Daniels, Kevin Mahagony, Michael Feinstein, Marilyn Mae, Bob Mintzer, Jimmy Heath, Barry Harris, The Count Basie Orchestra, Dame Cleo Laine, Sir John Dankworth, Jamie Lidell, Holly Cole, Vince Giardano & The Nighthawks, The David Berger Jazz Orchestra, and the WDR Big Band (Cologne, Germany).

The list of artists he has supported includes Diana Krall, Dianne Reeves, Kurt Elling, Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Anita Baker, Four Tops, Holly Cole, Bill Charlap, Katie Melhua, and Jane Monheit.