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Simon Williams

@simvuch

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🎹🎛️🎧 YYZ/YEG/YVR 🍁
@thebandcarmine/@nuengineers
Piano/Synths/Composition/Arranging/Production/Engineering - live music, film, studio recordings

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‘The Song of the Birds’ is out today wherever you get your music. This process has been a pleasure working with some of Canada’s finest…

@tanner_reid.wav, recording engineer
@simvuch, recording engineer
@justingraysound, mix & mastering engineer
@_yesim_yesim_ , artworks

This recording is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Brent Brochu-Ingram (d. 2024), a Canadian Metis artist who mentored me in ecological art, and helped me to foster a creative connection with nature.

Recorded at the @banffcentre in 2025. Produced by George Crotty & Simon Williams. Link in bio 🎻

In 1961 at the White House, and again in 1971 at the United Nations, cellist Pablo Casals performed The Song of the Birds as an emblem of peace in a troubled world. He had carried this Catalan folk melody into exile after the Spanish Civil War—first in France in 1939, and later in Puerto Rico from 1957 until his death in 1973. Over time, the piece became a vessel for Casals’ expression of Catalan identity, homesickness, and resistance to the Franco regime.

On the 150th anniversary of Casals’ birth, Canadian cellist & composer George Crotty offers a new rendition of “The Song of the Birds” for cello and live looping. His approach is informed by his fieldwork in the Andes of Colombia, where close study of birdsong shaped his technique translating their rhythmic and timbral qualities onto the cello. Crotty recorded the work at the Banff Centre for the Arts in 2025, as part of a forthcoming solo album in which he engages with nature as a co-creator.   

Crotty’s ongoing engagement with the Bach Cello Suites led him to the legacy of Pablo Casals, whose 1936 recordings established them as central to the cello repertoire. That legacy continues to resonate through figures such as Yo-Yo Ma, whose work as a UN Messenger of Peace advances cross-cultural understanding through projects including Silkroad and The Bach Project. 

#cellistsofinstagram #cello #jazzcello #pablocasals #canadianmusicians

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‘The Song of the Birds’ - Sept 18 - Link in bio 🎻

George Crotty, cello
Recorded at the Banff Centre for the Arts & Creativity, August 2025
Produced by George Crotty & Simon Williams

Simon Williams, recording engineer
Tanner Reid, recording engineer
Justin Gray, mix & mastering
Yeşim Tosuner, artworks

In 1961 at the White House, and again in 1971 at the United Nations, cellist Pablo Casals performed The Song of the Birds as an emblem of peace in a troubled world. He had carried this Catalan folk melody into exile after the Spanish Civil War—first in France in 1939, and later in Puerto Rico from 1957 until his death in 1973. Over time, the piece became a vessel for Casals’ expression of Catalan identity, homesickness, and resistance to the Franco regime.

On the 150th anniversary of Casals’ birth, Canadian cellist & composer George Crotty offers a new rendition of “The Song of the Birds” for cello and live looping. His approach is informed by his fieldwork in the Andes of Colombia, where close study of birdsong shaped his technique translating their rhythmic and timbral qualities onto the cello. Crotty recorded the work at the Banff Centre for the Arts in 2025, as part of a forthcoming solo album in which he engages with nature as a co-creator.

Crotty’s ongoing engagement with the Bach Cello Suites led him to the legacy of Pablo Casals, whose 1936 recordings established them as central to the cello repertoire. That legacy continues to resonate through figures such as Yo-Yo Ma, whose work as a UN Messenger of Peace advances cross-cultural understanding through projects including Silkroad and The Bach Project.

This recording is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Brent Brochu-Ingram (d. 2024). Brent was a Canadian Metis artist who mentored Crotty in ecological art, and helped him foster a creative connection with nature.

#cellistsofinstagram #cello #jazzcello canadianmusicians

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5 DAYS TO GO before AGNEYA is out in this world! 🌼 15 incredible musicians are featured on this record, but today, I want to celebrate the wizards behind the scenes. I’m incredibly grateful for their talent and time that tied the album together 🙏🏽
My core team @jeremyledbettermusic & @hglazzer , artwork/visuals crew @kumare.official @neeeeeeeeeeeens , @briannafunkclements & @swatinamjoshiart , video crew @michaelfishermedia & @oleh.bilov.media , recording/production crew Andrew Mullin, @gmp_recording_studios , @smallworldcentre , @humbermusic , Gert Müller & Harry Hess, and my friends Alexei, @gandhaaramin @janidhaivat @simvuch @kaigaboury_ & @andrewchung3968 who helped out at various points with various tech and recording things! 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
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#newmusic #originalmusic #debutalbum #newrelease #releaseradar

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Vancouver Summer!

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Hey, I'm hopping on here to let you know that I'll be releasing my first full-length album on August 26th, on all streaming platforms and Bandcamp!

These are the rest of the tracks I recorded during my last year at Humber College in 2024 as part of my D.S project. It took me a while to decide if I wanted to share these tunes, but ultimately I felt that I really wanted this music to be heard.

I'm so lucky to have recorded these tunes with Eric Liang on piano, Devin Patten on bass, and Keith Barstow on the drums. My goal was to write music that would give us the chance to feel really at ease while we played together. I wanted to capture the feeling and the joy of playing with these guys when we play a session, just for ourselves. Jill Bennett created the album artwork, and I'm so thrilled with how she captured the essence of the playing on the album! I hope you enjoy the music!

We're going to be playing a concert at the Jazz Bistro on August 27th, performing the music from the album, new original music, and some standards. Come out and hang!

I wanted to acknowledge all the people who made releasing this music possible:

Eric Liang - Piano
Devin Patten - Bass
Keith Barstow - Drums
Ausma Lace - Mixing
Reuben Ghose - Mastering
Simon Williams - Editing, Studio Assistant
Jill Bennett - Album Artwork

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Which way was your favourite? Comment below!

#gospel #torontomusician #livejazz #jazzdrums #canadianmusic

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@simvuch 🤝 ripping piano solos

Another clip from our big band arrangement of Borderline.

#bigbandjazz #latinjazz #jazzdrums #jazzpianosolo #torontomusician

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WHO LET THE DRUMMER SING??

A clip from my recital, in which I got to do a duet with the lovely @simvuch on "Where or When"

For more drummer vocal features, come to our set at @hermannsjazz on April 19th. Tickets at hermannsjazz.com

#livejazz #vocaljazz #ballad #torontomusician #livejazz

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What does this song remind you of?

"Portraits of Kaity" from our album release show at @annettestudios back in September.

Band:
🎸 @miles.ck
🎹 @simvuch
🎷 @joelbrackenmusic
🎻 @joshwmain

#torontomusician #jazzdrums #livejazz #indiejazz #ballad

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Throwback to my third year rectial. It's still fun to revisit this arrangement of Borderline.

Maybe we should record it;)

#bigbandjazz #latinjazz #jazzdrums #livejazz #torontomusicscene

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GIVE THE DRUMMER SOME?! 🤯🔥

Can you name which #CW3 tune this is?

We'll be back at Hermnn's on April 19th. You can purchase tickets at hermannsjazz.com

#jazzdrums #drumsolo #livejazz #victoriajazzsociety #canadianmusic

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photos from the last 6 months

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