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Live at the Hive, it’s Jennis

Multi-instrumentalist duo performs in Canoe on Aug. 3
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Photo contributed. Toronto multi-instrumentalist duo Jennis will perform at The Hive in Canoe on Thursday, Aug. 3.

Toronto-based multi-instrumental roots duo Jennis will appear at The Hive, 4940 Canoe Beach Drive NE, Canoe, on Thursday, Aug. 3.

Jennis is Jennifer Gillmor and Dennis Gaumond, a duo that audiences have described as unique, refreshingly different, exciting and fun.

“Jennis delivers more sound, variety and fun than one would think could fit into a single touring vehicle,” says Gillmor.

Gaumond has decades of experience writing and performing original blues and folk along with diverse musical experiences as a multi-instrumentalist in the Toronto indie-scene.

Gillmor offers a unique blend of cello and dobro, augmented by unusual sounds such as didgeridoo, custom-tuned harmonicas, flute, wah-guitar, jaw harp and wazinator.

This varied palette of sound is presented with infectious energy, passion and humour, as the duo draws on their seasoned performance experience to engage diverse audiences.

Following their rewarding first Western Canada Summer Tour last year when many new fans and booking contacts were made, Jennis will bring new repertoire from their second album to audiences across the country again this year.

Their rootsy sound is at times bluesy, at times funky, jazzy or folky, with a hint of exotic ethnic influences. Gaumond’s compositions, while rooted in blues traditions and inspired by the likes of JJ Cale and Ben Harper, hint at his love of Middle Eastern and African music.

Brought up by a musicologist father, Gillmor infuses the duo’s sound with her passion for many styles and traditions from rock and reggae to funk, Celtic and African.

Besides their growing body of original material, the duo likes to “Jennisize” an eclectic array of covers ranging from classic blues and jazz to artists such as Bill Whithers and Nina Simone.

“I’ve seen lots of bands over the past 40 years, everyone from the Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd to Merle, Haggard and Liza Minnelli, and I have to say that watching Jennis perform was truly one of the best musical experiences I have ever had,” says Kingston Blues Society president Bruce Boucher.

For immediate access to album tracks, live video and more info visit www.jennis.ca.