Band Bio: The Ninja Funk Orchestra has been active on the Toronto independent music scene since April 2007. Comprised of Tenor Sax player Gordon Hyland, Guitarist Neil Whitford, Pianist Steve Harmelink, Bassist Brendan McElroy, and Drummer Mack Longpre, the group was originally created to host the ‘funk jam’ at the Concord Cafe in downtown Toronto. The Ninja Funk Orchestra fuses a wide variety of musical styles ranging from funk, jazz, rock, R&B, and soul. Playing originals, covers and arrangements, the band draws influences from a wide variety of sources including Void, Stevie Wonder, Sly and the Family Stone, David Binney, Rush, Michael Brecker, Michael Jackson, George Clinton , and James Brown.
Ninja Funk is currently the Thursday night house band at the prestigious Avenue Bar located in the Yorkville Four Seasons Hotel, downtown Toronto. The NFO has proven itself to be one of the most musically flexible bands in Toronto, having backed-up everything from Hip-Hop MC’s and DJ’s to teaming up with Coco-Love Alcorn for their Chilean Tour (2008) and more recently collaborating with up-and-coming pop star Amy-Lee Owens.
Band Members:
Gordon Hyland (Tenor Saxophone) – Founder of the Ninja Funk Orchestra, Gordon has a BFA: Specialization in Jazz Studies from Concordia University and is currently enrolled in a Masters Degree bridging program at U of T. After spending 4 years studying music in Montreal and winning the “Couleur de Jazz 91.9” scholarship competition for jazz performance excellence in 2005, Gordon returned to his home town of Toronto to study saxophone with Alex Dean and Mike Murley and composition with renowned pianist Frank Falco. Some of his other teachers include Tim Ries (Rolling Stones, Maria Schneider), Jeff Coffin (Bela Fleck), Dave Turner, and Remi Bolduc. On top of founding ‘The Funk Jam’ at the Concord Café , Gordon has played and toured with a wide variety of bands in Toronto and Montreal including: The Gordon Hyland Sextet (Jazz), The Elastocitizens(Funk), Down With Webster (Hip-Hop), The Kingpins (Ska), The Feztones (Rock), and The Advocats Big Band.
Neil Whitford (Guitars) is a graduate of the University of Toronto jazz program in guitar, where he studied guitar with teachers David Occhipinti, Geoff Young and Roy Patterson. Neil is a versatile guitarist who is involved with a variety of artists in Toronto such as Daniel Bernhard Band, Najuah, Amy Lee Owens and the Ninja Funk Orchestra. Neil has also been teaching guitar for a number of years, and is equally dedicated to songwriting, performing and teaching. Neil's influences range from Led Zeppelin to George Benson; Stevie Wonder to Ben Monder.
Stephen Harmelink (Keyboards) – Winner of the prestigious Oscar Peterson Scholarship competition, Stephen is a graduate of Concordia University’s Jazz Studies Program. Stephen was classically trained as a church organist and later switched to jazz, studying with pianists Wray Downes and Jean Beaudet. Stephen is an accomplished composer/arranger and is an expert in wide variety of musical contexts including classical, jazz, funk, and rock.
Mackenzie Longpre is an active drummer, composer and teacher based in Toronto. Currently in the University of Toronto jazz program, he has studied with notable Canadian jazz musicians such as Jim Blackley, Terry Clarke, Bob McClaren and Frank Falco. Mackenzie is part of many exciting new projects involving many of Toronto's finest up and coming musicians. His influences range from Ryan Adams and Jeff Buckley, to Wayne Shorter and David Binney.
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