Jacob Langer

Kevin Barrett (guitar, string arrangements, producer)

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Kevin Barrett is a guitarist, musical director, composer and producer based in Toronto, Canada.  He is known internationally as a passionate soloist, a dynamic band leader, a first-rate accompanist, and a versatile and creative side musician.  Over his 30+ year career Kevin has worked with some of Canada’s finest artists, including Patricia Cano, Molly Johnson, Lillian Allen, Sharron McLeod, Louis Simão, Ron Davis’ symphRONica and the Stratford Festival.  Through kevinbarrettgroup Productions he has produced recordings with Jacob Langer, Julie Michels, Melissa Boyce, Lisa Lindo, Faustwork Mask Theatre and others.  Kevin maintains a recording and teaching studio in Toronto’s Kensington Market.

Drew Birston is a versatile bassist and singer/songwriter living in Toronto,Canada and has been recording,performing and touring with a wide variety of artists for over 20 years including The Kevin Barrett Group, Sultans of String, and Chantal Kreviazuk. Tours have included the US, Canada, Japan, China, Indonesia, and Europe, and recording credits include albums with two Canadian Juno nominated artists Sultans of String and Tomi Swick. Drew can also be heard on albums by Amanda Martinez, Kevin Barrett, Worst Pop Band Ever, Kevin Laliberté, Hayden, Sarah Slean, Justin Hines, and Jacob Langer. Drew’s debut solo album, Orca Songs, features 10 original pieces that you can hear at drewbirston.bandcamp.com and drewbirston.com.

Rebecca Campbell (vocal arrangements, backing vocals)

Rebecca Campbell is a singer-songwriter who creates music that is emotionally rooted, honest, lyrical, adventurous, intimate, impressionistic, interactive, joyful, poetic, and full of surprises. The scope of her resume betrays a disregard for idiomatic boundaries, a love of words, and a penchant for the sweet and sad. In addition to her work with Fat Man Waving, Justin Haynes, Three Sheets to the Wind, and Jane Siberry, she has sung alongside many famous and not-so-famous musicians over the years. Her vocal arrangements and coaching skills represent an invaluable contribution to Return and to Pick Your Pony, for which Jacob is extremely grateful.

Joe Freedman (electric guitar, acoustic guitar, B-bender guitar)

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Joe Freedman is an electric and acoustic guitar player with over 50 years of experience.  He considers himself fortunate to have learned his first guitar chords in 1960, which provided a grounding for learning many of the guitar-based songs that went on to define 1960’s-1970’s folk, pop and classic rock music.  Joe is also an accomplished fingerstyle acoustic guitarist and has written and performed his original compositions in Canada and the US.  Over the years, Joe has played lead guitar in various local cover bands continues to enjoy contributing the odd solo and fill to a variety of musical projects. 

Paul Gellman (piano, violin, string arrangements)

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Paul Gellman is a singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist and based on Gabriola Island, B.C.  He has written hundreds of songs in a wide range of styles combining rock, pop, r&b, jazz, folk, blues, reggae, country, klezmer and more.  Paul has performed solo and in bands for over 40 years, and brings a warm ambience to the stage.  Paul was a member of The Perth County Conspiracy in the ‘70s, touring and recording with the group, both in Canada and abroad.  Later, he formed Island while living on Canada’s West Coast. Currently, Paul is involved with several bands, both in live performance and as a studio session player, and coaches aspiring musicians.

Peter Hodgson (backing vocals)

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Peter Hodgson is a Wealth Manager and fly fisherman who lives in Collingwood Ontario. He has been playing guitar and singing with his friends and family since his early years growing up in Nova Scotia.

Steve Koven (piano, organ)

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Steve Koven is a composer, performer, producer and educator. In 1993 Steve established the Steve Koven Trio. Touring the world for more then two decades, they have become known as ‘Canadian Cultural Ambassadors’. Aside from performing world wide with his trio, Steve also performs solo piano concerts throughout North America, Europe and the Caribbean. Dozens of Koven’s compositions have been licensed for national and international film and television productions.

Alexander Langer (tambourine)

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Alexander Langer is a graduate of McGill University in political science and history, and New York University Law School. He is currently working as a labor lawyer and writes fantasy stories in his spare time.

Benjamin Langer (banjo, harmonica, backing vocals)

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Benjamin Langer has been playing music since he was a small child “helping” Jacob strum his guitar. Starting with guitar, he has expanded his repertoire to include banjo, harmonica, oud, and most recently, the berimbau native to the music of Capoeira. During his undergraduate years, he was a regular busker at the Halifax Farmer’s Market. He now lives in Peterborough with his wife and two little kids, and writes an occasional children's song when the mood strikes.

Jessica Langer (backing vocals)

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Jessica Langer holds a PhD from the University of London; she is a marketing and communications strategy consultant and teaches social and digital communications in the McMaster-Syracuse MCM program and in the School of Creative Industries at Ryerson University. Jessica has been singing since she was a young child in the St. Louis Children’s Choir; she's played the Minstrel and the Nightingale in Once Upon a Mattress, Fruma Sarah in Fiddler on the Roof and Rizzo in Grease. Jessica continues to sing whenever she can - mostly in the car or to her kids, but occasionally in public as well. 

Ferne Sherkin-Langer (backing vocals)

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Ferne Sherkin-Langer is a pediatric nurse, author, realtor, mother, sister, aunt and bubbie. She has been inspired by and has listened to and loved Jacob’s music since they were teenagers. Having the opportunity to participate in these albums has been an extraordinary life changing experience. 

David Steinberg (drums)

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David has played drums in several bands over the years, including The Mods, Stiv Bators Band, The Jitters and Strange Advance. He is currently an entertainment lawyer in Toronto and a longtime friend of the Langer family!

Olga Van Kranendonk (cello)

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Olga started playing cello in high school and credited her friends from that time (like Jack) for getting her really excited about music. She went on to practice cello day and night and embarked upon a musical career. After living in Amsterdam for a few years in her 20’s (playing in orchestras), she returned to Toronto and joined Tafelmusik, with whom she toured the world and recorded over 40 CD’s. She played with many groups in Toronto as a freelancer, including the Canadian Opera Company and the Toronto Symphony. One of the most satisfying aspects of her time in music was teaching many students and passing on the craft and musicianship that she was taught. Later in her life, she changed career paths and practiced as a Registered Psychotherapist. Tragically, Olga died in 2022 after a brave battle with cancer. She will be missed by all who knew her. 

Roberta Hunt (backing vocals)

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Roberta Hunt is an exhilarating jazz and blues musician – she is a singer, piano player and songwriter. With her signature rootsy and blues style, one music critic wrote, “Mix big piano with beautiful voice, add some attitude and a lot of charisma. With a penchant for those you-done-me-wrong songs and her musical roots in the jazz and spirituals of New Orleans: a picture of Roberta Hunt starts to emerge…”

A sought-after musician in the Ontario music scene, Roberta’s personal and exuberant approach to performance has now mixed with the swing/Lindy dance scene resulting in sizzling energy between dancers and the band that electrifies the audience. Roberta’s current jazz, blues, funk collaboration Red Hot Ramble has been a long-standing presence at live music landmarks like The Rex Hotel, Reservoir Lounge and DROM Taberna as well as jazz festivals and other performance venues across Ontario.

In addition to performing solo and with her own bands (Red Hot Ramble, Bertie and the Gents, Roberta Hunt Trio) in Toronto, Roberta has also participated in the French Quarter Festival New Orleans; Davos Sounds Good Festival, Davos; Rapperswil Jazz Festival, Switzerland; Jazz in Mortigliano, Italy as well as local jazz festivals over her career. The New Orleans influence began early in Roberta’s career when she joined the legendary Toronto New Orleans band “Kid Bastien’s Happy Pals” and held the piano post until 2009.

Lorne Parnes (piano, backing vocal)

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Lorne and Jack go way back, having shared the stage for a few gigs during their medical school days. Lorne’s musical journey began in kindergarten, where his first performance was playing “God Save the Queen” by ear for a morning ceremony. These days, however, he’s more likely to be found restoring hearing than playing piano. As an ear and skull base surgeon at London Health Sciences Centre, Lorne is internationally recognized for his groundbreaking work in vertigo surgery and hearing restoration, including cochlear implantation.

Marsha Attie (backing vocals)

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Cantor Marsha Attie has been serving Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco since 1998. She is a composer and recording artist. Her music can be found in songbooks, camps, synagogues and Jewish music compilations around the country. Cantor Attie was ordained from the Academy of Jewish Religion, California where she earned a Masters Degree in Sacred Music. She has also earned a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Dance/Movement Therapy from UCLA. Cantor Attie is interested in the intersection of prayer and the arts and strives to integrate a variety of creative modalities into her spiritual and creative life. She is also a filmmaker and some of her award winning music videos can be found on YoutTube. She lives in the sunbelt of Corte Madera with her partner Doug and their son Marco.

Louis Simão (bass, accordion)

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Born of Portuguese parents in Toronto, but now residing in Sudbury, award-winning musician Louis Simão has been composing, performing, and recording as a pianist, accordionist, bassist, guitarist, and vocalist in a variety of genres for twenty-five years. Simão has performed and/or recorded with Nelly Furtado, Kiran Ahluwalia, Patricia Cano, Dominic Mancuso (2010 JUNO winner), Michael Occhipinti’s Sicilian Jazz Project, Luis Mario Ochoa, Justin Rutledge, Guinga, Vesuvius Ensemble, Henrique Cazes, Daniela Nardi’s Espresso Manifesto, Sophie Milman, Bill McBirnie, David Buchbinder, “MARIA SEVERA” at The Shaw Festival, Tapestry New Opera Works, Eliana Cuevas, Aline Morales, and Luanda Jones, among others. In April of 2017, he won Song of the Year at the International Portuguese Music Awards and in November of that same year, he was named World Solo Artist of the Year by the Canadian Folk Music Awards for his first solo release, “A Luz” (The Light). In April of 2018, Louis was nominated by the Independent Music Awards for 2018 World Beat Artist of the Year. In 2021, he released “The Love & Resistance Sessions”, a collaborative project with Sudbury’s own Patricia Cano. He was recently nominated for the 2025 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize. 

Alison Young is a JUNO nominated and Maple Blues Award winning saxophonist, vocalist, and composer. Based in Toronto, Young has toured internationally with acts such as Joe Sealy, Big Rude Jake, Alysha Brilla, and the Shuffle Demons, and has appeared on over 40 recordings. In 2017 Alison was chosen as one of the 'Best 35 Canadian Jazz Artists under 35' by the CBC. Later that year, she was featured in Pat LaCroix and Ted O'Reilly's book, "Toronto Jazz Treasures", alongside many of her musical heroes. Alison released her debut album "So Here We Are" in 2018, and received a 2019 JUNO nomination in the "Solo jazz instrumental" category, as well as a nomination for the Julian Award of Excellence. The album has been in regular rotation on CBC and JazzFM, as well as independent radio stations across the country, and reached #1 on the Earshot National Jazz Chart in the summer of 2019. Also in 2019, Young played a 16 city stadium tour across Canada with pop icon Corey Hart, and was featured on his single "Dreaming Time Again". Alison has received the Maple Blues "Horn Player Of The Year" award three years in a row, in 2021, 2022 and 2023.

"Alison Young is a rising star in Toronto and beyond. One of the most versatile musicians in Canada!" - Jaymz Bee, JazzFM 91

Jamie Stager (trombone)

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Trombonist Jamie Stager can be heard in a wide range of settings including jazz, pop, salsa, and classical music. Jamie performs regularly with such groups as Red Hot Ramble, Libation Street Band, and the Big Steam Orchestra. Past performances include appearances with the Temptations, the Four Tops, Big Sugar, and Bobby Vinton, as well as many shows at the Shaw Festival. Jamie is also on faculty at both York University and The Royal Conservatory, teaching trombone, musicianship, and music theory.