Whether interpreting a standard, spinning a pop tune on its head, or introducing his own original clever compositions, Ori Dagan is a musician dedicated to the art of jazz.

A fixture on the Toronto music scene over the last 20 years, he is known locally as a “jazzman” who produces events, supports fellow artists and spreads the word about the music by way of a loyal social media following. He has worked with WholeNote Magazine, the Kensington Market Jazz Festival and is currently Co-Director of the new JazzInToronto digital collective.

In recent years Dagan started to venture out of Toronto to perform on the international circuit. His ambitious project Nathaniel: A Tribute to Nat King Cole was the first visual album in jazz history, an award-winning collection of standards and originals that was released as both a recording and a collection of music videos. Nathaniel resulted in invitations to headline the TanJazz jazz festival in Tangier, Morocco; performances in Seoul at South Korea’s first Public Diplomacy Week; an official showcase at South-By-South-West in Austin Texas, and many more.

Since 2020, Ori Dagan is also involved in a major passion project, as the Artistic Director of JazzInToronto. JazzInToronto is a community project connecting Toronto’s jazz musicians, audiences, venues and presenters which provides daily concert listings and video coverage of the local live music scene. He also supports of a new initiative: The College Street Jazz Festival, which took place on April 21-22-23, 2023 in 6 venues along College Street: Free Times Cafe, The Emmet Ray, Sellers & Newel, Bar Pompette, College Street United Church and Revival. Their focus this year is gender representation, diversity and emerging artist and so the lineup this year features 95% female or non-binary artists.

Ori Dagan’s new project Click Right Here puts the jazz singer-songwriter in the spotlight as a unique storyteller. Full of bright moments of humour and surprise, the pandemic-inspired joyride reflects on the shortcomings of technology, the trappings of social media and other 21st century blues backed by a swingin’ 8-piece jazz band of Canada’s finest: Nathan Hiltz (guitar); Attila Fias (piano); Alex Bellegarde (bass); Ben Wittman (drums); Colleen Allen (tenor sax); Alison Young (alto sax); William Carn (trombone); Andrew McAnsh (trumpet) and special guests Jane Bunnett, Simone Denny, Donovan Locke, Erik Flow and Samways. Stay tuned for Click Right Here!