MA:Q & Sharon Minemoto Quartet

Why we picked it

MA:Q Formerly known as the Mary Ancheta Quartet, the newly renamed MA:Q (pronounced M-A-Q) pushes the boundaries of genre, drawing inspiration from Weather Report, Betty Davis, McCoy Tyner, and David Byrne to create a “crisp, fresh, funky fusion, landing somewhere between vintage Headhunters and swinging organist Jimmy Smith" (Vancouver Sun). A Vancouver-based Canadian Filipina, Ancheta’s forthcoming MA:Q album When the Light Comes to Play deals with themes of resilience, moments of clarity, and the transitional state between waking and sleeping. The LP incorporates more piano than her Level Up EP, as MA:Q moves toward modern jazz with dynamic elements of funk, hip-hop, and Afrobeat. With Dominic Conway sax, Matt Reid bass, and Paul Clark drums, MA:Q come to play, and come correct, with their groove-driven, future-facing "supercharged jazz and funk” (Georgia Straight). <span style="text-decoration: