Busheikin/Villette Present: John Lee Trio

As an artist, John Lee is widely known for his immense proficiency as a multi-instrumentalist as well as his ability to connect audiences to his music with a charming and positive charisma. Lee has released two records on Cellar Music, the latest, a piano trio record, Second Wind features John on piano with the great Kenny Washington on drums and Peter Washington on bass. His first album, The Aritst featured Carl Allen on drums, Miles Black on piano and Cory Weeds on tenor saxophone. Both albums have received critical acclaim.
John Lee - Piano
Kosma Busheikin - Upright Bass
Graham Villette - Drums

More about John Lee:

Raised in Nanaimo, BC, multi-instrumentalist John Lee has emerged as one of Canada’s most acclaimed jazz artists. Demonstrating a deep passion for music from an early age, Lee developed into a virtuoso by his late teens. In 2010, he moved to Boston to attend Berklee College of Music, where he studied under the mentorship of Ralph Peterson Jr., Terri Lyne Carrington and Dave Santoro.
Lee's experience as a sideman reaches far beyond his years. Growing up on Vancouver Island, he cut his teeth performing with notable Canadian musicians including Phil Dwyer, Christine Jensen and Ingrid Jensen. At just 19, he made his U.S. debut with Cyrus Chestnut at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola (Jazz at Lincoln Center) in New York City. Throughout the early 2010s, Lee was a prominent figure in the Victoria jazz scene, performing alongside visiting artists such as Larry Fuller, George Colligan, and Misha Piatigorsky. In recent years, Lee has built a strong association with saxophonist and Jazz impresario Cory Weeds which has opened the door to performing alongside many of today’s jazz luminaries. His appearances in Vancouver have included performances with Eric Alexander, Peter Bernstein, Joe Farnsworth, Mike LeDonne, Terell Stafford, Dick Oatts, Jeremy Pelt, Ralph Moore, Seamus Blake, Joe Magnarelli, Grant Stewart, Michael Weiss, Jim Rotondi, Roy McCurdy, Jerry Weldon, John Webber, Benny Benack III, Lucy Yeghiazaryan, Nicole Glover, Sarah Hanahan, Brian Charette and Alexander Claffy.
With the support of the Cellar Music Group, Lee released his debut album The Artist in 2021 on the Cellar Live label, featuring Carl Allen. His sophomore album, Second Wind—featuring Peter Washington and Kenny Washington—was released in July 2024. In addition to his own projects, Lee appeared as a guest artist on Carl Allen’s 2025 album Tippin’ featuring Christian McBride and Chris Potter, as well as Mike Clement's 2024 release Hittin’ It featuring Herlin Riley. Lee can also be heard on several of Cory Weeds' albums, including Just Coolin’ and With Strings: What Is There to Say?.
Lee has been an educator and clinician for over a decade and remains a prominent mentor within the Canadian jazz scene. A rare talent, he continues to push boundaries as a multi-instrumentalist, regularly performing both as a bandleader and an in-demand sideman on five different instruments.

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“Busheikin/Villette Presents” is a monthly jazz concert series that brings the best in live jazz straight to Nanaimo.

As longtime friends and musical collaborators, the curators of this series, drummer Graham Villette and bassist Kosma Busheikin wanted to create an experience for the community of Nanaimo. As they join forces with local and visiting artists, their mission is to bring great music and unforgettable nights to the many jazz lovers of Nanaimo.

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