HALLOWEEN THRILLER (Waterloo) - MJ as electric-jazz on tour, 8pm, $35/$20

Schedule

Fri, 31 Oct, 2025 at 08:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

The Jazz Room | Waterloo, ON

Advertisement
HALLOWEEN THRILLER 2025 :: www.Thriller.Brownman.com
JUNO & GRAMMY nominated jazz/hip-hop trumpet playing iconoclast BROWNMAN ALI (Jay-z, Missy Elliot, Kanye West, Guru's Jazzmatazz) will once again lead an all-star quartet through his popular annual HALLOWEEN THRILLER concert, this year travelling up from Brooklyn, NY to various venues (and schools) across Southern Ontario. The much lauded BROWNMAN ELECTRYC TRIO + 1 will perform the entire Michael Jackson "Thriller" recording, interpreted and re-worked in the Miles Davis-esque fashion this multiple National Jazz Award winning improviser has become known for. In addition to the quartet performing Thriller from top to bottom, other MJ classics will be featured through the night for this unique Halloween Series jazz party. Costumes and Thriller video dance moves encouraged!
[ TICKETS: www.showpass.com/brownmans-halloween-thriller ]
This show features as it's "+1"acclaimed keyboardist NICK MACLEAN, a rising star in Toronto's jazz community, signee to Brownman's Browntasauras Records label & winner of 10 Global Music Awards, standing alongside 2 of Toronto's most in demand musicians : MATT GRUEBNER on bass (from New Zealand, now in Canada), and ADAM MANSFIELD on drums (a 22-year old drumset phenom), all under the direction of 2x National Jazz Award winning modern jazz trumpet iconoclast BROWNMAN ALI. Please visit www.Thriller.Brownman.com for more info on this year's Halloween Thriller Series.
"Delving so deeply into that record always leaves us speechless", states Ali. "Michael birthed so many incredible tunes over the years, but his collaborations with Quincy Jones on Thriller has to be one of the most towering musical achievements in pop music ever. Using that brilliant material every year on Halloween, as jump-offs for what we do makes for a party that's both danceable, but still rooted in exploratory improvising and deep reaching solos. We approach it the way Miles might have."
The BROWNMAN ELECTRYC TRIO has won a National Jazz Award, 3 Toronto Independent Music Awards, a SOCAN music award, a CBC Galaxie Rising Star Award, and an International Independent Music Award for "Jazz-Funk album of the year" for their latest release "Gravitation", which hit number 4 on the iTunes USA jazz charts upon it's release.
“Awards are nice, naturally, but to dig what Brownman is doing, you’ve got to see him live. I had a chance to do just that over the summer when Brownman fronted his killer trio ... I came away with a blown mind. This guy’s got chops galore, soul to match, and a sense of phrasing that recalls many of the greats, but suggests itself to be his own.”
-- The Buffalo News on the latest slew of awards for the Brownman Electryc Trio
----
Fri-Oct-31 -- WATERLOO Tour Date
@ Henry's On James
59 King St. N., Waterloo, ON, N2J 2X2
www.KWJazzRoom.com
8:00pm -- show
$35 -- adults
$20 -- anyone 20 years old and under
TIX: www.showpass.com/brownmans-halloween-thriller
Happy Halloween!!!!
----
2025 HALLOWEEN THRILLER -- ONT. TOUR DATES
www.Thriller.Brownman.com
[ Tue-Oct-21: day: Oshawa Masterclass ]
Wed-Oct-22: 7pm: Campbellford, ON @ Dockside Bistro
Thr-Oct-23, 7pm: Kingston, ON @ RCHA Club
Fri-Oct-24, 8pm: Wakefield, QC @ Black Sheep Inn
Sat-Oct-25, 7pm: Ottawa, ON @ Night Oat (Gladstone)
Sun-Oct-26, 6pm: Keene, ON @ Keene Arts Centre
[ Mon-Oct-27, day: Toronto Masterclass @ Richview C.I. ]
Tue-Oct-28, 7pm: Barrie, ON @ Tequilazzo
Wed-Oct-29, 7pm: Newmarket, ON @ George Whiskey Lounge
Thr-Oct-30, 7pm: Hamilton, ON @ Henry's On James
Fri-Oct-31, 8pm: Waterloo, ON @ KW Jazz Room
Sat-Nov-01, 8pm: Toronto, ON @ My House
----
:: Brownman Ali - electric trumpet & spookiness
--> www.Brownman.com
:: Nick Maclean - keyboards & ghoulishness
--> www.NicholasMaclean.com
:: Matt Gruebner - electric bass & creepiness
--> www.facebook.com/mattgruebner
:: Adam Mansfield - drums & ghastliness
--> www.facebook.com/adam.mansfield.58
----
Dress up if you like - it's Halloween!!!
See videos from the 2020 HALLOWEEN THRILLER show:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFEa9tcDLHdLgeCGMKT5BfiWAv7IGymNv
Hear the BROWNMAN ELECTRYC TRIO at:
www.ElectrycTrio.Brownman.com
Videos of BROWNMAN ELECTRYC TRIO live:
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFECA3E452FE2BC0D

----
ABOUT BROWNMAN | www.Brownman.com
----
Heralded as “Canada’s preeminent Jazz trumpeter” by NYC’s Village Voice, Brownman Ali - born on the small Caribbean island of Trinidad, & schooled in NYC - is a multiple award-winning NYC-schooled protégé to his teacher, Grammy-winning trumpet legend, Randy Brecker. Splitting his time between Toronto and New York, he tirelessly leads 8 unique ensembles of his own including the internationally acclaimed Miles Davis influenced BROWNMAN ELECTRYC TRIO, and the award-winning CRUZAO latin-jazz quintet. All these ensembles record under Brownman's own much lauded BROWNTASAURAS RECORDS label, established in 2009. In high demand in the studio world with over 300 CD appearances to date, Brownman delivers stylistically authentic horn playing over a wide range of styles from bebop to hiphop having worked with the likes of Guru's Jazzmatazz (replacing Donald Byrd in that primordial ensemble), Mos Def, KRS-1, Quincy Jones, Paul Simon, Jay-z, Missy Elliot, Mingus Dynasty Big Band, Gary Bartz, Chucho Valdes & far too many more to name here. He is considered to be one of the most unique and provocative improvising trumpet players in the nation today and is widely regarded as a vanguard for the evolution of Jazz in Canada.
"One of the next great voices in the new generation of jazz improvisers”
-- Randy Brecker

----
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
----
A highly decorated player, his awards & accolades include :
-- 2 National Jazz Awards (with 11 nominations over the years)
-- 10 Global Music Awards
-- Montreal Jazz Fest's "Grand Prix Du Jazz" award
-- a CBC Galaxie Rising Star award
-- a SOCAN composers award
-- 1st place in International Songwriting Competition (ISC), Jazz
-- an International Independent Music Award for "Album of the Year"
-- 3 Toronto Independent Music Award "jazz artist of the year" (8 nominations)
-- a Black Canadian Award nomination for "Jazz Musician of the Year"
-- an induction into the WHO'S WHO IN BLACK CANADA
-- a Black IMPACT Award for "Artists of the Year"
-- a Caribbean Music & Entertainment nomination for "Jazz Artist of the Year"
-- a BRAVO! channel documentary on his life
-- NOW magazine naming him "Toronto's Best Jazz Musician"
-- CBC Radio Canada named him "one of the most recorded trumpet players in Canadian history"
-- NPR in New York calls him "the new standard in electric jazz"
-- the Trinidad & Tobago Consulate General awarded him with a citation for being a "Distinguished National of Trinidad"
-- was once listed by Air Canada's in-flight magazine as "One of the Top 10 reasons to visit Toronto".
Advertisement

Where is it happening?

The Jazz Room, 59 King St N, Waterloo, ON N2J 2X2, Canada

Event Location & Nearby Stays:

Icon
Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.
Brownman

Host or Publisher Brownman

Ask AI if this event suits you:

Discover More Events in Waterloo

HALLOWEEN NIGHT - INSIDE RARE NIGHTCLUB
Fri, 31 Oct at 10:00 am HALLOWEEN NIGHT - INSIDE RARE NIGHTCLUB

RARE NIGHTCLUB & EVENTS CENTRE

HALLOWEEN
Music at Noon: Julie Lumsden, voice
Fri, 31 Oct at 12:00 pm Music at Noon: Julie Lumsden, voice

Maureen Forrester Recital Hall

ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC
NIGHTMARE ON KING ST: Waterloo's Halloween Bar Crawl | Friday, October 31st
Fri, 31 Oct at 05:00 pm NIGHTMARE ON KING ST: Waterloo's Halloween Bar Crawl | Friday, October 31st

Kentucky Bourbon & BBQ

HALLOWEEN PARTIES
PESADILLA - KW'S OFFICIAL LATIN HALLOWEEN PARTY
Fri, 31 Oct at 09:00 pm PESADILLA - KW'S OFFICIAL LATIN HALLOWEEN PARTY

Room 47

HALLOWEEN HALLOWEEN-PARTIES
EMO Night - Halloween Edition
Fri, 31 Oct at 10:30 pm EMO Night - Halloween Edition

Maxwell's Concerts & Events

HALLOWEEN ENTERTAINMENT
A Very Merry Market
Sat, 01 Nov at 10:00 am A Very Merry Market

Rim Park

CHRISTMAS CHRISTMAS-MARKETS-AND-FAIRS
Artisanal Sourdough and Ciabatta Bread Baking Workshop
Sat, 01 Nov at 10:00 am Artisanal Sourdough and Ciabatta Bread Baking Workshop

Conestoga College - Waterloo

WORKSHOPS FOOD-DRINKS
Lee Valley Tools Waterloo Store - Chip Carving Ornaments
Sat, 01 Nov at 01:00 pm Lee Valley Tools Waterloo Store - Chip Carving Ornaments

620 Davenport Rd

Open Mic Comedy at Midnight Run
Wed, 18 Sep at 08:00 pm Open Mic Comedy at Midnight Run

Midnight Run Cafe

COMEDY OPEN-MIC
Motion and Light Photography Workshop - Kitchener\/Waterloo
Sat, 07 Jun at 10:00 am Motion and Light Photography Workshop - Kitchener/Waterloo

Lazaridis School of Business and Economics

WORKSHOPS ART
Waterloo M**der Mystery: Catch the Killer!
Sat, 05 Jul at 10:00 am Waterloo M**der Mystery: Catch the Killer!

Brewmeister Green Park

ART THEATRE
Thu, 25 Sep at 10:00 pm Berserk - Halloween Costume Party

Lilmout Lounge

HALLOWEEN COSTUME-PARTIES
Student Recital: Classical Voice
Fri, 24 Oct at 12:00 pm Student Recital: Classical Voice

Maureen Forrester Recital Hall

ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC
Smartizen Halloween Party
Fri, 24 Oct at 04:30 pm Smartizen Halloween Party

370 University Ave E

KIDS HALLOWEEN
Halloween Party 2025
Fri, 24 Oct at 04:30 pm Halloween Party 2025

370 University Ave E, Unit #203A, Waterloo, ON, Canada, Ontario N2K 3N2

HALLOWEEN HALLOWEEN-PARTIES
illscarlett live at Maxwell's Waterloo
Fri, 24 Oct at 07:00 pm illscarlett live at Maxwell's Waterloo

Maxwell's Concerts and Events

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT
Laurier Chamber Orchestra Concert
Fri, 24 Oct at 07:30 pm Laurier Chamber Orchestra Concert

Maureen Forrester Recital Hall

ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC
Fall Fundraiser
Sat, 25 Oct at 04:30 pm Fall Fundraiser

Uptown Waterloo

MUSIC NONPROFIT
Laurier Wind Orchestra Concert
Sat, 25 Oct at 07:30 pm Laurier Wind Orchestra Concert

Theatre Auditorium

ENTERTAINMENT MUSIC
The Toronto Welsh Male Choir
Sun, 26 Oct at 03:00 pm The Toronto Welsh Male Choir

Knox Presbyterian Church

MUSIC ENTERTAINMENT

What's Happening Next in Waterloo?

Discover Waterloo Events