Meet Canadian roots music artist Lester Quitzau, a mellow guy who throws down a heavy groove. In a field where intangibles like feel and integrity count for so much, Quitzau has forged an exemplary career.

What began with a solid blues apprenticeship in the funky working-class bars of Edmonton has grown into an eclectic and constantly evolving musical journey for the guitarist, singer, song-writer, composer and producer.

Whether he's coaxing languid, hypnotic sounds from his slide guitar in an intimate solo concert, or improvising freely with musical partners like Bill Bourne and Madagascar Slim, the Very Electric Trio, or his latest work with Mae Moore, a hard-won honesty underscores every note.

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The First Time Lester Quitzau and Mae Moore performed together as a duo was opening for Taj Mahal in 2002. They were received with standing ovations. There was clearly electricity between them.

The chemistry is all the more interesting when each artist has already several cd's, with Juno nominations, and more than a dozen years into their own careers and personae. Mae and Lester come from varied and diverse backgrounds, but compliment each other, striking a perfect balance. Audiences immediately remark on their connection, an inspired collaboration in which the sum is greater than it's parts.

As Canadian solo artists, Mae Moore and Lester Quitzau have each defied simple catagories. Working today in the relative quiet of their west coast home, they are crafting a passionate acoustic sound. Lester brings his trademark groove and sweeping blues vocabulary, and Mae her acoustic jazz and familiar folk feel to this new project. This work finds both artists reaching new levels, making music with an openess and depth that only comes with maturity.

Lester has been described as "a mellow guy that throws down a heavy groove". In 1998, Lester was nominated for a Juno with his stunning second release, A Big Love, as it took blues where no one expected it to go. His songs have a way of sounding classic, yet fresh. He also performs as part of the Juno award winning trio, Tri-Continental, with Bill Bourne and Madagascar Slim.
For more details and dimensions, visit www.lesterq.com

Mae emerged from Ontario coffeehouses, moving to Vancouver into the 80's, where her music found a home in indie clubs as folk-rock-jazz. Her songwriting skills eventually landed her a deal with CBS Records and a Juno nomination for Oceanview Motel. Singles, "Watermark", "Bohemia" and "Genuine" established her as a standard and respected artist at Triple A radio in the US. After three releases and sales over 100,000, Mae returned to the indie route. Her latest cd is, It's A Funny World.
More on Mae at www.maemoore.com

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With 4 Juno Awards and 10 Juno Award nominations between them, Bill Bourne, Lester Quitzau and Madagascar Slim are truly major players in the Canadian music scene. The artists are all close friends and the artistic respect for one another is evident when listening to the music which they have composed. Each musician has established himself as a respected artist in such musical genres as Folk, Celtic and World, but they all share an extreme passion for, and knowledge of, the blues. Sweet vocal harmonies and imaginative guitar playing are the hallmark of their music. With a mutual love of emotional collaboration and a great curiosity for where their music comes from, this trio of artists has created a recording that is a product of faith, dreams, broken hearts, grit and most importantly, friendship.

Tri-Continental website

Tri Continental bookings: tcrouch@sunlite.ca

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On nine original compositions (including two instrumental guitar duets) and two covers, Mae Moore and Lester Quitzau bring energy and intimacy as well as pro-digious talents to their first joint CD. Quitzau’s appealing baritone, well-suited to bluesy numbers like "Troubled Ways," and understated guitar and Dobro are a perfect match for the control, range, and versatil-ity of Moore's lustrous vocals, which, especially on "Stepping Through Fire," bring Joni Mitchell to mind. Moore and Quitzau have made solo CDs of their own, but together they have something special. The vocal harmonies and sensitive guitar fills are downright exquisite on "Here and Gone," Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan's "Hold On," and the bluesy version of Jimi Hendrix's "Little Wing," where Quitzau's slide really soars.
(Poetical License, www.maemoore.com)
Celine Keating, Acoustic Guitar magazine

An absolutely stellar record! Lester Quitzau's new CD 'So Here We Are' is a fantastic trip through well-written lyrics, great music, and creative production. It's early, but I predict 'So Here We Are' will make it onto a lot of Top Ten CD's for 2001 lists. Mine included!
Cathy Ennis, Announcer-Producer for The Listening Room/CKUA Radio Network.

A groove de force that rattles and reverberates the cornerstones of blues, jazz and rock music.
Fast Forward, Calgary, AB

Lester Quitzau folds time and space together, slips it into his back pocket and heads down the long and winding road of blues on his new disc, taking you with him every step of the way . . . whether it's acoustic or electrified blues, Quitzau's music lifts you higher, allowing you to see for miles and miles, past all life's trials and confabulations.
James Muretich, Calgary Herald

Lester combines a Blues base and a sense of Jazz improvisation and a spiritual quality to his music. It's very soulful and connects on the dance floor and to the heart.
Holger Petersen, Saturday Night Blues (CBC Radio)

Diverse, surprising, and casually entrancing. Words like 'eclectic' and 'beyond category' spring to mind in trying to describe how he's taken elements of rhythm and blues, jazz, folk, rock, and even hip-hop, and blended them together seamlessly.
Roger Levesque, Edmonton Journal

One of the most unique musical experiences available.
Philippe P. Rey, Musical Director, In Guitar Festival, Switzerland

Quitzau's blues world encompasses Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis and Chris Whitely in addition to John Lee Hooker, Blind Wille Johnson and Stevie Ray Vaughn, and while this eclecticism might infuriate purists, it makes A Big Love one of the most inspired efforts ever to emerge from this country's blues scene. Like Big Sugar's Gordie Johnson, Quitzau is not afraid to jump from acoustic to slide sounds to ferocious 70's style riffing but he also delves into some more atmospheric areas, waxing playful and psychedelic.
Alexander Varty, The Georgia Straight

Quitzau uses his blues as a foundation and a jumping off point for musical and personal exploration. A Big Love becomes, in its own terms, his version of Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland.
The Province, Vancouver, BC

Lester Quitzau was the highlight of the closing night of Harbourfront Centre's Soul'N Blues Festival.
Chris Wodskou, NOW Magazine

It's hard to label what he (Quitzau) does as 'blues' in a purist sense of the term, although there's enough of the music's traditional base in Quitzau's work to qualify it as such. His band plays with the intensity of the best rock bands without resorting to excessive clichés; they play with the finesse and freedom of a jazz band while borrowing rhythms from reggae and hip-hop to create something truly original.
Michael Barclay, I.D. Magazine, Guelph, Ontario

Quitzau's guitar work is better than ever, cutting through the haze with a balance of strength and taste that’s occasionally hair-raising.
Roger Levesque, The Edmonton Journal

Quitzau's new CD (So Here We Are) features scorching guitars, impassioned vocals, massive grooves, occasional touches of dub reggae, and a nod or two to the blues greats of the past.
Alexander Varty, The Georgia Straight

Big sound, great command of his instrument and chops coming out of the yin-yang. ... This is a disc (So Here We Are) you should play often, and play loud.
Marke Andrews, The Vancouver Sun

Quitzau's always been as soulful as the day is long ... This record (So Here We Are) again shines with what this talented guitarist is all about: the groove, and playing right from the heart.
Kirby-Music Alberta Magazine

Quitzau and Company nail it at Horowitz concert. ... One of the most impressive aspects was how the trio found so much space in the music.
Roger Levesque, The Edmonton Journal

Working in a trio format featuring bassist Greg Johnston and percussionist Lyle Molzan, Lester explores a breathtaking variety of styles, from electronically enhanced blues-rockers to gentle acoustic ballads. With characteristic understatement, he says, 'I like to keep things interesting'.
Scene, Summer 2001

Deborah @ Poetical License
Box 135
Pender Island, BC
V0N 2M0, Canada

deborah@maemoore.com

Ted Crouch | e-mail |