The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra Presents: Forgotten Stories Suite
THE WINNIPEG JAZZ ORCHESTRA
PRESENTS
FORGOTTEN STORIES SUITE
Now Available on Chronograph Records
Following up their 2025 JUNO-nominated “East Meets West: Connections,” “Forgotten Stories Suite” is a 10-track concept album that explores the lived experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ individuals as they navigate their identities, trauma, and paths towards healing, composed by multi-instrumentalist Sean lrvine. [CR-118]
Personnel
Sean Irvine – Composer, Poetry and Lyrics, Alto Sax, Piccolo, Flute, Clarinet, Bass Clarinet, Soprano Sax
Quinn Greene – Spoken Word
Karly Epp – Vocals
Neil Watson – Soprano Sax, Alto Sax
Niall Cade – Tenor Sax
Monica Jones – Tenor Sax
Kyle Wedlake – Baritone Sax
Joel Green – Trombone
Jeremy Duggleby – Trombone
Karin Carlson – Trombone
Isabelle Lavoie – Bass Trombone
Shane Hicks – Trumpet
Matthew Walden – Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Andrew Littleford – Trumpet, Flugelhorn
Jon Challoner – Flugelhorn
Larry Roy – Guitar
Will Bonness – Piano, Rhodes
Karl Kohut – Upright Bass, Electric Bass
Fabio Ragnelli – Drums
Track Listing
(100% MAPL)
- Forgotten Stories 0:55
- Prologue: Studies in Shapes of Palo Santo 6:49
- 2 Brothers 1:03
- Movement I: Nightmare 7:23
- Longing for Texas 2:04
- Movement II: Texas 13:55
- A King and His Castle 1:07
- Movement III: A Perfect Castle 7:03
- May He Rest 1:19
- Movement IV: Harold 10:54
What Folks Are Saying
- “Forgotten Stories not only confirms the orchestra’s stature; it expands its artistic reach in striking and deeply human ways. […] Their music has always thrived on synthesis. Drawing from multiple musical worlds, the WJO produces albums that feel both grounded in tradition and unmistakably contemporary. Each new release asserts itself as a potential classic of the genre, thanks to musicians who, album after album, continue to surprise. One might think such consistency would dull the edge of discovery. It has not. Forgotten Stories, the WJO’s ninth album, may be their boldest statement to date.” –Thierry De Clemensat, Paris Move, with “A MUST” rating
- “The album moves fluidly between intimacy and scale, pairing cinematic orchestration with deeply personal storytelling. Each movement invites the listener into a different portrait—stories that are often unheard, yet profoundly universal..” – Christopher Gonda, V13
- “Listening through Forgotten Stories Suite, one clear entry point arrives with “Movement I: Nightmare.” The orchestra tightens its focus here, using compact voicings and sustained rhythmic pressure to create momentum without excess. Driven by structured ensemble writing and rhythmic urgency, this movement integrates vocal color, sectional interplay, and strong tenor saxophone improvisation by Niall Cade into the big band framework.” – Modern Jazz Today
About the WJO
The Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra (WJO) is Canada’s first community-based, non-profit professional jazz orchestra. Founded in 1997 (registered charity in 2000), the WJO has matured to become an important part of Winnipeg’s cultural landscape, reflected in the ongoing support the organization receives from the Manitoba Arts Council, the Winnipeg Arts Council, the Winnipeg Foundation, and other sponsors. The mandate of the Winnipeg Jazz Orchestra is to be an instrumental force in the promotion and development of big band jazz in Manitoba and beyond, through performance, composition, recording and education.
The WJO has sought to fulfill this mandate in several ways. They present a regular concert series that reflects the diversity of approaches to big band performance and repertoire. They hire Manitoba’s best professional jazz musicians to make up the ensemble, and allow for a rotation of personnel to bring in up and coming musicians. The WJO seeks to present the best big band jazz compositions and arrangements available, and they encourage new work through the commission of new compositions and arrangements for big band by Canadian and Manitoban composers (over 100 have been written for the WJO to date).
The orchestra collaborates with national and international guest performers and conductors that have informed and developed the ensemble, musicians and audience. The organization gives back to the community through educational outreach programs and projects including school ensemble performances at WJO concerts, their High School Honour Jazz Band project (a collaboration with Jazz Winnipeg Festival), and big band workshops held in several Winnipeg schools. Finally, they fulfill their mandate through recording the ensemble and its original music. The WJO has released nine albums to date, including the 2025 release of JUNO Award-nominated East Meets West: Connections, with many more on the way.
For more info: winnipegjazzorchestra.com
About Forgotten Stories Suite
The WJO’s ninth album release is a 10-track concept album that explores the lived experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ individuals as they navigate their identities, trauma, and paths towards healing. The Forgotten Stories Suite, composed by multi-instrumentalist Sean lrvine and featuring vocalist Karly Epp and spoken word narrator Quinn Greene, blends instrumental jazz, lyrical vocals, and poetry to tell stories that are too often left untold. Structured in five movements, each introduced with a poetic monologue, the suite follows five distinct personal narratives that evoke emotions, foster connection and offer space for collective healing.
“I want this album to speak for itself – to amplify the voices of a community of people who take each day in stride and have lived lives of solitude, grappling for love and freedom,” says Irvine. “Much like the experience of walking through an art gallery, I hope you will look deeply into the portraits of these folk’s stories and see how each line, shade, and brushstroke speaks to a greater good. For if music can make us feel something, it provides an avenue for connection and empathy.”
