It all started in the kitchen of a house in the heart of Toronto. There was a jam space in the basement and five rooms rented out by a rotating cast of musicians. This was the scene of many late nights spent drinking glasses of red wine talking about how the gig went. Between the players who lived there and the ones who just came to hang, a significant part of the Toronto jazz community had shared moments listening to records, trading thoughts on music, and expressing their goals. One of those goals was to get a group of players together to record an album of standards. The idea was to go into the studio and try to capture the magic that happens when players who have never met get on a stage, choose a standard they all know, and then somehow make it come to life. Last year, they made that record.

After releasing Volume One they had seventeen musicians that were keen to do it again, only this time with original compositions. The ensemble grew with the addition of Jocelyn Barth and Nebyu Yohannes and then, with their crew of nineteen, the planning for Volume Two began. For many of the band members, this album is their debut as composers, arrangers, lyricists, and producers. This newness brought an exciting energy to the project and with the shared experience of making an album together already, they had developed a strong sense of community.

Community is the prevailing theme of their project. Looking ahead, Collective Order plans to continue to be inclusive and reflective of the musical and cultural diversity that Toronto has to offer.