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Josh Roberts, guitar

Josh is a jazz guitarist, banjo player, band leader and arranger based in Vancouver. He has performed across North America, in Europe and the Caribbean.  Originally from Chilliwack, BC, Josh began playing jazz in the New Orleans and swing traditions in high school and went on to attend Capilano University, where he received a BMus in jazz studies.  Performing with various groups over the years has taken him to jazz festivals across North America and in Europe, including Breda (NL), Sun Valley, Sacramento, and the Vancouver International Jazz Festival at home.  As a leader, his projects have focused on the dynamic, swinging jazz of the 1930s and ‘40s. He leads his own guitar-driven quartet, a sextet in the style of the Benny Goodman small groups, and a big band playing the music of Lunceford, Basie, Webb, and Ellington, among others. For fifteen years Josh has been performing for the Lindy Hop and swing dance community. His bands have been featured at numerous Lindy Hop and swing dance events including Camp Jitterbug, the Northwest Balboa Festival, Balhalla, Big Sky Weekend, the Summer Solstice Swing Dance Festival, and as the house big band for Vancouver’s Lindy Bout.