sGaanaGwa

"We make music about place, spirit, culture and laws, wrapped in stunning guitar, sax and flute, expressed in the ancient Haida language."

from left to right: Claire Lawrence, Saffron Henderson, Camille Henderson, Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson, Jodi Proznik, Bill Henderson, Geoff Hicks

sGaanaGwa is a compelling collaboration exploring the Haida Worldview of a Supernatural landscape through traditional Haida music intertwoven with influences from jazz, blues, folk and rock. sGaanaGwa is a Haida culture and language project of award-winning singer Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson, legendary musicians Bill Henderson and Claire Lawrence of the acclaimed rock band Chilliwack. They are supported by Western Canadian Music Awards 2019 Jazz Artist of the Year bassist Jodi Proznick and renowned vocalists Saffron Henderson and Camille Henderson.

sGaanaGwa integrates ancient Haida knowledge and oral traditions and draws upon the magic that occurs in both traditional potlatches and jazz improvisation, which they bring to their live performances. Their concerts are an invitation to explore new territories, to share music, knowledge and sounds that summon feelings and images that flow from the Supernatural landscape. A driving force of the band is to propel the conversation about past and future, history and legacy, and the human experience of the Supernatural Realm around us.

“We want to connect people of different backgrounds, to help bridge cultures, and to have some fun on the way”.Terri-Lynn has made it her life’s work and passion to preserve Haida music and culture. Grizzly Bear Town is Terri-Lynn’s third album in the endangered Haida language, and is a collaborative creation with Bill Henderson and Claire Lawrence. Some of the album was filmed and recorded in Haida Gwaii and is evocative of the spirit of primordial Haida Gwaii. SGaanaGwa is a Haida word, that means supernatural, or supernatural being, or powerful.

"Our concerts are an invitation to come explore new territories, a place the audience didn't know existed, and a sound to summon feelings and images that flow from the Supernatural Beings.

We like to help bridge cultures to help connect people of different backgrounds in the spirit of true reconciliation and, to have some fun on the way."

Biographies

Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson was born and raised in Haida Gwaii off the west coast of Canada, Terri-Lynn has been a promoter of Haida music since the age of 13 and has performed throughout the world. For her work over the last 45 years, which has helped bring renewal to Haida songs, she received a ‘Keeper of Traditions’ Canadian Aboriginal Music Award in 2008. Her first traditional album: ‘Lalaxaaygans: Beautiful Sound’, and her second album, ‘New Journeys’ received multiple awards and nominations, including winning Best Female Traditional/Cultural Roots at the 2009 Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards (CAMA), a ‘Best Female Artist’ at the 2011 CAMA, and was cited as one of the top 10 Most Influential Indigenous Albums of 2011 by RPM Indigenous Music Culture. In 2012, ‘Have a Light Heart on Your New Journey’ reached No 2 on the National Aboriginal Music Countdown and was on this chart for almost 40 weeks. Terri-Lynn is also a well-known lawyer representing the Haida Nation in Indigenous law, is the Principal lawyer at White Raven Law Corporation, an author and legal scholar.

Bill Henderson is a singer/songwriter, lead vocalist and guitarist with the legendary Canadian rock band Chilliwack which produced such hits as "Lonesome Mary", "California Girl", and "My Girl (Gone, Gone, Gone)". He has also produced numerous recordings, winning a Juno Award for "Producer of the Year" and a Genie Award for best original song in a movie. He was the sound engineer for the Haida Gwaii Singers contemporary box set and was a musical director for the Canadian edition of Sesame Street. Bill has also advocated for musicians and songwriters on the industry side, as Director of the Canadian Association of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS), and as Director and President of the Songwriters Association of Canada (SAC) and of SOCAN. Bill is part of the folk music supergroup “UHF.” In 2015 Bill was honoured with an Order of Canada, one of the country’s highest civilian honours. In 2019, Chilliwack was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame.

Claire Lawrence is a Canadian musician who was a founding member of the Canadian band The Collectors and Chilliwack. A talented multi-instrumentalist, he plays saxophone, flutes and keyboards. He left Chilliwack in 1971 to produce a number of prominent Canadian artists and groups including Susan Jacks, Valdy, Shari Ulrich, Roy Forbes, UHF and Connie Kaldor. In 1977 he formed the “Hometown Band” which was awarded the Juno for best new group in 1978. He has scored music for television including Northwood, Cold Squad and the long running Canadian TV series, The Beachcombers. He produced Jazz Beat for CBC Radio, along with jazz recordings for artists including Cam Ryga and Rene Rosnes, Laila Biali and Don Thompson, the latter winning a Juno for best jazz album.

Jodi Proznick a distinguished Canadian jazz bassist, composer, and educator, was honoured as the 2019 Jazz Artist of the Year at the Western Canadian Music Awards, boasting three Juno Award nominations. Recognized for her impactful contributions to music education, she received the 2022 Lieutenant Governor's Arts and Music Award in British Columbia. Proznick has collaborated with jazz luminaries like David “Fathead” Newman, Ed Thigpen, Sheila Jordan and Peter Bernstein, and has performed as a jazz soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra. Currently serving as Director of Jazz Studies at the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra School of Music and with a history at esteemed institutions like the Banff Center for the Arts, Capilano University, and Kwantlen Polytechnic University, she remains a influential force in shaping the future of jazz. In 2022, she co-founded the Ostara Project, earning a Juno nomination for their impactful debut album.

Saffron Henderson is a singer, voice actor and narrator with hundreds of rock’n’roll, musical theater, film, tv, animation and video game credits to her name. She has sung in numerous live bands and on TV, film and animation themes, corporate and special events including the Olympic, Invictus and Commonwealth Games, and the Calgary Stampede. She has appeared as a background vocalist for David Foster, Lionel Ritchie, Ray Charles, Olivia Newton John, Chilliwack, Jann Arden, 54-40, Tom Cochrane, Paul Rogers, Mariana’s Trench, Rita MacNeil, Annette Ducharme, The Irish Rovers, Shari Ulrich, Allan Dobb, Raffi, Paul Rodgers (Bad Company), Richie Sambora, The Wild, and Cole Haan. Daughter of Canadian musical legend, Bill Henderson, Saffron enjoys singing and collaborating with her large musical family and is honoured to be a part of the beautiful musical, linguistic and cultural bridge called sGaanaGwa.

Camille Henderson is most well known for her many years of touring as Sarah McLachlan’s back-up singer. By the age of 10, she was a working actor in film, TV and on stage, a session singer for multinational corporations and a signed recording artist with RCA Records. While in her teens, she toured as a member of the A&M recording group West End Girls, charting No. 1 on The Record’s top 40 chart, earning a Juno nomination and winning a Western Canadian Music award. Following this, Camille joined Sarah McLachlan’s band, touring the world with appearances on the Grammy’s, Junos, Saturday Night Live and a string of late-night talk shows. She feels blessed to continue working with world renowned producers, honing her craft as a back-up singer to leading recording artists and occasionally performing live with those most near and dear to her heart. Camille brings her rich history to a gratifying career as a vocal coach, supporting both industry legends and the rising stars of the future.

Geoff Hicks is an earthy, organic drummer whose style falls in line with the likes of Levon Helm, Steve Jordan and Steve Ferrone. Driven by the music, Geoff humbly and consistently strives to provide exactly what is called for on every song, in any given moment. Since 1995, Geoff has been a busy freelance drummer, touring and recording with Colin James, Barney Bentall, Jim Byrnes, Chad Brownlee, Aaron Pritchett, Jim Cuddy, Alan Doyle, Steven Page, Danny Michel, Harry Manx, Steve Dawson, Bill Henderson, Chilliwack, Ridley Bent, Craig Northey, Dustin Bentall & Kendel Carson, The Sojourners, Coco Love Alcorn, Odds, Neil Osborne, Bocephus King, Ox (Mark Browning), Ben Rogers, Ndidi Onukwulu, Bob Kemmis, Wayne Lavalee, Cameron Latimer, Wendy Bird, Steven Drake, Jesse Valenzuela (Gin Blossoms), Teddy Thompson, and the list goes on.

Chris Hockey was born into a family of drummers. He had sticks in his hand since the age of 4 and landed his first paying gig at age 16. Since then, he’s played a broad range of styles within a multitude of bands eventually landing a recording deal in Los Angeles and sharing the stage with artists such as Peter Frampton, Radiohead, Soul Decision, Sarah McLachlan and more.  Playing drums is both challenging and rewarding and Chris feels very fortunate to make his livelihood doing what he loves: playing live, in studio and mentoring up and coming drummers as a teacher.

Haida Solstice Album

“Haida Solstice” celebrates and honours the sacredness of Haida music expressed during the shortest days of the year. It also celebrates the Christmas and Supernatural themed music in the Haida language. Join us to uplift and unite our spirits as we collectively move toward the light.


“The concept of a Christmas album in the Haida language was first suggested to me by Elders in 2017 when I released my last album. It is their enthusiasm and initiative that underscored the importance of their inclusion in holiday festivities. I want to share their vision with others and communities, and provide a new context to holiday celebrations though Indigenous voices.” - Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson

Streaming and CD purchases will be available soon - stay tuned! Visit our events page for seasonal performance listings

Grizzly Bear Town

Released by the band as a trio in 2017, “Grizzly Bear Town” is an album by Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson, with Bill Henderson and Claire Lawrence. The heart of this album is to bridge cultures, by respectfully blending ancient knowledge with contemporary music.

Throughout the immaculately produced and played album a clear sense of space and time is evoked …this is an exceptional album
— Stuart Derdeyn, Vancouver Sun Music Review
This song—after which we named the album—-is a return to my ancestral origins, my maternal great-grandmother and her birth village, Grizzly Bear Town. It is also about finding peace with the history of colonization—on both sides of that colonial experience—to nourish and sustain future generations. A meditation.

Grizzly Bear Town is another name for my ancestral village of Skedans, the village of my maternal great-grandmother, Susan Williams. T’iis Kwaanaaya, Many Ledges, is the Supernatural Being of the rock cliff behind Skedans. It was once a powerful supernatural killer whale before it became the rock cliff. In this song, Many Ledges is a metaphor for the many ascents and falls in our journey towards enlightenment.
— Terri-Lynn Williams-Davidson

 

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