Canadian vocalist-composer Caity Gyorgy joins Steve for a conversation about craft, collaboration, and why swing still feels newly minted when the writing is sharp and the band listens hard. Known for quicksilver phrasing and original tunes that travel between club intimacy and orchestral sheen, Gyorgy traces the path from early influences to her new string-driven project and previews her San Francisco debut at the Joe Henderson Lab.
What you’ll hear
• How Caity discovered jazz and shaped her sound through singers like Ella Fitzgerald, Abbey Lincoln, Blossom Dearie, Betty Carter, and June Christy.
• Inside Caity Gyorgy with Strings: writing with pianist-arranger Mark Limacher, assembling an all-Canadian orchestra, and channeling arranging touchstones (Don Costa, Nelson Riddle, Gordon Jenkins, Henry Mancini).
• Song stories: “That Doesn’t Matter” (a cheeky portrait of friendship and creative trust) and “You’ll Learn” (a cinematic, voice-memo-to-lyric journey).
• What Bay Area audiences can expect at the Joe Henderson Lab: standards from Loesser, Styne, Porter, and Kern alongside Gyorgy’s originals, charted with wit and swing.
Band for the Joe Henderson Lab
Caity Gyorgy — vocals
Mark Limacher — piano
Thomas Heinbach — bass
Aroma Jr. — drums
About the guest
A three-time JUNO winner (pronounced “George”), Caity Gyorgy writes and sings with a composer’s clarity and a bebop musician’s reflexes. Recent releases include the orchestral album Caity Gyorgy with Strings and duo projects with Mark Limacher that showcase her ear for melody and narrative.
Credits
Host & production: Steve Roby / Backstage Bay Area
Editing & mix: Backstage Bay Area
Music excerpts: courtesy of the artist
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Show Info & Links
Event: Caity Gyorgy — Joe Henderson Lab (SFJAZZ Center), San Francisco
Dates: Nov 7–9, 2025
Set times: Two sets Friday (7:00 PM & 8:30 PM); additional performances across the weekend—see event page for current times and availability.
Tickets & info: SFJAZZ event page
Artist website: CaityGyorgy.com