Badge Époque Ensemble is a group of eclectic Toronto musicians, recruited by bandleader Maximilian Turnbull to play original compositions. Over the course of 4 albums, an EP, and a few compilation/archival releases (mostly on Toronto’s Telephone Explosion label) the scope of their work has come to include contemporary updates to library music, 70’s style jazz-funk, psych’d out soul, prog and esoterica. They have also released collage works, constructed by Turnbull (as well as a remix album in collaboration with Lammping) out of refashioned stems and loops of their own previous recordings. Taken as a whole, their catalog bears reference to a master beat digger’s crate of funky oddities. Fittingly, BÉE most recently collaborated with the rappers Boldy James & O.C. Other vocalists they have collaborated with include Jennifer Castle, Meg Remy, Dorothea Paas & James Baley. They have toured with artists such as Bill Callahan & U.S Girls, and have been long-listed twice for the Polaris Prize.
Badge Époque Ensemble is Jay Anderson (drums), Chris Bezant (guitar), Edwin de Goeij (keys), Karen Ng (saxophone), Alia O’Brien (flute), Gio Rosati (bass), Ed Squires (congas), Maximilian Turnbull (keys, etc).
