Trombonist AUDREY OCHOA Presents: The Head Of A Mouse

Trombonist and composer Audrey Ochoa, a fixture on the Canadian music scene, possesses a unique magnetism and a recherché allure which has taken her to great heights and unexpected summits. Ochoa is a classically trained artist and possesses a voracious appetite for honing her craft in multiple genres. She is decidedly brash and original, with a spectacular compositional skill and talent on her instrument. These qualities and attributes have led Ochoa to sharing the stage with the likes of Hilario Duran, PJ Perry, and Tommy Banks; and with international legends Lew Tabackin, Marcus Miller, Chris Potter, the UNT One O’Clock Lab Band, Gordon Goodwin’s World Jazz Orchestra, an electrifying solo spot with The Dave Matthews Band (on their tune “Jimi Thing” at a sold-out show at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver), and featured in the touring company of Hadestown, which culminated in an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden.

Her fourth album as a bandleader, The Head Of A Mouse (dropping September 29, 2023 on Chronograph Records), is the latest, and the freshest, representation of Ochoa’s brilliant artistic voice, conceived of during one of the most challenging periods in recent history-the COVID-19 pandemic. As she couldn’t freely perform the music from Frankenhorn live, she dove into the creation of this recording. The result immortalizes feelings of sorrow and desperation, and also of hope, creative energy and a renewed spirit. Ochoa’s desire is that current and future generations will experience this music as a unique musical creation that reflect the experiences of an artist during an unprecedented time. With The Head Of A Mouse, Ochoa’s most exciting and diverse work yet, with sounds spanning genres, modes and moods, she exemplifies an artist who has dedicated herself to expertise while remaining relevant and light-hearted. With a magnificent and fresh-faced approach, this album defies categorization and plants Ochoa’s flag firmly as a centrepiece of the Canadian, and international, music arena. Available worldwide on Chronograph Records, September 29th, 2023. 

Ochoa’s debut album, Trombone and Other Delights (2013), was widely acclaimed and spent three consecutive weeks as the number one Jazz album on the Canadian charts. Ochoa’s sophomore release, Afterthought (2017), an extension of her consummate understanding of arrangement and dedication to her craft – reached the #1 position on the Canadian jazz charts and broke into the top 20 in the U.S. Ochoa is a decorated award nominee, having earned recognition at the Western Canadian Music Awards, the Global Music Awards and a recent recipient of the Edmonton Music Prize, noting an outstanding musical contribution to the local arts scene. With significant momentum, Ochoa’s next recorded efforts were originally intended to feature duets with pianist Chris Andrew – which would be remixed by electronica DJ, Battery Poacher. As pre-production progressed, she found herself utilizing skills from other projects and arranging strings with horns and a rhythm section. The result was Frankenhorn (2020), an ambitious project that introduced strings into her previous configuration of trombone, piano, bass and drums, a mix of chamber music with contemporary and Latin jazz. The album reached #1 on both the Canadian (Earshot) and US (NACC) Jazz charts, and reached #8 across all genres on the Earshot National Top 50 chart in Canada. This release also led to Ochoa’s selection as the “2020 Jazz Artist of the Year” at the Western Canadian Music Awards.