Steve Holt - Jazz Musician

Steve Holt received his first JUNO nomination back in 1984 for The Lion’s Eyes in the Jazz Album of the Year category, and launched an international career performing with artists such as Archie Shepp, Eddie Henderson, Larry Coryell and James Moody.

But like many jazz musicians, Holt’s recording career eventually slipped out of the spotlight. His last album appeared in 2002, and for more than two decades he released nothing new. To many listeners, he had simply faded from view.

Now, at age 71, Holt has come roaring back with a new album of original music titled Impact — and it has brought him full circle with a 2026 JUNO nomination.

The record features a powerhouse quintet of some of Canada’s top jazz players and a set of fresh compositions that reflect the long arc of a life spent in jazz. One moment that has already drawn attention is Holt’s improvised solo piano interpretation of O Canada. Writing in The Aquarian, critic Mike Greenblatt said that "...what Holt does with the anthem is akin to what Hendrix did to the Star-Spangled Banner at Woodstock.”

It’s an unusual story in Canadian music — a musician still creating vital work after half a century in the art form and receiving a JUNO nomination more than forty years after his first.